'To Her' When a Political Reporter Became a Mother of a Child with Developmental Disabilities

Movie 'Geunyeoege' Opens on September 11
Social Prejudice and Hatred Toward Disability
Rediscovering Actress Kim Jaehwa's 'Deep Emotion'

Actor Kim Jaehwa [Photo by Blade Entertainment]

Writer Ryu Seung-yeon worked as a political reporter for a newspaper, covering the National Assembly. She was a naturally impatient "born reporter" who couldn't stand not knowing something. After getting married, she gave birth to twins, but a completely different world unfolded when her son was diagnosed with level 2 developmental disability due to a brain hemorrhage during childbirth. Discriminatory views, prejudice, and hatred came flying at her as if they were everyday occurrences.

Ryu wrote an essay titled "I Decline, The Neighborhood Fool Brother," which compiled her experiences raising a child with a disability. Inspired by this, the film "To Her" (directed by Lee Sang-chul) was produced and will be released on the 11th of next month. Through the author's experiences raising a child with developmental disabilities for over ten years, the film poses questions to our society.

The movie calmly depicts various situations faced when Ji-woo, a son with a disability, enters elementary school. Actress Kim Jae-hwa played the role of Sang-yeon, a political reporter and mother of a son with developmental disabilities. It shows the confident reporter growing as she becomes a mother raising a child with disabilities and portrays the reality of families with developmental disabilities. Kim Jae-hwa’s powerful performance leads the drama, and it is refreshing to see a new side of her. She builds a dense portrayal of a strong human being who falls into despair, rises again, and never gives up on her child.

At the press screening of "To Her" held on the afternoon of the 28th at CGV Yongsan in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Kim Jae-hwa said, "I read the script upon the recommendation of director Kang Dae-gyu, who directed my debut film 'Harmony' (2010), and thought I absolutely had to appear." She added, "Through Sang-yeon, I reflected on my life and learned a lot." She continued, "I met this film when I was exhausted after running non-stop for ten years. It was sometimes hard to digest, but I recovered a lot through this work."

Movie Still from 'To Her'
[Photo by Yeonghwarunhyeongje]

Movie Still from 'To Her'
[Photo by Yeonghwarunhyeongje]

Director Lee Sang-chul, who directed the film, said, "I asked writer Ryu about details and episodes from her reporter life and reflected them. I worked on the script for a year, seeking feedback and advice." He explained, "The story depicts a person growing through unexpected experiences. It was made as a coming-of-age film that can reach a broad meaning beyond just people with disabilities."

Another title for "To Her" is "Blessing." The English title is "BLESSER." It was inspired by a phrase from the first chapter of the original work titled "Every Child is a Blessing from God," which says, "A blessing is not like a lottery that hits all at once. A blessing is like a drizzle that slowly wets your clothes." Director Lee said, "'Blessing' is a well-known meaning, but in French, it means to cause pain. The word with contrasting meanings was interesting and well represented the film."

Kim Jae-hwa, who faced the reality of a mother and family with a son with developmental disabilities through the film, said, "The term 장애인 (障碍人) means a person who has physical or mental disabilities or defects and is restricted in daily or social life, but I hope it can be changed and used as 장애인 (長愛人), meaning a person who must be loved for a long time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.