SummaryAn extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real-life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor—without oxygen —to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, with most haenyeo now in their 60s, 70s, ... Read More
Directed By:Sue Kim
The Last of the Sea Women
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
User score
Generally Favorable
6.7
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
75% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
25% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Oct 10, 2024
80
There are no solutions offered here, alas, other than a call for awareness, and the film instead remains a beautifully photographed and elegiac depiction of a lifestyle that’s slowly fading even as the women within it burn bright.
Oct 10, 2024
80
The Last of the Sea Women is, like its subjects, beautiful and charming.
Sep 10, 2024
75
Aside from its breathtaking underwater cinematography, Kim’s documentary is very plain in execution. At home and on the land, she uses simple camerawork to follow their everyday lives and a basic straight-to-camera interview style to capture their stories.
Oct 10, 2024
40
There is an important subject at the centre of this documentary from Korean-American film-maker Sue Kim, co-produced by Malala Yousafzai, but the film is finally let down by a bland and supercilious way of celebrating the women involved as a picturesque eco-feminist folk tradition, without actually tackling the hard questions their work is raising.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.7
83% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
17% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Oct 23, 2024
8
Very moving documentary **** of divers from South Korea. Those who fear for their legacy, who enter into a conflict with Japan and the nuclear disaster that eventually leads them to the United Nations. Really great documentary, emotional and partly funny.
Oct 17, 2024
8
On Jeju Island, South Korea, a group of women (mostly elderly) called "haenyeo" go diving (without oxygen tanks) in the ocean to collect seafood to sell in their community. A tradition as a way of life. This documentary shows the problems they are now facing, from the disinterest of the younger generations to the radioactive contamination from the release of toxic waters from ****. Director Sue Kim follows several "haenyeo" to delve into their way of life and their greatest frustrations in the face of the threats that loom over them. Although bleak in a certain sense, 'The Last of the Sea Women' offers hope through the light emanating from these warriors, who have also encountered sexism in their homes.
Production Company:
- A24
- Extracurricular
Release Date:Oct 11, 2024
Duration:1 h 27 m
Awards
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Toronto International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hamptons International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
