2013|83MIN | DRAMA
DIRECTOR KU Hye-Sun
CAST SHIM Hye-jin, KU Hye-Sun, YOON Da-kyung
RELEASE DATE November 6, 2014
The multi-talented KU Hye-son (an actress, singer/songwriter, artist and writer, in addition to being a filmmaker) recently debuted her third feature film at the Busan International Film Festival, within its Korean Cinema Today: Vision lineup. Featuring veteran 90s star SHIM Hye-jin in a rare film appearance (though she also appeared in this year’s PiFan premiere Welcome), Daughter marks a sober departure from the director’s earlier flights of fancy, which included Magic (2010) and The Peach Tree (2011).
SHIM plays an overbearing mother to a young girl who feels an excessive amount of pressure to succeed and his forced to fall in line with her mother’s ascetic ways. HYUN Seung-min plays the young girl while KU plays the same character as a bitter grown up who fears motherhood and grudgingly visits her bed-stricken mother.
Bereft of color and joy, the girl lives her life under the thumb of her domineering mother, continually scolded, beaten and privy to bouts of her uncontrollable temper. A glimmer of hope presents itself when her piano teacher neighbor takes pity on her and offers to teach her how to play the instrument. Set in Incheon, KU’s hometown, Daughter sports an autobiographical feel.