Blessedness: Monsters and Specters

Directed by Hong Ji-yeong (홍지영)

Written by Hong Ji-yeong (홍지영)

77min | Release date in South Korea: 2022/06/02

Synopsis
At first glance, ''Blessedness: Monsters and Specters'' feels complicated and difficult, and not easy to summarize. Since the plot unfolds from concept to concept instead of story or emotion, it feels foreign. It is hard to connect the dots of the three chapters - monsters, specters, and blessedness. Narrations with prophetic phrases or abstruse contents frequent, and scenes of fantasy or unreality, sometimes even stage shots emerge to disturb the narrative. The three main characters in this film, Seongsim, Eunsu, and Seongcheol are helpless beings in front of reality. Seongsim and Eunsu are gay lovers rejected by this society and their love for each other have failed. Actor Seongcheol experiences the life of Spinoza as he plays the role of Spinoza who was expelled and labeled as a heretic in the Jewish community and an atheist Jew among Christians. This film connects Spinoza of the 17th century with sexual minorities of the modern times and seeks the true path of ‘freedom’. A queer film with new sensibility without melodramatic elements or social drama. MOON Seok

21st Jeonju International Film Festival

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