pawn korean movie review

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Review: k-movie “pawn” tugs heartstrings and shows korean-chinese struggles.

Starring Sung Dong-il and Ha Ji-won, Korean film “Pawn” offers family drama, and examines the plight of ethnic Koreans from China who immigrate to South Korea.

By Anthony Kao , 6 Apr 21 02:19 GMT

One way to describe the 2020 Korean movie Pawn is as a story of two men raising a young girl. Alas, Pawn is not some groundbreaking moment for queer family representation in Korean cinema; we’re still waiting for that. Instead, Pawn is another instance of the “alternative father figure” movie. In Korean cinema, this subgenre rose to prominence with 2013’s smash hit Miracle in Cell No. 7 —which captivated audiences worldwide with a tearjerking tale of prisoners raising a fellow inmate’s young daughter.

Pawn treads similar ground. The film depicts two debt collectors who kidnap an illegal immigrant’s daughter as collateral, but end up feeling sorry for her and becoming de facto father figures. Even if its broad outlines feel familiar, Pawn still effectively tugs at audiences’ heartstrings with compelling acting and well-executed plot twists. Beyond the character dynamics and tearjerking though, Pawn is also worth noting for its relatively sympathetic depiction of Korean-Chinese immigrants to South Korea, who are often marginalized in Korean society and cinema.

Daddy Debt Collectors

Reminiscent of Miracle in Cell No. 7 , Pawn begins in the present day. As she prepares to translate for a high-level summit between South Korea and China’s presidents, a woman named Seung-yi (Ha Ji-won) receives a phone call saying that a man that she’s been looking for has been found. With audiences now curious to learn more, the film jumps back in time to 1993. There, we meet two debt collectors: the avuncular Doo-seok (Sung Dong-il), and the timid Jong-bae (Kim Hee-won).

Strolling the streets of Incheon, the pair spot a woman named Myung-ja, who they must collect money from. Upon discovering Myung-ja has no money, Doo-seok makes a sudden decision and grabs her daughter Seung-yi as collateral. If Myung-ja pays up, she gets her daughter back. Unfortunately, Myung-ja is an ethnic Korean from China who illegally immigrated to South Korea—and she gets caught and deported while trying to raise funds for Seung-yi’s return. Amidst this tragedy, Seung-yi (younger version played by Park So-yi) has begun to melt Doo-seok and Jong-bae’s hearts—and the two begin to plunge into the choppy seas of de facto fatherhood.

De Facto Family Verisimilitude

Viewers more focused on character interactions and acting will especially appreciate the three-way dynamic between Doo-seok, Jong-bae, and Seung-yi. Actors Sung Dong-il and Kim Hee-won demonstrate great chemistry in portraying Doo-seok and Jong-bae respectively as complementary characters—it’s as if the two were a real parental couple where one is more gruff while the other more sympathetic. Child actress Park So-yi also stands out for her range, effortlessly switching from sassy to petulant to traumatized between scenes.

All together, the trio manage to cover all the complex dimensions of family life—its sorrows, its joys—and make audiences feel invested in their travails. Therefore, just as a high emotional point occurs, the film can plunge its leading trio into a tragic plot twist and reliably expect viewer tears to flow in great torrents.

Korean-Chinese Representation

While acting skills and emotions are important, it’s far more interesting and novel to analyze how Pawn depicts South Korea’s marginalized Korean-Chinese Joseon-jok community.

Joseon-jok are ethnic Koreans who moved to northeast China starting in the 1910s, when Korea became a colony. While they have Korean blood, Joseon-jok are technically Chinese citizens. During the 1990’s, hundreds of thousands of Joseon-jok migrated to South Korea in search of better economic opportunities—often risking deportation due to lack of proper documentation.

Due to this marginal status, Joseon-jok have suffered discrimination in both real life and South Korean media. Many Joseon-jok are underpaid for work, and lack access to social services. Korean movies and dramas often depict Joseon-jok as gangsters or other unsavory figures, further perpetuating negative stereotypes.

While it is not an activist movie, Pawn sheds light on Joseon-jok struggles from a far more sympathetic perspective. Seung-yi and her mother are Joseon-jok from Yanbian , China, and their socioeconomic status is the reason why Seung-yi ends up in the care of Doo-seok and Jong-bae. One could surmise that, if Joseon-jok weren’t so marginalized, then Seung-yi’s story would be less tragic.

As they assume more and more fatherlike responsibilities for Seung-yi, Doo-seok and Jong-bae also stumble upon additional challenges that Joseon-jok face. For example, Pawn shows Doo-seok struggling to enroll Seung-yi in South Korean schools; even saying she’s the descendant of an anti-Japanese fighter doesn’t get her past the bureaucracy. It’s also intriguing that, as per Pawn ’s opening scene, Seung-yi ends up as a high-level Korean-Chinese language translator—such a position suggests a more positive way of looking at Joseon-jok , as bridges between South Korea and an ascendant China.

While it may not have the same novelty as Miracle in Cell No. 7 given the “alternative father figure” subgenre has already been around for a while in Korean cinema, Pawn executes upon that subgenre’s formula well. Along the way, it also offers a more nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of South Korea’s Joseon-jok Korean-Chinese community—offering sociopolitical significance beyond the tearjerking family drama.

Pawn (Korean: 담보) —South Korea. Dialog in Korean. Directed by Kang Dae-gyu. First released September 29, 2020. Running time 1hr 53min. Starring Sung Dong-il, Ha Ji-won, Kim Hee-won, Park So-yi, Yunjin Kim.

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K-Movie Spotlight: “Pawn” Warmly Upholds That Family Can Go Beyond Blood Relations

A light story filled with heartwarming interactions, Pawn can surely touch our hearts, and deliver a delightful family story.

Rushing after a summit, Seung-yi (Ha Ji Won) receives a call about the possible location of Park Du-seok (Sung Dong Il). She recalls her life when she was ten years old in Incheon in 1993. Left with a debt, her mother Kang Myung-ja (Kim Yoon Jin) gets cornered by debt collectors, and Seung-yi (Park So-yi) is brought in as a pawn.

Trusting that Myung-ja will bring her payment and come to pick her daughter up the next day, Du-seok and Jong-bae (Kim Hee Won) look after Seung-yi. However, Myung-ja gets deported back to China, and she entrusts to Du-seok a contact detail of Seung-yi’s uncle. With the assurance that her debt will be paid, Du-seok gives in to the things Seung-yi wishes to try in Seoul before coming to Busan with her uncle.

Choi Byung-dal, Seung-yi’s uncle comes to fetch her in the station after sending the payment to Du-seok. Observing Byung-dal, Du-seok has hesitations of sending Seung-yi off, so he regularly worries about her. He hears from Seung-yi, and he rushes to rescue her after hearing that she is sold to a hostess club.

A Family Stronger than Blood Relations

Seeing Seung-yi’s injury, Du-seok provides for her treatment and also enlists her for school. Seung-yi was hesitant to agree to put Du-seok as her father, but she then later accepts this move in order to enter school. Du-seok along with Jong-bae runs a delivery service, and they become her guardians that provide a warm home to her. Seung-yi grows up under the care of the two, and they celebrate her achievements together.

Du-seok receives a call from Seung-yi’s grandmother, and Seung-yi reunites with her sick mother. Myung-ja informs Du-seok about the truth about Seung-yi’s father, and he sets a meeting for them to meet. Seung-yi calls Du-seok, and asks him to fetch her and finally refers to him as dad. Du-seok falls into a motorcycle accident, and he becomes missing for a few years.

At present, Seung-yi comes back to the police station after passing by a tarpaulin similar to what she saw when she was young. Jong-bae and Seung-yi finally trace and reunite with Du-seok, who now goes by the name Seung-bo.

Marcie Line watched Pawn on Vivamax

Pawn M ovie Peak Points

Seung-yi’s heartwarming familial bonds with du-seok & jong-bae .

Although Seung-yi was initially taken as a pawn, Du-seok has made sure to provide for her needs. Their goal as debt collectors was just to gather the payment for the loans, and taking in a child is not part of it. However, as the plot progresses, we can see how Du-seok means no harm to Seung-yi from the beginning.

In fact, he is a thoughtful and caring man who genuinely looks after Seung-yi. This is highlighted when he provides for the needs and wants of Seung-yi as a child. He and Jong-bae rescued Seung-yi from the dangerous hostess club she was sold in, and stood as her guardians instead of sending her back to her uncle or to the orphanage.

We can see how they took care of Seung-yi from young to old, celebrating her first perfect score, and even supporting her during her days as a college student.

Du-seok’s Fatherly Love

In the movie, Du-seok stands as Seung-yi’s guardian, but he made sure to provide everything Seung-yi needed even though those that might cost him a lot. When Seung-yi called him dad, his heart rejoiced and rushed to meet her. He may have been separated from her and Jong-bae for a long time. But their reunion gave viewers an assurance that Seung-yi searched for him at her own will, and also chose him to walk her in the aisle at her wedding.

Acknowledgment of a Child’s Basic Rights

Seung-yi’s parents are illegal aliens inside the country, and it has been difficult for them to find jobs that can provide for their family. The debt along with their living conditions makes it infeasible for Seung-yi to be provided with all her needs as a child. Even her own uncle sold her to a place with unreliable custody, which highlights how children are neglected and exposed to dangers.

As Du-seok and Jong-bae step in as Seung-yi’s guardians, her rights as a child are provided. The two made sure to provide her basic needs, a safe home, as well as education. Even though they may not be blood-related, they made sure that Seung-yi enjoys her life throughout her development, and become a productive member of society.

Pawn M ovie Musings

Having a solid cast in a story that is well-written, Pawn provides both warmth and entertainment to its viewers. There’s never a dull moment in the movie as the cast’s familial chemistry as Du-seok, Jong-bae, and Seung-yi, both young and old, has helped in setting the tone of the film.

Their interactions are adorable and comedic especially at the time when Seung-yi wished to go to Seo Taiji’s concert. In addition to that, Ha Ji Won’s acting when her character was reunited with Du-seok is one of the scenes that can truly touch the viewers’ hearts.

As the movie is set in 1993 moving to the present, objects that are used in the past such as a pager can be seen in the movie. This vibe of the movie may somehow be similar to the reply series , and with Sung Dong Il portraying Park Du-seok, we can get reminded of his fatherly roles from the series.

Observing his character as Park Du-seok, he is selfless and genuine. Seeing how he honors the existing relations of Seung-yi to her biological parents, we could somehow say that he does not expect anything in return. His attitude and genuineness as a parent or guardian can be a guiding blueprint for all parents.

The plot is paced well, and the emotion from every scene is balanced. Park So-yi’s portrayal of young Seung-yi clearly highlighted how her character is quick-witted despite having a turbulent life. Seung-yi may have undergone unfortunate experiences, but she remains intelligent, knowing what to do and who to contact in times of trouble. Moreover, she is also warmhearted and appreciative of Du-seok’s efforts.

Du-seok has been missing for several years, but Seung-yi never gave up in searching for him. Seung-yi has a good nature and has a grasp and understanding of all the things that have happened in her life. She has been given a great opportunity to grow as a productive member of society thanks to Du-seok’s initiative.

What makes Seung-yi attached to him as a father is not the material things provided to her, but instead is the warmth. Pawn just proves that people can become family even with no blood relations. Belonging with genuine people who care and support you can be enough to be considered as family.

Pawn is now available on Vivamax .

Photos: CJ ENM | KOFIC

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Howard For Film

I don't sugarcoat., movie review: pawn (담보).

Some subjects seem to carry well into other cultures and strangely, kidnapping might just be one of them. A new South Korean film deals with that subject in a humorous and heartwarming manner that not just Koreans are finding funny and touching.

In PAWN, Seung-yi (Ha Ji-won/하지원) is a young woman who is a highly talented, simultaneous Chinese translator for the Ministry of Trade in South Korea. After she receives a phone call that someone she’s been searching for over the past ten years may have finally turned up, it puts her on a path to recall her childhood. Flashback to 1993 and Doo-seok (Sung Dong-il/성동일) and Jong-bae (Kim Hee-won/김희원) are a pair of hapless debt collectors in Incheon. When one of their debtors, Myung-ja (Kim Yun-jin/김윤진), a illegal Korean Chinese immigrant, can’t pay her debt, Doo-seok decides to take her daughter, nine-year-old Seung-yi (Park So-Yi/박소이), as a pawn. Doo-Seok doesn’t count on two things though: First, that Myung-ja would get deported before she can repay the debt and second, that Seung-yi would be such an easygoing hostage. As a result, he and Jong-bae end up raising the little girl on their own.

Although little Seung-yi is as cute as a button, there is no way you can properly spin this film as a heartwarming family comedy. HE KIDNAPPED HER! AND SHE HAS STOCKHOLM SYNDROME! What makes the plot even more ridiculous is that Myung-ja even shows up a few years later, sees the child with her captor, and decides that the kid is better off with him than with her. Now I don’t know the first thing about South Korean immigration laws but wouldn’t Seung-yi be an anchor baby? As we learn later on in the story, her father is South Korean and, no, Doo-seok makes no effort to seek him out until Seung-yi has grown up. With all this going on, director Kang Dae-gyu/강대규 and screenwriter Park Ji-wan expect us to accept that Doo-seok is really a good guy at heart. Um, no, he’s a kidnapper. And then there’s little Seung-yi’s age. We’re told multiple times that she’s nine years old but this little actress still has all her baby teeth. There is no way that she was more than seven when they were filming! She looks about five.

But what do I know? The film hit the Number 1 spot at the South Korean box office on September 30th and it holds an approval rating of 9.17 (out of 10) with audiences there. Even my audience was laughing throughout.

PAWN opened yesterday (November 19th) in cinemas in Hong Kong. I thought it was horribly tone deaf but you might disagree.

Watch the review recorded on Facebook Live on Friday, November 20th, 8:30 am HK time!

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[Review] Pawn

To stay in the theme of the found family trope from my previous review , I decided to write a review about the 2020 film ‘Pawn’.

‘Pawn’ was directed by Kang Dae-Kyu and written by Yoon Je-Kyun and Son Joo-Yeon.

The film tells the story of Doo-Seok, portrayed by Sung Dong-Il who is a debt collector. Together with his partner Jong Bae (Kim Hee-Won) they meet Myung-Ja, played by Kim Yunjin.

Myung-Ja can’t pay the interest back of the last two months. Her boss has been holding out on her and refuses to pay her. With her status as an illegal immigrant, finding a job is very hard. Doo-Seok and Jong Bae decide to hold Myung-Ja’s daughter hostage until she can pay her debt.

The daughter, Seung-Yi is nine and is played by Park So-Yi . The actress won the Best Young Actress award at the Golden Cinematography Awards in 2021 for this role. The older version of Seung-Yi is played by Ha Ji-Won. She’s also been in the series ‘ Chocolate ’ and ‘Empress Ki’.

We follow the trio along as they try to navigate through their time together. Trouble comes when the mom, Myung-Ja, is arrested after her boss sells her out.

The story takes place in two different times. We see their very beginning and then we see Jong Bae and Seung-Yi in the present day as they try to find the disappeared Doo-Seok.

Despite the heavy themes, the film takes a lighthearted approach to the topics. The chemistry between the actors is amazing and definitely helped elevate the story.

Park So-Yi absolutely shines in this film. Her adorableness is definitely a win factor for the movie as well.

I do think the storyline of the disappearance seemed a bit random. It didn’t really feel necessary. It would have been perfectly fine without that framework. Especially because it makes the ending feel rather bittersweet.

Regardless, it’s still a cute film and will have you laughing and crying at the same time.

Go watch the trailer below.

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PAWN – a family movie with a twist

The movie was set in 1993 Incheon.

Du-seok (Sung Dong Il) and Jong-bae (Kim Hiewon) are tough and rough private loan sharks who chase down a debtor to collect but end up taking Seung-yi (Park Soi), a 9-year-old girl, as a pawn.

Clueless to what a pawn means, Seung-yi was taken away due to her mother’s misfortunes. Du-seok and Jong-bae promise to watch Seung-yi until she gets adopted by a nice, rich family. But when they later realize that something amiss happened with Seung-yi’s adoption, Du-seok and Jong-bae bring her back home.

Although Du-seok and Jong-bae are stuck with a child they didn’t intend to care for, and Seung-yi is left with them as a pawn out of debt, a special bond forms between the three characters.

PAWN draws much attention with the appearance of solid, trusted actors. Actor Sung Dong Il, who is known for his in-depth and fun acting in all his works on the big screen and TV, portrays Du-seok , a loan shark who is tough, but warm-hearted. Known as a father figure in all Reply drama series, viewers will be reminded again why Sung Dong Il is loved by many as a father.

Kim Hiewon, who flawlessly depicts any role as his own, portrays Jong-bae , Du-seok’s caring junior who grumbles but always stays by his side. The two actors’ realistic tit-for-tat yet bonded chemistry is vivid in this movie and adds a bit of a laughter along the way.

In addition, actress Ha Ji Won, who gives off an irreplaceable presence in her every work, adds to the anticipation for the film by portraying the adult Seung-yi , a woman who has grown up well into a treasure. Her great acting collaboration with Sung Dong Il, signaling a realistic father-daughter relationship between the two.

The star of the movie is indeed child actress Park Soi who plays little Seung-yi. Each line uttered by her leaves a lasting emotion in addition to the facial expressions that fit every scene of the movie. Park Soi is a genius actor in the making so we will be looking forward for more of her works in the future.

Don’t forget to watch PAWN – a family movie with a twist that surely will tug your heart.

PAWN will be available on Astro First & unifi TV’s Pay-per-view VOD platform from December 1.

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