🎬 Yeon Sang-ho goes back to his roots with 'The Face'

Acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho is bringing back the raw, haunting energy of his early animation universe — dubbed the "Yeon-niverse." Known for his unflinching exploration of societal darkness in works like The King of Pigs and The Fake, Yeon is returning to his origins with the upcoming film The Face.

👁 A story of blindness, legacy, and a buried truth
The Face follows the story of Im Young-gyu, a blind but masterful seal engraver, and his son Im Dong-hwan. As Dong-hwan begins unraveling the truth behind his mother's death — hidden for 40 years — a dark family mystery begins to unfold.

The original webtoon was conceived right after The Fake, long before Yeon's global breakout with Train to Busan, indicating just how long this story has lived in his creative universe.

🕰 Dual timelines and emotional weight

The film jumps between South Korea's 1970s industrial boom and the present day, centering on a man born blind, a wife who vanishes only to return as a skeleton 40 years later, and a son chasing the face of a mother he never knew.

Yeon's signature storytelling is intact — sharp social critique, complex morality, and an unflinching gaze into human vulnerability.

🌍 International spotlight
The Face has already been officially invited to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Organizers praised it as a film filled with "the intense energy and moral complexity that define Yeon's entire body of work."

🗓 Release info
The Face premieres in Korean theaters this September.