Synopsis
For Ellen is KIM So Yong’s third feature film.The separation of parents from children, through choice and circumstance, is a driving theme in Kim\'s increasingly fascinating filmography, and here, she reverses the kids\' perspective offered in Treeless Mountain to observe that of a parent trying to restore the connection.

Program Note
Through her previous films, In Between Days and Treeless Mountain, Director KIM So Yong has presented stories of girls who were thrown out into the world without parents. In her films, the father is either nonexistent or existent as a lack, and the mother has no time to take care of girls. Through her third film, For Ellen, KIM unravels the story of the father, who was not present, or was unable to be present, in the family.
 Joby TAYLOR is an indie band musician who has lived his life as he liked. He is obliged to settle for a divorce when his wife asks for it. However, realizing a little too late that he has to give up his right to his daughter Ellen’s custody, he suddenly wants to get to know his daughter. Joby, who does not know how to form a relationship with his daughter even when he meets her, is a typical immature adult. The irony between the maturity of daughters who grow up by themselves and the immaturity of egotistical adults (men) in KIM’s films offers an interesting perspective on life, gender, and social age. The hostile natural environment, a bitterly cold winter which represents the main character’s sense of alienation, combines with the director’s warm perspective and stands out beautifully as a result. [HONG So-in]