Hana Korea, the first feature film by Frederik Sølberg, is based on a true story and illustrates the journey of Hyesun (Kim Minha), a woman who strives to start a new life in South Korea after leaving North Korea. However, South Korea turns out to be another arena in which she must adapt, rather than as a place of liberation. From participating in the social integration programs based on democracy to living an independent life in an apartment in Seoul, everything is unfamiliar and overwhelming to Hyesun. The letters Hyesun writes to her mother serve as a key device throughout the film, revealing her inner world. Sharon Choi co-wrote the screenplay with the director, delicately handling linguistic nuances, while Kim Minha’s enthusiastic performance blurs the boundary between fiction and documentary, making the film highly immersive. While the screen frame is initially limited expressing Hyesun’s confinement to the integration center for immigrants, it becomes wider and more flexible as she gains confidence within Korean society. Through the protagonist’s journey across China and the two different Koreas, Sølberg portrays a universal portrait of women who must reconcile with their past selves in order to move forward. Sølberg is known for the documentary DOEL (2018), and through Hana Korea captures the realities North Korean refugees experience without exaggeration nor simplification, offering a balanced portrayal of personal growth and inner transformation on the path towards liberation.
