“heartrendingly real” – Twitch Film
Autobiographically-inspired, Kim Tae-yong’s debut feature follows the life of a teenage foster child torn between two worlds.
The film follows brooding Yeong-jae, one of several children living in a devoutly Catholic group-home. When Yeong-jae turns 16, he quickly realises his time under care is coming to an end. To avoid going home to his irresponsible father, Yeong-jae feigns interest in becoming a priest. Meanwhile, he prepares for life alone by stealing donated goods. Matters escalate when Yeong-jae’s father attempts to offload Yeong-jae’s younger brother, onto the home.
Making its debut at 2014 Busan International Film Festival, Set Me Free won both the Citizen Critics’ Award and Actor of the Year Award, with audiences blown away by lead Choi Woo-shik’s vulnerable performance of a teenager looking for security.
