The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin

  • 115'
  • South Korea
  • 2019

When the American base in Uijungbu, Korea is going to be torn down, Park Insun, a 'comfort woman' who has lived in the adjacent shanty town for 40 years, feels distressed. On a cold winter's day she discovers that a former colleague has died and she attends the silent funeral. Then messengers from the afterlife appear in search of wandering spirits who need to go to the realm of the dead. To prevent being extinguished, Insun decides to make her own 'true' story.

The filmmakers have already highlighted the issue of American military bases and the accompanying prostitution in moving documentaries such as Tour of Duty (2013). This new film approaches a comfort woman's traumatised life more as fiction, adding supernatural fantasy elements allowing Park Insun to steer her unbearably tragic fate in the sublime direction of her choice: an act of resistance against her exploitation, against a clock that cannot be turned back, but also against victimhood.

Directors
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Premiere
International premiere
Country of production
South Korea
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
115'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Imshinhan namuwa dokkaebi
Language
Korean
Producer
Kim Il-Kwon
Production Company
CinemaDAL
Sales
CinemaDAL
Screenplay
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Cinematography
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Editor
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Sound Design
Ryu Hyungseok, Ahn Hyunjun
Music
Jung Hyunseo, Min Kyeongjun, Twomyoung
Cast
Park Insun
Directors
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Premiere
International premiere
Country of production
South Korea
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
115'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Imshinhan namuwa dokkaebi
Language
Korean
Producer
Kim Il-Kwon
Production Company
CinemaDAL
Sales
CinemaDAL
Screenplay
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Cinematography
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Editor
Kim Dongryung, Park Kyoungtae
Sound Design
Ryu Hyungseok, Ahn Hyunjun
Music
Jung Hyunseo, Min Kyeongjun, Twomyoung
Cast
Park Insun