Korea Independent: The Ugly

Korea Independent: The Ugly [OmeU] South Korea, 2025, directed by Sangho Yeon with Jeongmin Park, Haehyo Kwon, Hyunbeen Shin, 103 min

The blind seal master Yeong-gyu and his son Dong-hwan learn that the remains of Yeong-gyu's wife Yeong-hui, who disappeared 40 years ago, have been found. With a documentary film producer, they trace back memories of the past...

“The Ugly” is not simply a crime film in search of a perpetrator. Instead, he explores the reasons for the murder and the meaning of beauty and ugliness. By juxtaposing the oppressed workers of the Korean industrialization of the 1970s with those who exploited them, the film also shows how socially disadvantaged people can become perpetrators themselves.