This review may contain spoilers
The Ugly Truth of Worshiping "Image" in the Eyes of Others
The story follows a man in his forties who lives with his blind father—a legendary craftsman of Korea’s finest traditional seals. He receives a call informing him that the body of his mother, who disappeared 40 years ago, has been found. Alongside a pragmatic, scoop-hungry documentary producer, the "ugly" truth about the mother’s death and her past begins to unfold.
This is a movie about ugliness—not just the physical kind the mother was shamed for, but the ugliness of the soul. In the very first scene, the blind father gives a long speech about how people wrongly assume the blind don't appreciate beauty. Hold on to this sentence, because it defines the entire film and its shocking twist.
The movie is built on the idea of "stigma." The mother, whose face remains hidden for most of the film, is branded as "ugly." When she married, people mocked her, thinking that just because someone "noticed" her, she suddenly thought she had a voice and rights. There is also the stigma of bullying, the victim-blaming faced by her coworker, and the blind husband's own feeling of being "cheated" or fooled.
The most "ugly" things in the film are the "walls of trophies." Whether it’s the father’s awards for his beautiful craftsmanship or the old factory owner’s disgusting photos of his "prey" displayed like achievements, both built their glory on spiritual rot. In the end, the only one labeled "ugly" was the only one with a beautiful soul.
Everyone else is ugly in their own way. The producer is a hypocrite seeking only success. As for the son, he deserves an entire series of articles to describe his character. The ending is striking; when we finally see the mother’s face in a photo, she is a carbon copy of her son. If the son were a girl, he would be the "ugly" one.
He inherited his mother’s face (which looks average for a man) but inherited the rotten soul of his father—the man who killed his mother simply because of her looks. The father interpreted every laugh around him as mockery of his wife’s ugliness in a society that worships "image." A society that literally idols how it looks in the eyes of others. The son chose to keep that "idol" standing by burying the truth.
In the final scene, the son breaks down in hysterical tears, signaling his defeat. He surrenders to the social "idol" despite knowing it’s a lie. He chose to protect his father’s reputation as a "beautiful Korean legend." Shattering that image would be a massive slap to the face of society, and his choice was driven by pure selfishness and fear of losing his own status.
The movie is good, but the "reveal" felt a bit weak. Given the build-up and the documentary-style interviews, I expected a much bigger shock.
The first real shock is the mother’s past with her brothers, who only showed up for the inheritance. They described their childhood as a "happy family" right before the truth revealed she was actually a survivor of a very toxic family. She was honest and brave—the exact opposite of everyone else—yet she was betrayed by the person closest to her, all because of her face.
This is a movie about ugliness—not just the physical kind the mother was shamed for, but the ugliness of the soul. In the very first scene, the blind father gives a long speech about how people wrongly assume the blind don't appreciate beauty. Hold on to this sentence, because it defines the entire film and its shocking twist.
The movie is built on the idea of "stigma." The mother, whose face remains hidden for most of the film, is branded as "ugly." When she married, people mocked her, thinking that just because someone "noticed" her, she suddenly thought she had a voice and rights. There is also the stigma of bullying, the victim-blaming faced by her coworker, and the blind husband's own feeling of being "cheated" or fooled.
The most "ugly" things in the film are the "walls of trophies." Whether it’s the father’s awards for his beautiful craftsmanship or the old factory owner’s disgusting photos of his "prey" displayed like achievements, both built their glory on spiritual rot. In the end, the only one labeled "ugly" was the only one with a beautiful soul.
Everyone else is ugly in their own way. The producer is a hypocrite seeking only success. As for the son, he deserves an entire series of articles to describe his character. The ending is striking; when we finally see the mother’s face in a photo, she is a carbon copy of her son. If the son were a girl, he would be the "ugly" one.
He inherited his mother’s face (which looks average for a man) but inherited the rotten soul of his father—the man who killed his mother simply because of her looks. The father interpreted every laugh around him as mockery of his wife’s ugliness in a society that worships "image." A society that literally idols how it looks in the eyes of others. The son chose to keep that "idol" standing by burying the truth.
In the final scene, the son breaks down in hysterical tears, signaling his defeat. He surrenders to the social "idol" despite knowing it’s a lie. He chose to protect his father’s reputation as a "beautiful Korean legend." Shattering that image would be a massive slap to the face of society, and his choice was driven by pure selfishness and fear of losing his own status.
The movie is good, but the "reveal" felt a bit weak. Given the build-up and the documentary-style interviews, I expected a much bigger shock.
The first real shock is the mother’s past with her brothers, who only showed up for the inheritance. They described their childhood as a "happy family" right before the truth revealed she was actually a survivor of a very toxic family. She was honest and brave—the exact opposite of everyone else—yet she was betrayed by the person closest to her, all because of her face.
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