Sept 12 2014 – In Her Place is a brilliantly-captured drama. It begins with a wealthy city couple arriving at the rural farm of a struggling widow (Hae-yeon Kil) and her young, pregnant daughter (Ahn Ji Hye). The couple are there to adopt the girl’s unborn child and the wife (Yoon Da-Kyung) moves in with the mother and daughter until the child is born. The girl’s mother is pleased with the arrangement as it transforms the family’s embarrassing situation into an opportunity for a new beginning. The wife has her own personal issues. Having recently miscarried her own child, she leads her family and friends into believing that she is pregnant and living overseas with her husband until she can return with babe in arms. The girl on the other hand is shy and withdrawn. Detained at home, where her pregnancy can be shielded from the prying eye of outsiders, she spends endless hours alone in her room. The wife takes notice and starts to keep a watchful eye over the girl, concerned about her poor diet and her odd behavior.
Desperately in love with the baby’s teenage father, the girl longs to spend time with him. When the boy’s visits and love notes mysteriously cease, the girl’s bizarre behavior intensifies, escalating to a point of cinematic gruesomeness.
Canadian writer-director Albert Shin wonderfully weaves together a story set in the midst of personal desperation. Each character clings onto a hope for new beginnings, precariously put at risk as the movie unfolds.
Verdict: 4/5 – In Her Place takes you on a wild journey of intense emotion and painful outcomes. At only 30 years old, Shin is a director to watch. Commendable performance by untrained talent Ahn Ji Hye.
