“Coin Locker Girl” directed by Han Jun Hee, set in South Korea’s gloomy underworld, is a dark mobster film. The opening shot takes us back to 1996, where a baby is found in a locker at a train station. The baby is bought by a loan shark named Mama (Kim Hye Soo), who is known to be brutal and leads her own organ trafficking syndicate. The baby is named Il Young (Kim Go Eun), and is raised under Mama’s instructions, becoming a debt collector by the time she’s grown up.
Il Young develops a warm bond with her Mama, who loves her and assures her protection. Mama runs a syndicate that trades human organs from the living, and Il Young is her most precious worker. Il Young develops a tough personality, devoid of fear or empathy towards those who owe Mama money. Her addiction to Mama’s protection and love blinds her to the delinquency of their action of trading organs.
Mama assigns Il Young to collect debts from Park Seok Hyun (Park Bo Gum), a young man who owes a large amount to Mama. However, unlike the other debtors, Seok Hyun didn’t give Il Young a tough time. He treated her nicely, offering her a drink and even took her to the cinema. This made Il Young develop feelings of empathy towards Seok Hyun, which was unusual for her.
Il Young’s dilemma begins when Mama orders her to kill Seok Hyun, but Il Young is unable to carry out her orders, and they end up running away but still get captured. Mama punishes Il Young severely as she sees this as disobedience to her; she had grown to see Il Young as her own child.
A life of crime
Coin Locker Girl exposes South Korea’s dark underground of transactions involving organs for trade. Mama’s syndicate facilitates this distribution, leveraging her power and helping her accrue much wealth. Il Young is Mama’s most loyal and reliable worker, who collects debts from the debtors and makes sure Mama’s wealth keeps growing.
Motherly bond
Mama and Il Young’s relationship is quite strong, with Mama nurturing and protecting Il Young from a young age. Il Young’s unwavering loyalty to Mama is admirable but also blinded her to the reality of what she was doing.
Conclusion
Directed by Han Jun Hee, “Coin Locker Girl” offers a thrilling but dark insight into the world of organized crime syndicates, and the machinations of the human organ trade. The movie is not for the faint-hearted, as it contains some gore that may be unsettling for some viewers. The mother-daughter relationship between Mama and Il Young is central to the film, and it shows how the lack of empathy within syndicates and their actions can leave people feeling cold and lost. The performances of the cast are also noteworthy; Kim Hye Soo delivers a chilling and convincing performance as Mama, while Kim Go Eun impeccably portrays the character of Il Young. Overall, the film is thought-provoking, taking the audience on a journey through crime, loyalty, and the dangers of the organ trade.
