‘Paradise Lost’ Set for Oct. 21 Release, 14 Official Stills Unveiled

〈Paradise Lost〉 is a psychological thriller that begins when Ryu Sun-woo, the son Ryu So-young lost in a camping school bus disappearance nine years ago and believed to be dead, returns alive as if by a miracle.

The film 〈Paradise Lost〉 has set Oct. 21 as its release date and unveiled 14 official stills. After losing her son nine years ago, Ryu So-young has endured each day by meeting him at age 10 inside the AI program “Children of Paradise.” Then one day, Sun-woo, whom she believed had died, returns home after nine years, and So-young’s daily life begins to unravel.

The released stills show So-young visiting an abandoned coal mine with a bouquet of flowers, the moment of Sun-woo’s return as reporters swarm the scene, and the grown Sun-woo sitting in the room preserved exactly as it was in his childhood. With a scarred face and an unreadable gaze, Sun-woo is not the child So-young remembers. Kim Hyun-joo captures, through restrained expressions, So-young’s guilt over failing to protect her child and her fear in the face of a son she no longer recognizes. Bae Hyun-sung, making his feature-film leading debut, brings Ryu Sun-woo to life with a chilling presence in his face.

Director Yeon Sang-ho began building his distinctive body of work by relentlessly probing the dark sides of people and society through animated films including 〈The King of Pigs〉 and 〈The Fake〉. He opened a new chapter for Korean zombie films with 〈Train to Busan〉 and broadened his genre range with [Hell], [Parasyte: The Grey] and [Gas Human]. Last year, he told the story of a father and son in 〈The Face〉, which won enthusiastic audience support and critical acclaim. In 〈Paradise Lost〉, he places a mother and son face to face. Rather than a massive disaster or supernatural being, the film makes the deepest recesses of one person’s mind its stage. The director described 〈Paradise Lost〉 as “a story that continues 〈The Face〉 and is darker and more chilling than 〈The Face〉.”

Meanwhile, before its domestic release, 〈Paradise Lost〉 will receive its world premiere after being invited to the Special Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. All four official screenings sold out as soon as tickets went on sale, drawing local interest before the film had even been unveiled. Yeon Sang-ho’s new film 〈Paradise Lost〉 will meet audiences in theaters on Oct. 21.