Mute Hee-Jin is working as a clerk in a fishing resort in the Korean wilderness; selling baits, food and occasionally her body to the fishing tourists. One day she falls in love with Hyun-Shik, who is on the run from the police, and rescues him with a fish hook when he tries to commit suicide.
Direction
Kim Ki-duk's wordless storytelling that somehow screams.
Cinematography
Floating huts and misty water that feel like fever dreams.
Sound
The absence of dialogue makes every splash deafening.
Director
Kim Ki-duk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kim Ki-duk filmed on actual floating fishing huts in a remote Korean reservoir; actors reportedly got seasick between takes.
The fish hook imagery recurs throughout Kim's work as a symbol of both connection and violation—here it's literally used for both salvation and torture.
KR
