도라 137 min., 2026 South Korea, France, Luxembourg Korean, Czech and English subtitles Director: July Jung Distributor: Finecut
Dora, a young girl suffering from physical and mental issues, retreats with her parents to a peaceful seaside village hoping to get her life back on track. It soon becomes apparent that under the surface this place is as turbulent as the sea nearby.
Two years ago, Korean filmmaker July Jung attended Filmasia with her film Next Sohee. During interviews, she spoke cautiously about her upcoming project, and we are pleased to present it to you this year. Dora – loosely inspired by Freud’s eponymous case study – offers a carefully directed portrait of a small community without drawing clear lines between heroes and villains, a glimpse into a mysterious world of intrigue, scandals and manipulation that does not spare Dora’s own family. With characteristically unique precision, July Jung exposes one long-buried secret after another, forcing the protagonist to confront them.
In her third film, she expertly works with space and symbolically positions objects and props whose transformation mirrors the psychological evolution of the main character, whether it be the stormy sea, the changing weather, or neighbour Nami’s vegetable garden. In order to create the mosaic of characters, each take is meaningful. Great casting contributes to the film’s authenticity: Dora is portrayed with great sensitivity by South Korean popstar Kim Do-yeon and neighbour Nami by Sakura Ando, known from Hirokazu Koreeda’s films. Their nuanced dynamic is the soul of the film.
Third time’s the charm for July Jung, who, thanks to Dora, once again proves that she is a master of well-crafted character dramas. Dora runs counter to the image of today’s Korean cinema that is mostly known around the world from genre films. It avoids switching between moods and instead methodically accumulates details and leads the audience to a tightly constructed finale.
