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.
Oct 5 & 7: Q&A
Cooperating Organizations
Media Partner
Community Partner
Oh Ah-yeon, Park Yong-woo, Oh Min-ae
South Korea
2024
In Korean with English subtitles
Book Tickets
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
After earning a degree in Film from Myongji University, Lee Je-hui studied film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. His graduation project, For Money (2018), was screened at the 7th Mumbai International Short Film Festival. He wrote the feature-length commercial film Noise (2020), which was released in Korea in June 2025 and became a box office hit.
The Nonsense is his feature debut.
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