In 2016, after the hate-fuelled murder of a woman in Gangnam, young feminists gathered to talk about their experiences, which led to the ‘tsunami’ of the feminist movement reawakening in Korean society. This tsunami included street protests against misogynistic hate crimes, political campaigning in the upcoming presidential elections, protests against sexism and sexual violence in everyday life, and the ‘black’ protests calling for the abolition of the anti-abortion law. The Fearless And Vulnerable focuses on the activities and members of the Feminist Party (known in Korean as “Femidangdang”), a feminist group that was part of this tsunami wave. The pleasure and sincerity with which they conduct their activities are compounded with their courage in the face of conflict, and the sense of fear that permeates the community.
The film shows Femidangdang meetings as well as the daily lives and thoughts of members during their activities post-2016. There is an inevitable inequality to the process of planning activities and evaluating relationships with outsiders, and this reality extends to members who are friends and their relationships with fellow activists. How will individuals and the community as a whole accept the differences and conflicts that arise? Are their individual anxieties and fears completely private? This film seems to be challenging viewers to ask these questions and search for answers as part of the difficult but important lived experience of practicing modern feminism. [SON Sinae]