Kim Jinyeong
Directing
Biography
Kim Jinyeong majored in Film Directing at the Korea National University of Arts. In 2022, she directed her debut feature film The Other Child, which tells the story of a family whose anxiety and grief gradually transform into horror. The film was screened at the Udine Far East Film Festival and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Alongside her film work, she has published the novels Lies Hidden in My Garden, The Monster, Yonghye, and Leave This Land. Lies Hidden in My Garden was adapted into a television drama series in Korea, while Leave This Land is a horror novel that explores space and ownership through supernatural fear. Working across both literature and cinema, Kim has consistently explored the choices and relationships of female characters, as well as anxiety and latent monstrosity within the human psyche. She is currently preparing a feature film based on her novel The Monster, Yonghye. Through this film, she seeks to reinterpret the world she created in writing through cinematic language and to explore the question of who the real monster is at the intersection of horror and drama.
Known For
A couple decides to adopt a child to overcome the loss of their third child whom they lost to an accident. They adopt a boy who is visually impaired, hoping that raising him would make up for the insufficient love they gave to their lost child. The adopted boy has an acute sense and begins to notice that there is another presence in the house. He discovers that the presence is a boy who died a year ago and summons him back to the family. The mother gets obsessed with communication with her lost child. The father and the other children believe the adopted boy is lying, and start to fear the mother's growing obsession toward her lost child and the adopted boy. The children feel compelled to tell their parents about the secret about the lost child, which changes everything for the family.
The Other Child
Detective Yonghye, a member of a special missing persons unit, is assigned to the disappearance of a man in his sixties who has vanished without a trace. Yonghye is known for her unusual ability to sense a distinct “smell of death” at crime scenes—an odor no one else can perceive. The smell leads her to bodies and awakens something instinctual within her. While her investigative skills appear exceptional, this ability is tied to a secret she has concealed since childhood. As Yonghye traces the missing man’s movements, an unexpected memory resurfaces.