'The Apartment with Two Women' explores mother-daughter relationship

The new film, "The Apartment with Two Women," depicts a complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. Courtesy of Challan Film

New film features realistic narrative of complicated relationship

By Lee Gyu-lee

Relationships between loved ones, especially among family members, can be complicated, going through a constant phase of conflicts and love.

Director Kim Se-in of film "The Apartment with Two Women" / Courtesy of Challan Film

The new film, "The Apartment with Two Women," explores this complicated yet ironic relationship between mother and daughter, through a candid, realistic narrative of Korean culture.

"Our society places boundaries on women to put them into a set of prejudice and stereotype of a mother-and-daughter relationship and motherly love. And women are solely responsible and accountable for the issues that arise within that stereotype," director Kim Se-in said during a press conference for the film in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, Tuesday.

"I wanted to capture that through the camera for the viewers to see beyond (that established stereotype). Instead of putting them on a scale of judgment to weigh what's right and what's wrong, I wanted (viewers) to think about the reasons behind the actions of the characters in the film," Kim added.

Kim's feature film directorial debut revolves around a middle-aged, single mother named Soo-kyung (Yang Mal-bok), and her daughter Yi-jung (Lym Ji-ho), who is an office worker in her late 20s.

Soo-kyung is a self-assertive, gregarious woman with red highlighted hair. She raised her daughter by herself, making ends meet by running a small aroma therapy spa, a place for neighborhood wives to gather and gossip. She is hot-tempered and takes out her frustration from work and life on her sensitive, withdrawn daughter, who still lives in Soo-kyung's apartment.

The film, "The Apartment with Two Women," is set to hit local movie theaters on Nov. 10. Courtesy of Challan Film

One day, Soo-kyung hits Yi-jung with her car. Soo-kyung claims the car accelerated due to a malfunction. But Yi-jung believes her mother did it on purpose. The rocky relationship escalates to a new level when Yi-jung sides against her mother who sues the car manufacturer for the glitch.

The film, which is set to hit local theaters on Nov. 10, has been sweeping awards at local film festivals, including five wins at last year's Busan International Film Festival and the highest honor in the Discovery Section at the Seoul International Women's Film Festival this year.

It has also been invited to screen at numerous overseas film festivals, including Germany's Berlin International Film Festival and Italy's Udine Far East Film Festival.

The director shared that she was surprised with the film's reception by the global audience, as it was different from the feedback from local audiences who were able to relate to the authentic mother-daughter story.

"It was interesting how the audiences, especially in western countries, reacted to the film which was different from the local audiences … they take this as a black comedy, probably due to the cultural difference, whereas the audiences from our country see this as a film that talks about the issues and struggles they also go through," she said, adding that this is the film with deeply Korean sentiments.

A scene from the film, "The Apartment with Two Women" / Courtesy of Challan Film

The film's Korean title translates to "Two Women Wearing Same Underwear," a much more direct title that shows the irony of their relationship, sharing a very private, personal belonging ― underwear ― despite their contrasting personalities.

"As the film deviates from the standard depiction of a mother-and-daughter relationship, I wanted the title to have the same approach," the director said, explaining the reason for the explicit, long title.

"I have always explored complicated relationships that cannot be defined with one single emotion. The nature of the relationship has been my biggest interest. The relationship between families is the epitome that shows the irony in human connection, especially the mother-daughter relationship."

Yi-jung constantly shows bitterness toward her mother for not being the mother figure and caretaker, while depending on her and longing for her love. Soo-kyung, on the other hand, is seeking to finally have her own life after raising her daughter by herself, finding a boyfriend and a new hobby.

The director said that she intended the film to show the two characters as separate individuals. "I wanted to show that the two are different people with their own history," she said.

The film, "The Apartment with Two Women," notched five trophies at last year's Busan International Film Festival. Courtesy of Challan Film

She added she also wanted to point out the flaws of the system that society enforces on its people.

"Inevitable things that happen around the world are never an individual's fault nor are something that they should be accountable for; but rather, I think those are due to the flaws or inadequacy in the system," she said.

"The characters in the piece are not born to be faulty, withdrawn, or overbearing from the start. I believed that if I portray the characters interesting enough, the audiences will resonate with them and understand why the characters are acting the way they do."

She shared that the film's plot touches on the topic of relationships beyond just a mother-daughter connection.

"The film is about the story between mother and daughter, but in a broader scope, it's simply about relationships. People learn about human connection as they go through trials and errors of maintaining a distance from each other and having a good time with each other," she said.