The Red Shoes

The narrative shifts between contemporary urban Korea and flashbacks to 1944 during the late years of the Japanese occupation. The 1944 sequences reveal the origin of the pink shoes, tied to Keiko and Oki's past. The present-day storyline follows Sun-jae as she races to break the curse and protect Tae-su, uncovering the tangled history that links generations.

Set in a modern Korean city, the story moves between a crowded subway, where a pair of pink shoes first appears, and the old apartment Sun-jae moves into with her daughter. The shoes drive the characters into a damp basement beneath the building, where a hidden past is uncovered by Sun-jae and the old woman. Iconic locations include Keiko's gravesite and the subway tracks, where the final confrontations unfold.

🌀 Obsession

The pink shoes ignite an all-consuming fixation that distorts desire and morality. Sun-jae, her friends, and even potential lovers become entangled in envy, reckless decisions, and a spiraling grip on reality. The shoes’ pull intensifies risk, greed, and the breakdown of trust as the mystery deepens.

👻 Haunting & Revenge

Past traumas and the ghost of Keiko drive the present actions, with memories resurfacing as deadly consequences. Keiko’s spirit confronts the living to reveal truth and punishment, showing how memory can be a weapon. The haunting threads the past to the present in a cycle of retribution.

🗝️ Legacy & Reincarnation

Revelations tie Sun-jae to Oki, suggesting reincarnation and a historical guilt that spans generations. The film links colonial-era abuse and jealousy to current events, implying that personal fate is inseparable from collective memory. The pink shoes act as a key, unlocking a hidden history that reshapes the characters’ identities.