The Last of the Sea Women
| The Last of the Sea Women | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | Sue Kim |
| Produced by | Erika Kennair Sue Kim Malala Yousafzai |
| Cinematography | Iris Ng Eunsoo Cho Justin Turkowski |
| Edited by | Erin Casper Stacy Kim Yeong-a Kim |
| Music by | Jang Young Gyu |
Production companies | A24 Extracurricular |
| Distributed by | Apple TV+ |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Korean |
The Last of the Sea Women is an American documentary film, directed by Sue Kim and released in 2024.[1] The film profiles the haenyeo, a declining community of women in Jeju, South Korea, who support themselves by free-diving in the ocean to collect seafood.[2]
Much of the film concentrates on the community of haenyeo, all of them over 60, on Jeju, but later we learn that on Geoje island, 150 miles away, there are some younger haenyeo, in their 20s and 30s, who continue the tradition and have popular social media profiles.
The lives of the haenyeo are seen in a more political and international context when Japan announces a plan to release irradiated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, which might threaten the health or the livelihood of the women.
The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival,[3] where it was named the winner of the NETPAC Prize.[4]
Critical Reception
[edit]The documentary's depiction of haenyeo's lives has been criticized by writer Lisa Kwon as uni-dimensional: "Any attempt at a reflection on the contemporary daily lives of Jeju Island inhabitants without acknowledgement of its history feels empty and self-serving. Most attempts lapse into negligence: well-wishers arrive at the archipelago to gaze upon the modern haenyeo, ask uncritical questions about their histories, and, at worst, drive unchecked tourism."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Marya E. Gates, "The Last of the Sea Women". RogerEbert.com, September 9, 2024.
- ^ Danita Steinberg, "The Last of the Sea Women Review: Swimming into the Spotlight". Point of View, September 14, 2024.
- ^ Etan Vlessing, "Eddie Huang, Raoul Peck, Steve Pink Films Join Docs Lineup at Toronto Film Fest". The Hollywood Reporter, August 7, 2024.
- ^ Steve Pond, "‘The Life of Chuck’ Wins Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award". TheWrap, September 15, 2024.
- ^ "Sue Kim's New Documentary Catches a Diluted Glimpse of Haenyeo's Reality". IMPULSE Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
External links
[edit]
 | This article related to an American film of the 2020s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |