Film Screening: “Edhi Alice: Reverse” (Ilrhan Kim, 2024)
Sung Eun Kim (Asian & Middle Eastern Studies); director Il-ran Kim, film producers, and cast members
(Ilrhan Kim, 2024, 130 min, South Korea, Korean with English subtitles)
Following the screening of the documentary, there will be a Q&A session moderated by Professor Sung Eun Kim from AMES, featuring the director, producers, and cast members.
Synopsis
In Edhi Alice: Reverse, director and queer activist Ilrhan Kim interrogates how documentaries about trans communities are made: the creative decisions, relationships, and ethical questions involved.
The subject of the documentary is Edhi, who works as a counselor for LGBTQ+ teens in Seoul, and has decided to undertake gender reassignment surgery. Edhi’s story intertwines with that of Alice, the lighting technician on the film crew and an older trans woman, who is preoccupied with challenging popular stereotypes about female and male bodies.
This powerful and thought-provoking documentary refuses to compromise in its depiction of post-surgery recuperation, but offers an authentic portrayal of the trans experience and allyship in South Korea. Edhi Alice is a generous, delicate film and, courtesy of Alice’s lighting, a visually stunning one.
Watch a trailer: