Lee Ji-won’s Portrait of a Family follows a fractured family that reunites after eight years and finds hope amid hardship. The film stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Ha Ji-won and Kim Si-a as a former baseball star, a fallen actor and their secret daughter. It tackles power imbalances, prejudice and a middle school student’s death while emphasizing emotional resilience. The film opens in local theaters on Sept. 2.
Actors Kim Si-a, left, and Ryu Seung-ryong in a scene from "Portrait of a Family" / Courtesy of Content Zio, Playgram
Filmmaker Lee Ji-won, who earned critical acclaim with her 2018 movie "Miss Baek," is expanding her thematic scope from isolated individuals to nontraditional family ties in "Portrait of a Family," crafting a story that explores resilience in the face of harsh realities.
The film follows baseball star Joong-goo (Ryu Seung-ryong) and high-profile actor Nam-mi (Ha Ji-won), whose lives fall apart when Joong-goo's secret daughter Dong-joo (Kim Si-a) appears. Eight years after their public downfall, the estranged family must reunite, as Dong-joo becomes embroiled in a middle school student's death.
While the movie tackles uncomfortable social issues, such as power imbalances and prejudice, its strength lies in its emotional core. Rather than leaving audiences in despair, Lee offers a message of hope and tries to show how broken people can find solace by choosing to stand by one another.
