Secret Sunshine

Lee Shin-ae and her son move to Miryang to start anew after the death of her husband. The city is depicted as a quiet provincial setting where everyday life unfolds and strangers offer unexpected help. Miryang becomes the stage for Shin-ae’s encounters with the mechanic, the church, and the community that will shape her emotional journey.

💔 Grief

Shin-ae’s world collapses after Jun’s death, leaving her emotionally hollow and wary of others. The film follows how grief isolates her while gradually opening space for new beliefs and connections. Her journey shows the slow, unsettled process of living with loss and searching for meaning.

🙏 Faith

Religious ideas intrude into Shin-ae’s life through the pharmacist, the Good Samaritan community, and the church, suggesting belief as a path to relief or escape. She oscillates between skepticism and acceptance as she encounters faith that promises inner peace. The film uses this arc to explore how faith can provide structure, but also complicate grief.

🕊️ Forgiveness

A central tension is Shin-ae’s desire to forgive Do-seop, the man who killed Jun, and the broader question of whether forgiveness can heal or simply coexist with tragedy. Do-seop’s own claim of finding God and absolving sins challenges Shin-ae’s understanding of forgiveness. The narrative probes the limits of mercy and the difficulties of reconciling faith with pain.