Bring Me Home

Jung-yeon is a respected nurse who dedicates all her time to searching for her son Yoon-su, who's been missing for six years now. Even though she's racked with guilt, she hasn't given up hope of finding her child, and has been wandering around the surrounding towns with her husband. When her husband dies in an accident while following a false trail, her despair does not affect her determination to find Yoon-su. Meanwhile, in a fishing co-operative run by extremely suspicious people, a mute child works like a slave and gets beaten in broad daylight without anyone reacting. A young police officer notices a clear resemblance between the boy and the picture on the wanted poster for Yoon-su. Faced with the hostility of his violent and corrupt superior, he makes an anonymous call to Jung-yeon, who immediately rushes to the coastal village, unaware of the horrors she’ll discover there, and the dangers she’ll have to face.

Since its premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, BRING ME HOME has garnered rave reviews on the festival circuit. A masterfully crafted debut feature by director and screenwriter Kim Seung-woo, this hard-hitting psychological thriller tackling delicate themes never falls into sensationalism, focusing instead more on the development of its protagonist. For her big-screen comeback 14 years after her iconic role in Park Chan-wook's LADY VENGEANCE, the great Lee Young-ae carries the film on her shoulders with a nuanced yet powerful performance worthy of her best roles. BRING ME HOME is one of the gems of Korean cinema of the past year and you won't believe that this striking work is by a first-time director. We'll keep an eye on the talented Kim Seung-woo in the years to come! Translation: Rupert Bottenberg