Synopsis

Mo-hwa, the daughter of a tightrope walker, bears a child fathered by the son of Choi, a local nobleman. Enraged, Choi kills Mo-hwa's father, while Mo-hwa barely escapes death. She faces numerous trials in life, ultimately becoming a shaman. She leaves her son, Wuk, at a temple and adopts Nang, a mute boy, to be her successor. Years later, Wuk, now grown, seeks out Mo-hwa but is perplexed by her shamanistic practices as a Christian. As Nang and Wuk develop a forbidden love, their feelings cross boundaries. When Mo-hwa attempts to initiate Nang into shamanism through a sacred rite, Wuk intervenes, declaring his Christian faith, and leaves with Nang. Director Choi Ha-won, who had already demonstrated his talent for adapting novels to films with his 1969 film Song of the Moon, adapts Kim Dong-ri's 1972 novel of the same name in this powerful film. The conflict between shamanism and Christianity is vividly portrayed, with the heroine Yoon Jung-hee winning Best Actress at the 18th Asia Pacific Film Festival for her role.

Director

Choi Ha-won

Born in Seoul in 1937, director Choi Ha-won graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Korean literature. He made his feature debut with The Trees Stand on the Hill (1968), based on the novel by Hwang Sun-won. This film earned him the New Director Award at the 5th Korean Theatre and Film Arts Awards and the New Director Award at the 8th Film Arts Awards. Choi later gained attention for his literary films, including The Old Man Who Makes Wine (1969) and Muyeodo (1972). He also explored religious themes in films like The Invited Ones and The Invited Heroes. Choi served as the Director of Promotion at the Korean Film Council and was a senior professor at the Korean Academy of Film Arts.