Ballerina Review - Occupying More Space... Even in Action Movies!

Have you ever heard of that John Wick-style suspense/action movie that represents female rage so well that, after watching it, it's like you're brand-new again?

No? Well, after reading this article, you'll want to watch it! This movie might not have an Oscar-winning script, but it is very satisfying. It makes you feel avenged, even if just metaphorically, for all the psychological or physical harm that has been done to you.

Please be warned - this movie may be triggering for sensitive audiences. "Ballerina" tells the story of Jang Ok-ju, an ex bodyguard for the wealthy who, after getting a call from her best friend, Choi Min-hee (the ballerina in question) goes to her apartment... only to find out that Min-hee has committed suicide. She leaves a note, asking Jang Ok-ju to avenge her death and revealing that she was a victim of sexual trafficker Choi Pro, who blackmailed her and abused her. She also has video evidence of the assault.

This movie is starred by Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hoon, and Park Yu-rim, and is a bit over 90 minutes. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 91% approval rate, and an average score of 6.6/10.

Despite its relatively simple script, this movie stands out for its action scenes and the cinematography. The overall photography and many of its frames are quite creative.

This is a revenge story that speaks directly to the female experience. The female protagonist is willing to get justice for her friend, who was driven to despair after suffering deep psychological and physical abuse. We are led into Min-hee's shoes - and, if you're a woman, the experience might be a little too close to reality. This movie brings back from the less severe to the most drastic experiences, the ones that echo around the world through the media.

Harassment, blackmailing, and even "deepfakes" (fake, explicit videos created from faces of real women) are all over the internet, often posted and shared by their own partners or ex-partners. Every day, they destroy the confidence and the lives of countless women.

Recently, in South Korea, officials discovered an alarming number of deepfakes were being shared by minors, more specifically students. The situation is so severe that, as it was reported, even young boys are posting pictures of their classmates on secret websites that create these fake videos. Chatrooms dedicated to high schools were discovered, as well as, more appallingly, chatrooms dedicated to middle schools.

The reason behind all of this? Structural discrimination against women. And women around the world are subject to it. When it happens, we feel shame, fear, disgust. We feel violated.

So, yes - putting ourselves in Min-hee's shoes is not that difficult.

However, we also want to see ourselves as Jang Ok-ju: a tough vigilante, a fighter who doesn't have patience for abusers and criminals.

She represents a sense of justice - and, why not, a desire for vengeance - that every woman who has ever been hurt has screaming inside her. That urge to punch, break, crush those who hurt her, as there's no way we'll ever trust the system to punish these criminals as they should be punished.

Jang Ok-ju doesn't wait for justice to come through any lawful means. She knows the system. She knows it is slow. And, when punishment is laid out, it is often not enough.

How many women have reported their aggressors only to see them let out for "good behavior"? Or see them violate restraining orders and make new victims? Or worse, how many of these women have been killed before justice was done?

Yes. Many of us, at some point, wished we could dress like Jang Ok-ju and get justice with our own hands for ourselves, our mothers, sisters, and friends.

And if that's not occupying space, what is?

The action scenes in "Ballerina" are, by far, the best part of this movie - and you can easily see why. The Korean industry understands the assignment. They know how to shoot action movies incredibly well.

Watching Jang Ok-ju face Choi Pro, shoot on sight anyone who hesitates to help her, destroy a drug factory... all of that behind some nice cinematography and impactful choreography, is fantastic. And, the best part of all: it shows that yes, we can make action movies with female protagonists. Where there is a will, there is a way.

"Ballerina" deserves its flowers because it explores a very modern topic: how women are exploited online, particularly their images. Our faces and bodies are inevitably in the hands of strangers who can blackmail us and humiliate us even half a world away.

The plot of this movie might not be that complex, but it does make us think.

And, let's be honest, seeing abusers get wrecked, action-movie style, is a relief. It is an escape from reality and into a fantasy world, even if just for a moment, where these terrible people actually get what's coming to them.