Young-nam, a promising young policewoman from Seoul, is transferred to a small fishing village as a disciplinary measure. The locals are somewhat surprised that a woman takes over the position of chief of police. The reasons for Young-nam’s transferral are initially unclear. Her daily routine of getting drunk on her living room floor suggests she’s been unhappy for some time.
Do-hee, a quiet and timid girl, is bullied by her classmates and beaten up by her family. Her father Yong-ha is the owner of the fishery and therefore boss of half of the community, which looks on silently when he gets drunk and becomes physically violent in public.

In her directing debut, Jung brings together these two lonely women. To escape her father, Do-hee repeatedly turns up on the police officer’s doorstep – until Young-nam eventually takes her in for the summer in defiance of the father. There are consequences: the bigoted villagers are hostile towards Yong-ha. And then, awkwardly, Young-nam’s ex-lover arrives in town.

By skilfully and constantly shifting the balance of power between the three main characters, Jung succeeds in creating an intelligent blend of drama and thriller. The main role is played by Bae Donaa – internationally renowned since Cloud Atlas – who delivers a strong performance in the role of the policewoman. An unusually candid film about domestic violence and homophobia, also in July Jung’s home country of South Korea.

Film programme Life’s a Bitch