I was on the search for an unconventional film with an unexpected and unique plot. Just then, I came upon the movie ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’, and after seeing its cast and plot I had no doubt I would love this film. So, today I am bringing a review of probably one of my favourite Korean movies ever. Let’s talk about ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’.
A million-seller story
Based on a novel by Cho Nam-joo, ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ is a drama film starring Jung Yu-mi as Kim Ji-young and Gong Yoo as Jung Dae-hyun.
Directed by Kim Do-young and Produced by Mi Il-young, this movie shows the day to day struggles of women trying to make it in a male dominated culture, where inequality and sexism are a very real roadblock.
Ji-young is a professional woman in her thirties, she got married and had a child. Now, she is a housewife and lives under societal expectations where mothers just stay at home and are expected to do nothing else but repetitive house chores and look after their child.
Ji-young wants to go back to work. She mentions to her husband Dae-hyun her intentions to take a part time job, however, he tells her not to do so, as he believes it isn’t needed.
Dae-hyun’s family plays a big role in Ji-young’s image of herself, she constantly questions her actions when his mother is at their home. She is always expected to behave as a good daughter-in-law and help with the preparation of family festivals even though she also wants to see her own family.
Mental health and society
Ji-young hasn’t felt like herself in a while, she feels empty and sad. One day out of nowhere she starts speaking to Dae-hyun as if she was possessed by another person, this worries him and he records the episode and looks for a medical opinion.
Ji-young doesn’t really remember when this episode happens, her mind goes blank as if she was asleep when the other person took over her body.
We then find out that Ji-young has experienced sexism and discrimitation since she was very young. As a child she was always told to behave like a lady and make sure to marry well by her older relatives. As a teenager she suffered from harassment from a classmate.
She wasn’t given a well-deserved work promotion as a young adult after being considered not-enough due to the possibility of her getting married and going on pregnancy leave, giving the position she worked hard for to a male colleague.
As a wife and mother, she is generalised and neglected by the outside world, constantly being the subject of unwelcome comments and assumptions based on her gender bias.
Mentally Ji-young has put up with a lot of things in her life, deteriorating her mental health to the point where it is now, she has never considered going to therapy as she sees her state as something casual. She gives it a try but when she sees the cost of the examination she decides not go ahead with it.
An eye opener
Dae-hyun worries about Ji-young and tries to help her as much as he can. She meets one of her ex co-workers and is offered a position in a new company formed by her former boss. Her husband, looking for ways for her to feel better, agrees on her going back to work and proposes to take parental leave so she can pursue her career.
The news about Dae-hyun taking a parental leave shocks his family and his mother confronts Ji-young, worsening her mental state even more and leading her to second guess her decision of going back to work.
She realises that even if she goes back to work, she won’t be able to support their family as much as he does, as women generally earn lower wages in comparison to the counterparts.
In their home, they both have a deep talk, just then, Dae-hyung tells her about the episodes she has had and shows her the video, making her aware of her situation. Finally she decides to go to the therapist to be treated.
Towards the end, we see a better looking Ji-young confronting people and their inappropriate and sexist comments, in the final scene, she seems happier and is working on a book.
Fighting against stereotypes
‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ is a movie that will resonate with any woman living in a male dominated culture. Expectations, social pressure and gender bias are palpable throughout the movie and more than one woman will definitely identify with one aspect of Ji-young’s life.
Her family always favored her younger brother, and Ji-young and her older sister always lived under her older relatives’ expectations and were never incentivized to fight for their dreams. In a heartbreaking scene, Ji-young’s mother played by Kim Mi-kyung sees her daughter’s mental state when she speaks as if she was her grandmother, just then she realizes how her and her husband could have done more for their daughters.
When Ji-young’s family tries to comfort her and help somehow, her brother notices that he doesn’t even know her preferences, and after consulting with his father he ends up buying red bean bread believing that it was her favourite but in reality it was his.
‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ sparked a debate of gender equality and sexism upon its release, it represented many women not just in South Korea but also the world. Overall, this film is about normal people living their lives and really trying to cope with everything.
But sometimes trying to keep it together is not the answer.
You can check out the trailer for this movie below.
