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The Hand of Fate (PG*) + Introduction by Hyun Jin Cho

Borders and Boundaries

A woman standing infront of a cliff face with a man leaning behind her and looking at her

Made one year after the end of the Korean war, this entertaining thriller explores the romance between a spy and a poor student.

Margaret, a spy, passes secret messages to the North Korean army, using music score sheets to encrypt the classified information. She shows an interest in a poor, young South Korean student – are her feelings purely romantic, or does she plan to recruit him?

The Hand of Fate blends several genres – film noir, romance, thriller – to create a hugely enjoyable movie which acts as an invaluable time capsule of early-1950s South Korea. It was the first Korean film to feature an on-screen kiss and boasts a strong role for Yoon In-ja as the duplicitous heroine.

We're pleased to welcome Hyun Jin Cho, curator at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, to introduce the screening. 

South Korea 1954 Dir Han Hyeong-mo 85 min

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Barbican Cinema 3