'The Old Woman With the Knife' invited to Beijing film fest
Min Kyu-dong's action thriller continues international festival run after Berlin debut
Director Min Kyu-dong's action-thriller "The Old Woman With the Knife" has secured an official invitation to the 15th Beijing International Film Festival's Panorama section, marking another international recognition for the film following its screening at the Berlin International Film Festival and Brussels Fantastic Film Festival.
The Beijing International Film Festival, to take place April 18-26, ranks alongside the Shanghai International Film Festival as one of China's premier cinema events. "The Old Woman With the Knife" will screen out of competition in the Panorama section, the festival's most eclectic program known for showcasing films of artistic merit across genres.
Min expressed his excitement about the invitation. "I'm thrilled that 'The Old Woman With the Knife' will be screened in Beijing. I hope the film's entertainment value and emotional depth will resonate with audiences there," he said.
The film's selection carries additional significance as Korean productions have historically had a limited presence at Chinese film festivals. It follows the 2024 invitation of box office hit "Exhuma" to the festival's Midnight Thrill section.
"The Old Woman With the Knife" stars veteran actor Lee Hye-young as Hornclaw, an aging killer with nearly five decades of lethal expertise. Her carefully controlled life begins to unravel when she encounters Bullfight (Kim Sung-cheol), an ambitious young killer whose obsessive pursuit suggests motives far deeper than professional rivalry.
The 131-minute film, based on Gu Byeong-mo's bestselling novel, features the 61-year-old Lee in an unconventional role that puts an older woman at the center of an action-driven assassin narrative. Following its world premiere at Berlin in February, the film is scheduled for release in South Korea on May 1.
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Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Different layers of motifs, puzzles bring stylish take on 65-year-old female killer
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In the film, his backstory is clearer and more emotionally grounded, hinting at a traumatic event that not only fuels his obsession with defeating Hornclaw but also his desperate need to leave a mark on her life. For the film to work, Bullfight's world had to be as robust as Hornclaw's, according to the director. "What could have pushed a young man to seek out a showdown with an aging killer? Perhaps a traumatic event, powerful enough to upend his entire life, is what drives him," said Min. 'With a novel, if something doesn't make sense, you can close the book and come back later. In a film, the moment passes, and if you don't understand, the rest of the story might not land.' The novel resists clarity. Bullfight's motivations remain ambiguous, his feelings toward Hornclaw unreadable. Gu has consistently declined to offer any clarification since the novel's release. 'It's the part readers are most curious about,' she said. 'But if I give a clear answer, the mystery disappears. I want readers to sit with their own questions.' Power struggle Another key divergence appears in the portrayal of the fictional company. In the novel, the shadowy organization of contract killing is referred to only vaguely as 'the agency." Both Hornclaw and her former partner and mentor, Ryoo (Kim Moo-yul), recognize the moral compromise inherent in their line of work, fully aware that their so-called 'clean-up' jobs are, in the end, acts of unforgivable violence. In the film, the moral framing is more ambiguous — even somewhat palatable. Hornclaw describes her work as a kind of sacred duty, targeting only those whose crimes seem to warrant death. There are boundaries, rules that govern her actions. The agency's director, Son (Kim Kang-woo), harbors ambitions to modernize it and ultimately edge Hornclaw out. Their conflict deepens as Son aligns with the newcomer, advocating for new ethics and methods within the agency. 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The novel devotes considerable space to Hornclaw's troubled history: her years of drifting from place to place, during which she was driven to steal not out of necessity but recklessness, her fraught relationship with Ryoo, and her child (omitted entirely from the film). This portrayal adds a layer of moral ambiguity and emotional complexity to the story. Many symbolic motifs — existence and disappearance, wounds, loss and recovery, salvation and violence — are intricately woven into the book. The film, likewise, is layered with motifs and puzzles. According to the director, even something as simple as a car's license plate hides a code. 'I hope that discovering these subtle details will be a small but rewarding pleasure for the audience and book fans alike," said Min "The Old Woman with the Knife" novel is available in English, translated by Chi-Young Kim, as well as in several other languages in 13 countries. hwangdh@
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