Discrimination from 40 Years Ago, 'Face' Still Resonates Today [Slate]

Director Yeon Sangho's 'Face' Raises Questions of Appearance and Inequality
The Shadows of Discrimination in the Age of Industrialization: The Invisible People
A Reality That Persists... Serving as a Mirror for Social Reflection

Movie 'Face' Still Cut

The film 'Face' is not just a simple mystery. By revisiting a murder case from 40 years ago, it evokes the hidden side of Korea's modern history and the persistent social injustices that remain.

Im Donghwan (Park Jungmin), who assists his father Im Younggyu (Kwon Haehyo)-a master of seal engraving who overcame visual impairment-runs a workshop with him. One day, he receives news that the remains of his mother, Jung Younghee (Shin Hyunbin), who disappeared 40 years ago, have been discovered. As he investigates the cause of death with documentary producer Kim Sujin (Han Jihyun), he learns that his mother suffered social ridicule and contempt because of her appearance.

Director Yeon Sangho entrusts Park Jungmin with portraying the younger Im Younggyu, intertwining personal narratives with broader social contexts. Rather than focusing solely on the suspense of a mystery, the film vividly reveals the emotional impact of disability or stigma on individuals and the reality of social exclusion.

Movie 'Face' Still Cut

The Invisible People: Inequality Amid Industrialization

At the garment factory, Jung Younghee is called "Ddonggeolle" (dirty rag). The factory manager and her coworkers routinely mock her for her looks. This reflects the rise of appearance-based discrimination during Korea's industrialization. As the rural-to-urban migration accelerated in the 1970s, traditional communities such as families or villages could no longer guarantee a person's identity. Instead, outward appearance became the main criterion for evaluation. It began to serve as an easy standard by which to judge individuals.

The structure of the labor market further fueled this trend. As the proportion of service and office jobs grew beyond simple manufacturing, neat appearance became increasingly valued throughout society. This is the background behind why appearance has become a so-called "spec" (qualification) today. Closely tied to social inequality, this issue not only led to gender discrimination in the labor market but also negatively affected women's self-esteem and social status.

Even aside from explicit discrimination, the lives of female workers in Korea-where patriarchal ideas were deeply rooted-were far from easy. Many spent their youth enduring human rights abuses, pollution, and grueling, even deadly, labor conditions.

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Director Yeon does not simply lay bare the irrational realities. He also delicately highlights the tenacious vitality with which Jung Younghee endures her life. This is not mere defiance or rebellion. It is the desperation of struggling to survive, and the nobility of willingly enduring sacrifice that breaks her apart for the sake of others.

While Jung Younghee lives amid the contempt and ridicule of those around her due to her appearance, Im Younggyu faces social prejudice and limited opportunities because of his disability. In the 1970s, the rights of the visually impaired were not institutionally guaranteed. Rather than alleviating inequality, many members of society deepened new forms of discrimination, treating the disabled as "invisible people."

Im Younggyu takes a different path from Jung Younghee in his quest to become a "visible person." Rather than confronting injustice head-on, he tries to curry favor with the factory manager, for example by engraving seals for free. Though this may seem cowardly, it is a compromise to survive in an unequal environment. He is depicted as a realistic figure, constantly struggling for survival.

Director Yeon contrasts these opposing approaches to life, foreshadowing conflict among the socially disadvantaged. At the same time, he prompts viewers to recognize both the structural inequalities that weigh down individual lives and the complex psychology that emerges within them. In the shadow of industrialization, every choice and conflict becomes a burden of life itself.

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A Reality Unchanged After 40 Years

The film does not directly reveal Jung Younghee's face. Instead, it relies solely on the social gaze that judges her, posing a fundamental question: Have we truly changed?

At Jung Younghee's funeral, held 40 years after her disappearance, her sisters respond rudely when her nephew asks to see a photograph. "Younghee didn't like having her picture taken because she was ugly." "What do you mean by that?" "Oh, being ugly just means being ugly. That's all."

The reactions of Jung Younghee's former coworkers from the factory are no different. "It's hard to describe exactly how she looked, but anyway, it wasn't good. She was ugly." Kim Sujin, who is secretly filming beside Im Donghwan, finds such conversations intriguing and starts planning a provocative documentary.

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From a distance, the audience watches as the characters recall the past, confronting questions about appearance, inequality, and human dignity. Director Yeon interweaves personal lives and social structures, visually depicting the impact of appearance-based and disability-based discrimination on individuals. Through this, he skillfully compels viewers to face the ongoing reality of discrimination today. In particular, as Im Donghwan uncovers his mother's life, his emotional journey becomes a reflection on how much our society judges individual worth by external standards.

A society where the distinction of disability is unnecessary remains a distant goal. While the principle that "discrimination is wrong" is widely accepted as common sense, few deeply consider the real-life cases and structural issues involved. Sometimes, even those who oppose discrimination are criticized for being "unconvincing in their approach." Each member of society has a different sensitivity to discrimination, and it is easy to forget that within the larger subject of "society," we ourselves may be complicit in perpetuating discrimination.

Movie 'Face' Still Cut

For these reasons, 'Face' does not remain a mere record of victims and perpetrators. Instead, it serves as a mirror that urges social reflection through the uncomfortable truths where social inequality and personal experience intersect. Forty years have passed, but we are still creating new "Jung Younghees." On social networking services, people still judge others' appearances; in hiring processes, "image" is evaluated; and people continue to see the disabled only as objects to be "overcome." 'Face' asks: How long will we continue to judge someone's face so carelessly? In the face of this question, we can no longer remain bystanders.