There is a moment in The Last of the Sea Women where an elderly woman – standing with a mic to her lips so as to be clearly heard – questions the effects that nuclear pollution will have on her health and well-being. It’s a snapshot that could be out of a dystopian movie, one where the dying generations who remember untouched nature endeavour to question if this modern world is now killing them.
But this is no fictional setting; Sue Kim’s documentary tells the true lives of the haenyeo, a group of female divers in Jeju, South Korea. Such is their importance that they live in a semi-matriarchal society and are highly respected for their work. Mostly now ranging between the ages of sixty to eighty, these women continue to go to sea, continuing a long tradition that is, as with many things in this world, slowly dying out.
“They’re all ardent environmentalists,” Kim tells me, “and they loved to talk about what was happening to the ocean. They participate in protests and have a very strong sense of activism.”
The aforementioned nuclear pollution is of the Fukushima nuclear plant, that made headlines in 2011 after the Tōhoku tsunami and earthquake. Of course, much debate was had in global circles about the true damage such radioactive contaminants had on the environment, but in The Last Of The Sea Women, we see the impact of this contamination up close. Seeing these haenyeo travel all the way to Switzerland to plead their case in from of the Human Rights Council, one cannot help but be moved for these women, so far from home, desperately trying to protect their small patch of sea that does so much for their community, and for the many others that depend on that part of the sea for their livelihoods.
Wider environmental issues are also discussed: do they start to use oxygen tanks? How are they impacted by overfishing? How does one sustain a profession at harmony with nature when nature herself seems to be on the decline? We see two younger haenyeo as well, with Kim’s eye suggesting that younger, upcoming haenyeo are in the minority. These women’s children are enraptured by the idols they see on their phone screens, not their mothers’s profession (as illustrated by a fantastic use of the song “LOVE DIVE” by IVE), and perhaps these young girls will be even less engaged with the haenyeo than the generation before them.
Talking to Sue Kim makes evident where her own lines of curiosity come from.
“When I was eight years old, my family and I took a trip to Jeju Island, and we just sort of happened upon them, and they made such a strong impression on me.” she says. “You know, they’re just like how you see in the film. They’re just so strong and bold and loud and funny and full of life.
And I really just fell in love with their energy. So I just kept finding out about […] them over the years as I grew up. Then when I became a filmmaker, I started going back to Jeju Island to try and find them and to have conversations with them.
Then it was on a trip about ten years ago where I met an 84 year old Haenyeo who had just come out of the water, and she’s the one that told me that her generation was likely to be the last generation of the haenyeo.”
Kim tackles her subjects delicately, allowing the story to breathe whilst slowly building towards the third act of the film with the haenyeo going to Switzerland. The film unpacks itself like a reverse Russian doll, starting small as we experience the sea with these women (including some breathtaking underwater shots), then addressing more and more of the different issues these unique women face before they ultimately stand in front of all on a global stage.
“For me, the main thematic topic that I wanted to unpack in the making of this film was the tension between tradition and modernity,” Kim reflects. “I really wanted to understand. I knew why the culture was very important to me, because it made such an impression on me as a young girl. But knowing that it was […] on the verge of extinction; I wanted to understand why it felt so important to me personally, to have this tradition carried on and like.
[…] how do we preserve tradition while still embracing modernity and innovation? How do we not lose what was important in our history, but not hold on to it in a way where we’re not also being fully present in modern day society?”
Kim’s ever-questioning nature around this topic and the haenyeo in particular is clear throughout the film.
Will the haenyeo way of life still be around in a few decades? Half a century? A century? The Last of the Sea Women seems to wish us to hope that they will prevail for many years to come, whilst also reminding us that there is so much about this modern world that stands in their way. However, the tenderness and earnestness with which she follows these women is palpable and keeps us engaged until the end, even if the ending feels both hopeful and uncertain in tandem.
Ultimately, The Last of the Sea Women is a film that lingers with you long after it has ended, leaving breathtaking trails of thought around feminism, environmentalism and modern consumption in the minds of those who watch it.
The Last of the Sea Women is on Apple TV on the 11th of October.