“The Last of the Sea Women” has its global debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, October 11, 2024. In “The Last of the Sea Women,” an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real-life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor — without oxygen — to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, with most haenyeo now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, their traditions and way of life are in imminent danger. But these fierce, funny and hardworking women refuse to give an inch, aided by a younger generation’s fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence and infectious sense of empowerment. The story unfolds into an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspire a new generation. The film is beautiful and fascinating.
The Haenyeo, or ‘women of the sea’, are an icon of South Korea. This unique culture found on the island of Jeju, ia a place where the women have been in charge of diving for seafood to provide for their families since the 17th century when many of the men were either conscripted to the army or had lost their lives at sea while fishing.
These remarkable women, some aged in their 80s, go diving 10m under the sea to gather shellfish, such as abalone or sea urchins …Their numbers are declining so that only around 4,500 are still active
A Haenyeo is placed into the low rank, the middle rank, or the high rank according to her skills. Remarkably, she can hold her breath for 1-2 minutes and can dive to depths of 5 to 20 meters without any tools and may spend up to 7 hours a day in the sea. With each dive, haenyeo plunge up to 20 metres (66 ft) deep and can hold their breath for over three minutes. Their harvests consist of abalone, conch, octopus, sea urchins, sea squirt, brown alga, top shell, a variety of sargassum, oysters and sea slugs, etc.
During surface swimming time, haenyeos did not hold their breath but rather breathe deeply making a sound called ‘Sumbi’ in Korean, which is possible because their head is out of the seawater and they rest on their buoy with their arms in the sea. While the Haenyeo tradition can be traced back to 434 AD, it was around the 17th century that the diving was gradually taken over by women, shaping the semi-matriarchal structure of the island.
“The haenyeo I saw when I was eight were just like the women you meet in ‘The Last of the Sea Women,”’ recalls Kim. “They were bold, brash and boisterously comfortable with who they were as they put on their gear. They had been described to me as ‘Korea’s mermaids,’ but seeing them with my own eyes, I thought, these are not exactly mermaids. This is a badass girl-gang. They had such a vibe. They were so strong, they occupied their space so fully and they were so completely unapologetic about who they were. I was instantly enamored.”
The remarkable documentary that emerged from Kim’s vision is beautiful, strange and fascinating. The music that accompanies the film as well as the groups songs are unusual and haunting. The cinematography is amazing with exquisite underwater shots.
This is a rare, in-depth compelling look into a culture that prefers to keep to itself. Do yourself a favor and tune in to experience the “a no-nonsense but fun sisterhood of intrepid, confident renegades who were defiantly themselves” that captivated Sue Kim.
Director: Sue Kim
Producers: Sue Kim, Malala Yousafzai, Erika Kennair
Executive Producers: Nicole Stott, Emily Osbourne, Harry Go, Marissa Torres Ericson
Photos are courtesy of Apple TV+
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