Beauty Water

Adapted from a popular webcomic, Cho Kyung-hun’s animated body horror conveys the murderous lengths women will go to to be attractive. All her life, overweight Yae-ji has been treated terribly for her looks. One day she receives a mysterious skincare sample, called Beauty Water, that temporarily sculpts her flesh and transforms her into a supermodel overnight. Fame, fortune and an attractive boyfriend soon follow, but her endless addiction to be beautiful only leads to unspeakable horrors.

‘We wanted to portray how we all want to be loved for who we are. Both in the film and in reality, we tend to judge ourselves based on others’ perceptions. I don’t think that’s a problem, because humans are visual creatures. Looks matter, but there is a dark side to being beautiful too. Even when Ye-ji becomes beautiful, she has to withstand too-long-held glances, which I think is another form of violence. Whether beautiful or not, we cannot escape the vicious cycle of lookism. Beauty Water is also about the force of skin-deep beauty, but – instead of simply becoming “pretty,” one can just as easily become a total monster. Changing your appearance for cosmetic reasons can be understandable, but it’s also frightening.’

Cho Kyung-hun, Director