Breathing Underwater
Korea
•
52m
Directed by Hee-young Ko • Documentary • 2016 • 52 minutes
In Jeju Province, located off the southern coast of Korea, are the women of the sea who hold breath of life. Typhoons and the barren volcanic soil of the islands left the people enduring years of poor harvest and famine. For survival, women looked to the frigid sea. Haenyeos, women of the sea, still exist and they have been diving without air tanks for more than 1,000 years. They go into the waters of 10-to-20 meter depth to harvest seaweed and shellfish to make a living. They work from 7 to 8 hours a day without even a sip of fresh water. At the end of the day, they return with sumbisori, a whale-like noise at the near end of their breath.
They community is divided into three tires - Group A, B and C, based on only one thing. The length of breath.
This film is a 7 year record of the lives of the haenyeos in Udo, an islet in the province of Jeju, known to be the birthplace of haenyeo. It is a close look into the lives of extinguishing strong women that stands on the boundary of life and death.
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