Not in This World

Not in This World is director Park Jungbum’s renewed exploration of the darkest recesses of the human soul. He focuses on teenager Jisu who – as the daughter of struggling parents – refuses to submit to capitalist society’s harsh rules. She raps, finding a solitary fan in Jeongcheol (played by Park), an oddball with a big heart and moral compass. After the umpteenth argument she runs away and attempts to destroy the cruel world from the inside out by enthusiastically, and seemingly emotionlessly, ruining herself.

Park shows his mastery of human relations, which he delineates in dialogue and non-verbal communication. And always, despite appearances, vulnerability and a desire to be loved shine through. Not in This World is Park Jungbum’s third film to be screened at IFFR. The Journals of Musan won both a Tiger Award and the Fipresci prize in 2011, while Alive was shown in 2015.

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