[First Reaction] Cineplay Critic’s Star Rating for ‘Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease’

Remember the horrifying, unforgettable scene of “human culling” in director Kim Sung-soo’s 〈The Flu〉 (2013)? Inspired by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak that saw countless pigs buried alive, that culling scene laid bare the devastating depths to which humanity could sink. H, the pig who barely escapes the culling site in 〈Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease〉, dreams of becoming human so he will never be killed again. A young man who has suffered violence and bullying all his life, meanwhile, seeks to become a beast. Can foot-and-mouth disease save either of them? The pig’s arduous journey toward becoming human encompasses politics, economics, history—all of it. Once again, may director Hur Bum-wook, who died just before the film’s release, rest in peace.