Q&A with Boo Ji-young and producer Shim Jae-myung

Boo Ji-young’s follow-up to Sisters on the Road is a social drama that packs a powerful moral punch. Despite its larger budget and stellar cast, Cart maintains the same human-scale storytelling that made Boo’s debut so memorable. Based on a true story, this is a classic David and Goliath tale about a group of women who band together and go on strike after their big-box supermarket employer lays off all the temporary workers to cut costs. Although there are no definitive statements about life, death, or social injustice, the fate of these disregarded women, leave an impression of grandeur, limitless suffering, and wrath. The incredibly fervent performances from the three leads Yum Jung-ah, Moon Jung-hee, and Kim Young-ae enable Boo to grant each character in the ensemble quiet moments that put a human face on the widespread labor issues dealt with by South Korean workers, as the women contend with their own doubts, impoverished circumstances, and the brutality of those trying to break the strike.

Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Service New York. Co-presented with The Korea Society.