The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion

Ja-yoon is a quiet high school student who lives with uneasy memories of a mysterious event from her childhood. Struggling to make sense of gaps in her past, she begins to piece together fragments of abuse and deception that shaped her present. As she pursues the truth, she is pulled into a labyrinth of crime and science where loyalties blur and danger lurks at every turn. The story shifts between her ordinary life and startling, high octane moments that hint at a darker identity beneath the surface. The tone stays tense and stylish, mixing sharp action with a slick, speculative edge.

Directed by Park Hoon-jung, The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion arrived in 2018 as a stylish genre blend, drawing from Korean thriller traditions and sci fi ideas. Park delivers a kinetic, cinematic experience and brings an original screenplay to life with a confident, visually striking approach, supported by tight editing and bold action sequences.

Box office figures for this film are not widely reported, reflecting a domestic release that performed modestly in its home market and found a broader but still limited audience internationally. Despite these numbers, the film earned strong word of mouth among fans of Korean thrillers and sci fi hybrids, helping establish Park Hoon-jung as a director to watch.

Cultural impact has centered on Kim Da-mi's breakout turn and the film's bold genre fusion, which sparked discussions about identity and resilience in Korean cinema. The Subversion helped broaden international interest in Korean thrillers that blend sci fi elements with punchy action, and it inspired a wave of poster art and fan theories about the protagonist's origins.

Critics praised the film for its brisk pacing, confident direction, and performances, especially by Kim Da-mi. Themes of memory, manipulation, and the malleability of truth run through the story, offering a sharp commentary on how past traumas shape present choices and the costs of secrets. Some reviewers highlighted the film as a stylish echo of Western thrillers filtered through a Korean sensibility.