The 12th Saudi Film Festival in Dhahran featured a daring late-night screening of 'The Old Woman with the Knife,' a Korean thriller directed by Min Kyu-dong. The film, adapted from Gu Byeong-mo's bestselling novel, stars Lee Hye-young as a 65-year-old assassin navigating her declining health and societal invisibility.
Plot and Setting
The story begins on a snowy night in 1975 when young Hornclaw, working at a diner, kills a US soldier in self-defense. Her employer, Ji-wo, reveals he is part of an underground organization disguised as a pest control company, eliminating 'repulsive humans.' Hornclaw joins him, and decades later, she is an elegant but aging assassin whose invisibility becomes a deadly tool.
Critical Reception
Jasmine Bager, reviewing for Arab News, praised the film's visual storytelling and Lee Hye-young's performance, noting that the film 'cuts deep' with its exploration of aging and violence. The festival's special focus on Korean cinema highlighted this over-two-hour drama as a standout.
Themes and Impact
The film juxtaposes Hornclaw's bloodied work with her graceful older age, emphasizing how women become invisible as they age. This invisibility, however, becomes an asset in her profession. 'It is a tale as old as time itself — women seemingly become invisible as they get older, sinking into the background. But being dismissed or undetected is now an extra arsenal in her toolbox,' Bager wrote.
