Review: 〈Silnakwon〉 Pits a Mother Against an AI-Era Mystery When Her Son Returns After 9 Years

Director Yeon Sang-ho, a filmmaker often credited with expanding the range and commercial success of Korean cinema, tackles a story rooted in the anxieties of the AI age in 〈Silnakwon〉. The film, which screened for audiences at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival and the 31st Busan International Film Festival, held a press-and-distribution screening on Oct. 12. 〈Silnakwon〉 follows Ryu So-young (Kim Hyun-joo), who lost her son Seon-woo to a kidnapping. After a shocking case in which several children were kidnapped and found dead, an AI company called Transhuman offers grieving families a program called "Nakwonui Aideul"—translated in the film as "Children of Paradise"—which personifies the victims. So-young, who lost Seon-woo in an instant and lost the will to go on with life, barely manages to hold herself together. Nine years later, as she—as those around her tell her to—tries to lay Seon-woo to rest in her heart, the real Seon-woo (Bae Hyun-sung) appears.

Yeon Sang-ho, whose work spans multiple genres, takes on a story rooted in the anxieties of the AI age. On one hand there is an AI son who remains unchanged and stays by your side; on the other is the real son who returns after nine years, a stranger in his own home. That conflict alone is deeply disorienting, and So-young faces a moral and emotional crossroads as she observes Seon-woo behaving oddly. Her dilemma raises a question many viewers living in the AI age may consider at least once: can someone who has lived through a different stretch of time be considered the same person I remember? And even if we say yes, can we still embrace a child who has changed so much simply because they are kin?

As he did with 〈Eolgul〉 (2025), Yeon Sang-ho builds the world of 〈Silnakwon〉 by keeping the budget lean and collaborating closely with his team. By defining the story’s boundaries clearly and assembling a crew that works in sync as on his earlier projects, he convincingly realizes the film’s reality. The ensemble performances, led by Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyun-sung, enrich the frame. When Bae gives Seon-woo an unsettling edge, Kim matches him by showing So-young wavering, and the two performances sharpen each other. As the picture reaches its climax, Chae Min-ju’s score intensifies the tension. Overall, the film is sturdy and well assembled.

However, the mystery that should drive the film never fully gains force. The narrative, which ought to push forward with relentless momentum, is interrupted by several side episodes that disrupt its rhythm. Lines meant to emphasize the setup—an AI son and a returned real son—sometimes feel contrived and overused, sapping the film’s vitality. The premise is compelling, but its impact will vary sharply from viewer to viewer. Compared with the similarly constructed 〈Eolgul〉, 〈Silnakwon〉’s sense of weight is somewhat lacking.

“To reassure my mother I said that if you know Hangul anyone can do it — the next year she wrote three pieces.”

- Yeon Sang-ho

The original idea for 〈Silnakwon〉, Yeon said, came from his mother. "When I took the kids to my parents’ home for a holiday, my mother would worry and say, ‘Writing isn’t easy.’ To put her at ease I told her, ‘If you know Hangul, anyone can write.’ The next year when I visited she showed me a notebook full of writing," he recalled. "There was a strange mood to it that drew me in. I wanted to understand that psychology written across three pages, so I approached the script with that in mind." He added with a laugh that his mother had written three pieces, and he only bought the rights to one of them.

“A short shoot actually let me concentrate and enjoy filming.”

- Kim Hyun-joo

Kim, who plays Ryu So-young, said she didn’t have time to dwell on the turmoil and dilemma her character experiences because the shoot was short. "If the filming had been longer and there had been downtime, I might have suffered mentally," she said. "If that had happened, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy shooting the way I did." On expressing So-young’s many emotions, she said, "When you look at the script through the keywords associated with Ryu So-young, you can see those emotions, and I tried to express them. Since the film is anchored in So-young’s emotional journey, I felt I had to perform emotionally with sincerity."

“I tried to move slowly to create the strange atmosphere a mother would feel.”

- Bae Hyun-sung

Bae, making his first leading role in 〈Silnakwon〉, said he focused especially on his chemistry with Kim Hyun-joo’s So-young. With few lines and his character revealing his inner self only at the end, he explained, "I worked a lot on making Seon-woo’s cold gaze and the strange, chilly air his presence produces by slowing my actions and gait. I did that with the intention of drawing the mother’s attention." He added that because there were many emotional scenes with the mother and Seon-woo doesn’t speak much, he aimed to respond to Kim’s lines and looks with subtle reactions.

“Koo Kyo-hwan even brought his costume and volunteered to be an extra.”

- Yeon Sang-ho

Yeon noted that the film benefited from several behind-the-scenes contributors. Shin Hyun-bin, who worked with Yeon on 〈Gunche〉, took on the narration of the documentary in the film. "I think it was when we were doing ADR for 〈Gunche〉 and Shin Hyun-bin came by that I casually asked her," Yeon said, explaining how she became involved. He also revealed that Koo Kyo-hwan, who appeared as a photo in the background of 〈Eolgul〉, returned in this film and wanted to appear on camera in a bigger way. "He even brought his own costume and volunteered to be an extra. He passes by in an instant, so it will be hard to spot him," Yeon said. Kim added with a smile that Koo even showed up to the wrap party, drawing laughter.