Ballerina (2023 film)

Ballerina, is a 2023 South Korean action thriller film written and directed by Lee Chung-hyun. The film stars Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hoon and Park Yu-rim in the lead roles.

The film was premiered at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in the 'Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere' section on October 5, 2023. Ballerina streamed globally on Netflix from October 6, 2023.

Plot
Jang Ok-ju, a former bodyguard for VIP clients, discovers that her best friend Choi Min-hee has died and her last wish for Ok-ju is that she should finish a sex trafficker Choi Pro as he had victimized Min-hee by filming her and extorting money due to the video. Ok-ju searches for Choi through his internet profile and finds his address, where she stalks Choi for a while and tricks him into taking her to the motel, where Min-hee was filmed.

Ok-ju fights Choi and brutally injures him at the motel, but Ok-ju is forced to escape as Choi's gang attacks her. Ok-ju and a high school student, who wants to escape from the traffickers, forge a new plan and Ok-ju reaches out to an old friend to find weapons in order to strategize the best way to attack the gang. Choi's gang leader orders him to find Ok-ju and bring her to him. Choi tracks down and attacks Ok-ju, who later flees through the window.

Choi reports to the leader that he killed Ok-ju and buried her in the mountains. Ok-ju visits the gang leader and kills him, where she fights with other gangsters until one of them reveals Choi's location. Ok-ju finds Choi and disarms him, where she takes Choi to a beach and burns him to death. Ok-ju arrives at Choi's house and takes away all the videos that contain the filming of the victims, where she drives off into the sunset.

Cast

 * Jeon Jong-seo as Jang Ok-ju
 * Kim Ji-hoon as Choi Pro
 * Park Yu-rim as Choi Min-hee
 * Shin Se-hwi as a female student
 * Park Hyung-soo as Myung-shik

Special appearances

 * Kim Mu-yeol as Chief Jo
 * Jang Yoon-ju as Mun-yeong
 * Kim Young-ok as gun dealer
 * Joo Hyun as gun dealer

Production
In April 2022, confirming the production of Ballerina, Netflix announced the cast and crew of the film. Directed by Lee Chung-hyun and produced by Climax Studio, it has Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hoon, and Park Yu-rim as main cast, while music is composed by Gray. Principal photography commenced in June 2022, and filming was wrapped up in late October in the same year. This film also marks the reunion of Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hoon and Jang Yoon-ju after working together in the series Money Heist Korea: Joint Economic Area.

In January 2023, Netflix announced its lineup of Korean upcoming films and Ballerina was listed as among the 6 Korean movies being added on the platform.

Music
Gray composed the music of the film.

Release
The film had its premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere' section on October 5, 2023. It is available for streaming from October 6 on Netflix globally.

Audience response
Ballerina from October 9 to 15 had 14.7 million views and 23.1 million hours of viewing. It was at 1st place in Global Top 10 weekly list of the most-watched Netflix TV films (Non-English).

Critical response
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.

James Marsh of South China Morning Post rated the film 3/5 and criticized the script but praised the performance of Jeon Jong-seo writing, "While the script offers precious little invention beneath its polished surface, Jeon’s cold-as-ice angel of vengeance is the film’s saving grace". Marsh opined that the director Lee should have explored the depths of Ok-ju's (Jeon Jong-seo) relationship with Min-hee (Park Yu-rim) further. He said that if their relationship had been "more than just platonic, the film might have been a genuine game-changer." He concluded, "As is, Ballerina is a polished yet disposable slice of ho-hum hokum".

Rohan Naahar of The Indian Express rated the film with 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Neon visuals and a thumping soundtrack elevate Netflix's slickly packaged Korean revenge thriller that substitutes plot in favour of pure vibes." Kim Jun-mo reviewing for OhmyNews criticized the direction of the film, writing that though "there are eye-catching mise-en-scenes and momentary sense", but "the power to lead the entire play smoothly leaves something to be desired". Kim concluded, "Ballerina was a work that left a disappointing impression on the growth of a promising Chungmu-ro star who had received attention for her fresh attempts, wild imagination, and unique world view."