HEIGHT OF THE WAVE

Official Selection - Out of Competition |

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Korean |

89 min

About the film

After the traumatic death of her parents at sea, young Yea-Eun becomes terrified of it. Orphaned, she is taken in and abused by the local residents of the island where she lives. In the toxic environment of the small coastal town, the events of the film ominously tell of a crime that may not have even happened. With an overwhelming and clashing combination of human desires, greed, beliefs, and secrets, events escalate as Yea-Eun navigates through life. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 72nd Locarno International Film Festival.

Director

Jung-bum Park

Jung-bum Park was born in 1976 in Seoul, Korea. After working on his award-winning short films Templementary (2001) and 125 Jeon Seung-Chul (2008), he produced his own feature debut The Journals of Musan (2009), which premiered at the 2010 Busan International Film Festival, and won the New Currents Award. The film continued to receive critical acclaim, participating at several international festivals, and winning several awards including the Grand Prix at the Marrakech International Film Festival; Tiger and FIPRESCI awards at Rotterdam; Best New Narrative Director at Tribeca, and more. In 2014, his feature film Alive received the Young Critics Award at the Locarno Film Festival. His latest feature film, Height of the Wave (2019) competed at the 72nd Locarno Film Festival.

Producer

Ji-yoon Oh

Production Company

Second Wind Film

Screenplay

Min-gyeong Kim

Cinematography

Jong-cheol Park

Editing

Hyeon-ju Cho

Sound

Rang-gi Hong

Cast

Seung-yeon Lee, Yeon Lee, Eun-seo Choi, Yeong-deok Park, Yeon-sik Shin

Contacts

Producer

Ji-yoon Oh

Production Company

Second Wind Film

Screenplay

Min-gyeong Kim

Cinematography

Jong-cheol Park

Editing

Hyeon-ju Cho

Sound

Rang-gi Hong

Cast

Seung-yeon Lee, Yeon Lee, Eun-seo Choi, Yeong-deok Park, Yeon-sik Shin

Contacts

More About Film

Police Officer Yeon-su is dispatched to an island with her daughter after her divorce. On the night of her welcoming party, Yeon-su witnesses the strange relationship between orphan girl Yae-eun and the island workers. Yae-eun has been taken care of the village people after she lost her parents in the sea when she was young. Yeon-su suspects her of prostitution. When Yeon-su starts to investigate the case, the village foreman tries to send Yae-eun out of the island to settle the issue rapidly. However Yae-eun, who is scared of being in the sea because of her past trauma, desperately runs away and hides in the mountain.

Producer

Ji-yoon Oh

Production Company

Second Wind Film

Screenplay

Min-gyeong Kim

Cinematography

Jong-cheol Park

Editing

Hyeon-ju Cho

Sound

Rang-gi Hong

Cast

Seung-yeon Lee, Yeon Lee, Eun-seo Choi, Yeong-deok Park, Yeon-sik Shin