World Premiere
Here’s a film that questions the supernatural and rational in roughly equal measure — raising doubts, then doubts those doubts, then doubts again… One could call The Nonsense a work of epistemological involution or, more plainly, a ripping good mystery. Oh Ah-yeon plays Kim Yoo-na, an insurance investigator working on a perplexing case: A man has been found dead in a lake and while Yoo-na’s company claims suicide, the truth is unclear. The named beneficiary is Kang Soon-kyu (Park Yong-woo), a charmer who practices a bizarre form of psychotherapy. Rationalist Yoo-na finds his beliefs dubious, but there’s no denying his powers of persuasion…
Writer-director Lee Je-hui builds tension slowly but surely, demonstrating a firm grasp of narrative and atmosphere. As the mysterious Soon-kyu, Park expertly bridges comedy and menace, and Oh evokes the rigours of a logic-driven mind — her performance shows the price Yoo-na pays for her skepticism. This is a provocative and troubling story, told well and graced with a satisfyingly ironic conclusion.
Oh Ah-yeon, Park Yong-woo, Oh Min-ae
South Korea
2024
In Korean with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Joh Gun-shik
Producer
Jo Jang-hwan
Screenwriter
Lee Je-hui
Cinematography
Song Hyeon-jun
Editor
Lee Je-hui
Production Design
Kim Ji-oh
Original Music
Lim Min-ju
Lee Je-hui
Spotlight on Korea
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