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Spirits' Homecoming

Spirits' Homecoming

2016 · Film · South Korea · Drama

Directed by Jo Jung-rae · 127 min

A drama based on testimony and historical harm suffered by victims of the Japanese military comfort-women system.

C

OVERALL TRUTH BASIS · Inspired reconstruction

The work begins with testimonies from victims of the Japanese military's “comfort women” system and historical facts about their victimization, but the characters in the film, including Jung-min, and the specific events are fictional reconstructions based on multiple testimonies.

Victimization of “comfort women” by the Japanese military

The victimization of Japanese military “comfort women”: women were mobilized to comfort stations during Japan's war efforts and subjected to sexual exploitation and violence.

Event details →

FACT / FICTION

Verification 4

Fact / Fiction verification

4 records
FactConfidence High

Spirits' Homecoming is a 2016 work directed by Jo Jung-rae.

On screen · Verified record
On screen
—
Verified record
Information about the work and related reports confirm that it is a 2016 work and identify its director.
View 2 sources
  • 영화 '귀향' 돌풍…이틀째 박스오피스 1위연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
  • <새영화> 위안부 피해자들의 넋을 위로하는 '귀향'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
FactConfidence High

The work's central true-story and historical background is the victimization of “comfort women” by the Japanese military.

On screen · Verified record
On screen
The work begins with testimonies from victims of the Japanese military's “comfort women” system and historical facts about their victimization, but the characters in the film, including Jung-min, and the specific events are fictional reconstructions based on multiple testimonies.
Verified record
The work begins with testimonies from victims of the Japanese military's “comfort women” system and historical facts about their victimization, but the characters in the film, including Jung-min, and the specific events are fictional reconstructions based on multiple testimonies.
View 2 sources
  • 영화 '귀향' 돌풍…이틀째 박스오피스 1위연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
  • 일본군'위안부' 피해자 e-역사관을 아시나요?성평등가족부 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
FactConfidence High

One of the direct reasons director Jo Jung-rae decided to make the film Spirits' Homecoming was “Burning Maidens,” a painting by Kang Il-chul, a victim of the Japanese military's “comfort women” system.

On screen · Verified record
On screen
—
Verified record
Interviews with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Film Archive, and director Jo Jung-rae explain that after seeing Kang Il-chul's painting, the director was shocked, decided to make the film, and developed the screenplay.
View 3 sources
  • 귀향 - 시네마테크KOFA한국영상자료원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
  • 제6차 위안부 기림의 날 특집 인문예술콘서트 오늘문화체육관광부 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
  • 조정래 감독 인터뷰 - 귀향 제작 계기국민일보 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
CompositeConfidence Medium

The overall narrative of Spirits' Homecoming draws significantly on Kang Il-chul's experience as a victim, but no evidence has been confirmed to establish that Jung-min, the girl in the film, is an exact one-to-one portrayal of Kang Il-chul as a real person.

On screen · Verified record
On screen
Jung-min is depicted as a fourteen-year-old girl who is separated from her family in 1943 and taken to a Japanese military comfort station.
Verified record
The Korean Film Archive explains that the film is based on Kang Il-chul's experience, but does not state that Jung-min in the film is an exact portrayal under Kang Il-chul's real name. Therefore, the work's basis in true events and the identity of an individual character need to be distinguished.
View 2 sources
  • 귀향 - 시네마테크KOFA한국영상자료원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
  • 제6차 위안부 기림의 날 특집 인문예술콘서트 오늘문화체육관광부 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →

CHARACTER ↔ PERSON

Characters and real people

3 characters

영옥

Fictionalized real person

영희

Fictional character

정민

Fictional composite character

Sources used

  1. 영화 '귀향' 돌풍…이틀째 박스오피스 1위연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
  2. <새영화> 위안부 피해자들의 넋을 위로하는 '귀향'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
  3. 일본군'위안부' 피해자 e-역사관을 아시나요?성평등가족부 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
  4. 귀향 - 시네마테크KOFA한국영상자료원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
  5. 제6차 위안부 기림의 날 특집 인문예술콘서트 오늘문화체육관광부 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
  6. 조정래 감독 인터뷰 - 귀향 제작 계기국민일보 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →