A poor North Korean fisherman finds himself an accidental defector, and is groomed to be a spy by an ambitious South Korean military officer.
Direction
Kim Ki-duk's wordless final act — pure visual storytelling.
Acting
Ryoo Seung-bum's face says everything the script deliberately doesn't.
Production
The fishing net motif woven into every frame.
Director
Kim Ki-duk
Ryoo Seung-bum
Nam Chul-woo
Lee Won-keun
Oh Jin-woo
Kim Young-min
Inspector
Choi Gwi-hwa
Director Lee
Lee Na-ra
Chul-woo's Wife
Kim Su-an
North Korean Flower Girl
Jeong Ha-dam
Jin Dal-rae
Sung Hyun-ah
Consultant
Ahn Ji-hye
Min-ja
Hwang Geon
Agent
Cho Jae-ryong
Platoon Commander of North Korean Army
Lee Seol-gu
North Korean Defector
Oh Ryoong
Agent
Hwang In-mu
Gangster
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kim Ki-duk made this after his own controversial exile — the film reeks of personal alienation from national identity.
The fishing net metaphor was literal: Ryoo trained with actual North Korean defectors to learn authentic netting technique.
KR
