''Coin Locker Girl'' (; lit. "Chinatown") is a 2015 South Korean

crime thriller film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

written and directed by

Han Jun-hee Han Jun-hee (born 1985) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Han wrote and directed the female-driven crime thriller '' Coin Locker Girl'' (2015). Filmography *''To Bite a Cigarette'' (short film, 2005) - director *''Once in a ...

, starring

Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women. Kim bega ...

and

Kim Go-eun Kim Go-eun (born July 2, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film ''A Muse'' (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her role in the television series ''Cheese in the Trap'' ( ...

. It was selected to screen in the

International Critics' Week The International Critics' Week (french: Semaine de la Critique) was founded in 1962 and is organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. It was created following the showing of '' The Connection'' directed by Shirley Clarke which had been ...

section of the

2015 Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate ...

Plot

A baby is found abandoned inside a coin locker at Western Seoul train station in 1996. A beggar takes her and names her Il-young (

), then when she turns 10, she is taken by the corrupt detective who sells her off to a woman referred to simply as Mother (

) as part of his loan payment. Mother is the boss of a loan shark and

organ trafficking Organ trade (also known as Red market) is the trading of human organs, tissues, or other body products, usually for transplantation.(Carney, Scott. 2011. "The Red Market." Wired 19, no. 2: 112–1. Internet and Personal Computing Abstracts.) Accor ...

crime ring in Chinatown,

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

; she has held on to her position of power by being dispassionate and calculating, and by keeping by her side only those of use to her. Mother decides to raise the young child after she shows toughness and smarts, eventually grooming her for a position in her organization as her personal debt collector. One day, Il-young is given a task to collect debt from Suk-hyun (

Park Bo-gum Park Bo-gum (; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor. He gained recognition for his diverse range of roles in film and television, notably, a psychopathic lawyer in ''Hello Monster'' (2015), a genius Go player in ''Reply 1988'' (2015–2 ...

), the son of a debtor. Over the course of a few days, she is initially taken aback by the boy who is not afraid of her and shows her kindness and openness from his own struggles from the past and current with unyielding spirit that she starts to develop special feelings for him. But when his father flees from the debt, Mother orders her to kill Suk-hyun. Il-young cannot go through with it. However, mother's other goons kills and harvests Suk-hyun. Il-young is beaten down and readied to be shipped for Japanese flesh trade. The only family she has ever known falls through the cracks of grief. Il-young escapes and makes her way back to mother, and kills her. Il-young pays respect to her adopted and murdered mother, and runs the business.

Cast

Main

as Ma Woo-hee / Mother *

as Ma Il-young **

Kim Su-an Kim Su-an (; born January 26, 2006) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the entertainment industry when she was five years old, and has since featured in films and television series, eventually gaining wider recognition with her role in the ...

as young Il-young

Supporting

Uhm Tae-goo Uhm Tae-goo ( ko, 엄태구; born November 9, 1983) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his supporting roles in many critically acclaimed films, such as '' Coin Locker Girl'' (2015) and ''The Age of Shadows ''The Age of Shadows'' (; lit. ...

as Woo Gon **

Wi Ha-joon Wi Ha-joon (; born Wi Hyun-yi (); August 5, 1991) is a South Korean actor and model. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum'' (2018), ''Shark: The Beginning'' (2021) and ''Midnight'' (2021), as well as the telev ...

as young Woo-gon *

as Park Seok-hyun *

Go Kyung-pyo Go Kyung-pyo (; born June 11, 1990) is a South Korean actor and comedian. He gained recognition for his role in the television series ''Reply 1988'' (2015–16) and has since starred in ''Don't Dare to Dream'' (2016) and '' Chicago Typewriter'' ...

as Chi-do * Lee Soo-kyung as Ssong ** Park Ji-bo as young Ssong *

Cho Hyun-chul Cho Hyun-chul () is a South Korean actor. He gained recognition for his roles in the television series ''Hotel del Luna'' (2019), '' D.P.'' (2021), ''Inspector Koo'' (2021), as well as the films '' The First Lap'' (2017) and ''Samjin Company Eng ...

as Hong-joo ** So Sang-seop as young Hong-joo *

Lee Dae-yeon Lee Dae-yeon (born November 13, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Theater Awards and nominations References External links Lee Dae-yeonat JR Entertainment * * * 1964 births Living ...

as Dr. Ahn *

Cho Soo-hyang Cho Soo-hyang (born January 21, 1991) is a South Korean actress. Career Cho Soo-hyang won Actress of the Year Award for her role in the film ''Wild Flowers'' (2015) at the 19th Busan International Film Festival in 2014. She is noted for he ...

as Leukemia child's mother * Jo Bok-rae as Detective Tak * Jung Suk-yong as Mr. Woo * Baek Soo-jang as Number 2 * Lee Jang-won as Chubby * Oh Dae-hwan as Bruiser * Lee Sang-hee as Bruiser's wife * Ki Guk-seo as Man in uniform *

Gi Ju-bong Gi Ju-bong (born September 3, 1955) is a South Korean actor. Career Gi began acting in 1977 and is notable for '' Offending the Audience'', '' Sorum'' (2001), ''Viva! Love'' (2008) and ''The Spy Gone North ''The Spy Gone North'' () is a 2 ...

as Man in suit *

Ahn Jae-hong Ahn Jae-hong (, December 31, 1891 – March 1, 1965) was a Korean activist, politician, and journalist who participated in the Korean independence movement. See also * Korea Independence Party The Korea Independence Party (; KIP) was a p ...

as Police officer 2

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coin Locker Girl 2015 films 2015 crime action films 2010s Korean-language films Films based on Japanese novels South Korean crime action films 2010s South Korean films