Green Fish

Set in the early-to-mid 1990s Korea, the film captures a nation expanding economically and urbanizing quickly. Neighborhoods like Ilsan New Town sprout alongside remnants of older life, highlighting a transitional period in Korean society. The era’s tension between modernization and tradition shapes the characters’ choices and destinies.

The story unfolds predominantly in Ilsan, a Seoul suburb undergoing rapid modernization with high-rise apartments replacing traditional rural landscapes. Key scenes also move through Seoul’s Youngdeungpo area, nightclubs, trains, and a deserted building that serves as a stage for gang activity. The city’s changing face mirrors the characters’ struggles between old family ties and new urban pressures.

🏙️ Loyalty

Mak-dong’s commitment to family anchors the narrative, driving him to take dangerous steps to keep his loved ones together. His loyalty pushes him to endure violence and moral compromise in hopes of rebuilding a united household. Yet this devotion also traps him in a cycle of crime and danger, revealing the double-edged nature of loyalty. The tension between duty to kin and personal safety fuels the film’s moral conflict.

🌆 Urbanization

Rapid urban development reconfigures the landscape and social fabric, replacing fields with apartment blocks and reshaping opportunities for the poor and aspiring. The city becomes a living character, illustrating ambition, alienation, and the erosion of traditional community life. Neighborhoods like Ilsan illustrate how modernization can fracture family networks and intensify competition for scarce resources. This backdrop amplifies the protagonists’ vulnerability within a growing underworld.

⚔️ Violence & Dreams

Mak-dong’s dream of a harmonious family business clashes with the brutal realities of gang life and power struggles. The violence he witnesses and participates in—breaking fingers, standoffs, and a fatal stabbing—erodes his idealism and test of loyalty. Mi-ae’s complicated relationship with power and danger further unsettles his moral compass. The film culminates in a confrontation between dream and reality, ending with a crushed hope amid a merciless city.