Directed by: Park Ji-wan (박지완) Starring: Kim Hye-soo (김혜수), Lee Jung-eun (이정은), Noh Jeong-ee (노정의), Moon Jeong-hee (문정희), Kim Sun-young (김선영) Release Date: November 12th, 2020
2020 is shaping up to be an incredible year for female representation in Korean film both on screen and behind the camera. Whether it be the ambitious prosecutor in Innocence, aspiring professional athlete in Baseball Girl, or badass undercover agent in OK! MADAM, films this year have featured strong female leads in roles typically occupied by men. The Day I Died not only contributes by featuring a female detective out in the field investigating a cold case, but it was also written and directed by a promising female voice in Korean cinema, Park Ji-wan. She’s crafted a gloomy and methodical police procedural film that brings a fresh feminine perspective to crime scene and detective work. Along with its powerful performances and great photography, The Day I Died makes for another one of the year’s best movies.
As the career policewoman now detective Hyun-soo (Kim Hye-soo) emotionally works through a looming divorce with her husband that’s beginning to interfere with her career, she takes up a cold case involving the reported suicide of a teenage girl named Se-jin (Noh Jeong-ee) whose body was never recovered. Hyun-soo’s investigation takes her to an island where learns the girl was being kept under surveillance pending an investigation into her father’s illegal dealings. Island locals report the girl jumped from a rock perch into the ocean before a typhoon likely washed her out to sea.
But as Hyun-soo’s investigation continues, she discovers multiple anomalies within the evidence that leads her down several new lines of inquisition. She begins to suspect that greater secrets lie beyond this seemingly simple suicide case as a local or even state level conspiracy to conceal secrets becomes more and more of a possibility. With pressure to close the case and an ever-growing sense of isolation and despair as Hyun-soo repositions herself within a world now alone, Hyun-soo begins to feel a deep connection with the victim that take her one step closer to solving the case.
If the title hadn’t already suggested, The Day I Died is a very gloomy film in regards to tone and subject matter. It covers many dark subjects like suicide, divorce, loneliness, family breakdown and self-sacrifice. This will undoubtedly turn off some viewers who prefer more fast paced and upbeat procedurals. But The Day I Died will reward those patient and daring enough to cross into the darkness with the film’s characters, each struggling within their own form of “hell on earth” that they find themselves in.
Writer director Park Ji-wan stacked her cast with veteran actresses that drive home the emotional investigation in The Day I Died. Kim Hye-soo (The Red Shoes, Default) delivers another career defining performance as the heavy hearted detective seeking the truth behind the teen’s suicide. She’s convincing at every turn as the seasoned detective, piecing together clues and inquisitively questioning any witnesses. There’s another side of her character struggling to deal with the fallout of a failed marriage and a looming legal battle surrounding a potential divorce. I appreciated the inclusion of the difficulties faced by a woman in her position as it related to her career, whether it be having to postpone pregnancy for career advancement or facing character defaming accusations from a spiteful lover.
The Day I Died also features a stellar supporting cast with Lee Jung-eun (PARASITE, Yakiniku Dragon) almost stealing the show as the mute island villager who offers the biggest leads into the truth behind the teen’s suicide. Lee’s character Cheon-dek is facing her own sadness and life of isolation caring for her niece who remains in a vegetative state. Like Yoo Ah-in in the recent Voice of Silence (2020), the role is a strong testament to her talents as an actress in just how much she is capable of expressing with practically zero lines of dialogue. I wouldn’t be surprised if both actors take home awards for their roles, which might be a first for roles without speaking lines.
The teen suicide victim played by Noh Jeong-ee was another great surprise. The actress is very competent in conveying the pain and frustrations felt in the kind of hell that she finds herself in. After losing nearly every member of her family, she remains alone on an island trapped in a kind of witness protection house. While I did not completely understand the rationale behind putting this character in such an extreme situation, her story works well metaphorically. Her mental battle for stability and love was very evident being isolated and alone with a lot of her freedoms stripped away. So I very much look forward to seeing this actress again in the future.
The Day I Died is impressive on so many levels, especially in the acting and photography departments. But the powerful roles led by women and actually being written by a woman creates a rarely achieved sense of authenticity to character motivations and delves into seldom explored emotional states. For those worried about a tonally bleak narrative, rest assured the The Day I Died clears away some of the dark clouds with its final message of optimism and possibility that should leave you with positive vibes coming out.
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