A young man released from prison visits the widow of the man he killed drunk-driving and becomes infatuated with his cerebral palsy-stricken daughter.
Acting
Moon So-ri's body control is transformative, not performative.
Direction
Lee Chang-dong refuses easy sentimentality at every turn.
Writing
A romance that dares you to root against it, then breaks you.
Director
Lee Chang-dong
Sul Kyung-gu
Hong Jong-du
Moon So-ri
Han Gong-ju
Ahn Nae-sang
Hong Jong-il
Ryoo Seung-wan
Hong Jong-sae
Son Byung-ho
Han Sang-shik
Kim Jin-goo
Mrs. Hong
Chu Gwi-jeong
Jong-sae's Wife
Yoon Ga-hyun
Han Sang-sik's Wife
Park Myung-shin
Woman Neighbor
Park Kyung-geun
Woman Neighbor's Husband
Han Dae-gwan
Detective 2 (uncredited)
Go Seo-hee
Bottled Water Woman (uncredited)
Park Gil-su
Friend of Real Estate Office President (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Moon So-ri spent months with cerebral palsy patients; her performance won her Best Actress at Venice despite this being only her second film.
The 'oasis' metaphor cuts both ways: Jong-du sees Gong-ju as his escape from society's rejection, while she uses him to imagine a life beyond her body's constraints.
KR
