‘The Last of the Sea Women’ is director Sue Kim’s ode to South Korea’s legendary divers

When director Sue Kim first saw a haenyeo, she was starstruck. It was the coolest gang of women her eight-year-old self had ever seen. But more importantly, their confidence and fearlessness inspired her. That memory stuck with her so much that she made a film about them. Haenyeo are female divers in South Korea, known for their free diving abilities without the use of modern equipment. But they are also admired for their unshakable spirit and unyielding dedication to preserving their way of life. These women are the stars of director Sue Kim’s documentary, The Last of the Sea Women on Apple TV+. In Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong’s exclusive interview with director Sue Kim, she details her heartfelt homage to the women she grew up admiring and why the haenyeo are an inspiration for all of us.

In simpler terms, the haenyeo are divers. But they’re also feisty warriors. They’re not mermaids but rather, guardians of the ocean. Like the legends they’re alluded to, the haenyeo dive into the ocean, reaching depths of up to 20 metres all while holding their breaths for minutes on end. They harvest seafood for their livelihood and created a matriarchal society on South Korea’s Jeju Island. It’s not just a job for anyone. After all, “Being a haenyeo is calling,” they say. At their peak in the 1960s, there were about 30,000 haenyeo. Today, there are only about 4,000, all facing an uncertain future. With the changing environment threatening marine life, little financial benefit, and a tough profession, many young women are not choosing to follow this way of life. As a result, most haenyeo are now in their 60s to 80. They’re among the last ones waging a spirited fight to keep their tradition alive.

Sue Kim’s documentary on Apple TV+, The Last of the Sea Women, zeroes in on these women. It follows their love for their ancestral lifestyle and the ocean, as well as their tight-knit friendship. It’s beautifully aided by Sue Kim’s lens that allowed the haenyeo to shape their own story. Read our interview with director Sue Kim to find out more about how her encounter with the haenyeo became the genesis for the documentary and what new perspective she aims to show.

Insights on The Last of the Sea Women: An exclusive interview with director Sue Kim

What did you know of the haenyeo growing up? How did that affect your decision to work on this project?

My introduction to the haenyeo culture was an accident. At that time, I was travelling to Jeju Island with my family for the first time. I remember we came upon a cove where we saw this group of women. We just stopped and watched them because they were so striking in their black and orange wetsuits. They caught my attention as they were loud but they also looked strong, tough, and bold. As an eight-year-old, I was so mesmerised because I had never quite seen Korean women show up so fearlessly and confidently. I just instantly fell in love with them. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know what they did at that time. Whatever they were into, I wanted to be a part of it. After that, I started to have a serious interest in the haenyeo culture. So, I read everything I possibly could about them growing up. When I became an adult, I started going back to Jeju Island to try and find them.

On one of the trips, my mom and I saw a woman coming out of the water, she was 84 years old and had been diving for hours that morning. We instantly asked her where the younger women were and she said “This is it” and that they were the last generation with no young women among them. That was really the moment that started this film. It became an abstract idea that I had always toyed with. Then, suddenly, it became an urgent mandate that someone has to document this culture and the community before it’s too late, while we still have them tell their own story in their own words. It was a whole journey to get the funding. Then, another three years to make it and now we’re here.

There have been other stories about the haenyeo. What are you trying to tell that is different? What new perspective do you want to show?

The journalistic news pieces that are out there have been very good at telling you information about the haeyneo. But what I missed from them was the personality and the vibrancy of these women. They’re fun, feisty, bold and kind of fearless in the way that they live. But they’re also so sisterly with each other even if they’re fighting half the time. Deep inside, they care about each other and are protective of one another. But I’ve never felt that necessarily from the journalistic depictions of them. So, I really wanted to portray their true, natural, and intimate selves, like the way that they are with each other.

I also wanted to embed myself and the film crew in their lives in a way that they couldn’t feel like they had to perform for the camera. They didn’t need to feel like they had to be on their best behaviour. Instead, they could show their true selves because that’s where I find their identities, their joy, and their sisterhood. I also wanted to show their strength. The narrative seems to indicate that it’s sad that these grandmas have to work at such an age. It also asks “Why aren’t we taking care of the elders in our society” which I think is a valid question. However, I’ve never gotten that impression from them. Instead, they feel very proud to still be working in their 70s and 80s. More importantly, they find joy in the ocean and in the connection that they have with the sea and marine life.

They’re the opposite of their usual depictions. They’re strong and see themselves as warriors of the sea. So, this was an opportunity for them to rewrite the way they’ve been branded and speak out on how powerful they are. I simply wanted to give them that space to be on camera as their full, empowered, strong selves, just as the way they present themselves.

It also seems like the haenyeo are very private. They’re also protective of their culture. What was the process of finding or casting women who would be willing to share their lives on camera?

None of the communities that we spoke to didn’t want to be on camera. But to your point, some people are not comfortable on camera. Then, there’s also the opposite, individuals who love being on camera. It was a trial and error process of who we were going to focus on

One of our main characters, Soon Deok Jang is an environmental activist and very passionate about conservationism. She’s the one who eventually travels to the United Nations to speak on behalf of the haenyeo. So, I focused on her because I knew she was one of those women who would do whatever she possibly could to take action against anything that was going to harm the ocean. We also had another woman named Joo Hwa Kang who is just the best at what she does. She’s a really strong person. At first, she was actually very shy in front of the camera. Still, I wanted one of our characters to show the physicality of this job, not just how hard it is, but how athletic it can be. When we filmed her underwater, she was so graceful, powerful, and quick.

We just spent a lot of time with the haenyeo and they eventually got used to being in front of the camera. They trusted us and forgot that we were there because we’re a very observational filmmaking team. We don’t get in their faces. Instead, we’re mostly hiding so that they can only see the camera operator and our sound mixer. That was our technique to make them more comfortable. But I think they also relished the opportunity to be on camera. It’s because they feel deeply proud of their culture and the work that they’re doing. Plus, they saw this as an opportunity to take control of their narrative which I really wanted them to do. I wanted them to shape their story the way that they saw fit.

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A majority of the crew members are women which is also in line with the film. How important is this for the story you were trying to tell?

It was very important to me that it be almost all women. We were trying to have it all women but there were just a few that were unavailable. The reason why that was very logistical is because we’re following these women who are divers. So, they’re constantly in and out of their communal dressing area with no doors so it’s very private. As it is their communal space, I wanted them to feel as comfortable as possible with our film crew. So, it felt important to me that when they watched us or saw us, they also saw Asian women behind the cameras.

At the same time, I also just felt like there’s such a spirit of female empowerment as a theme in this film. So, it only felt right to have a majority female crew. It created a feeling of sisterhood behind the camera, which we also witnessed happening in front of the camera. It felt like a deeply important parallel that we had. We created this weird, lovely yet magical kinship and sisterhood all around. It was just a group of women constantly cheering on and supporting other women while watching women in front of the camera be strong, bold, and empowered. It felt like a very full circle moment. That is exactly what we were meant to have to tell about this community of women.

While working on The Last of the Sea Women, what new things did you learn about the haenyeo that touched you personally?

I learned that they’re actually tender-hearted. You know, they’re so cool and tough-looking so you’re intrigued when you watch them walking into the water with their masks, baskets, and wet suits. When I first talked to them, they were gruff with strong and bold personalities. But when I started working with them, I experienced how caring they were. They constantly broke the fourth wall to walk over to us and spoon-feed the crew as they were worried that we were working too long without eating. It was a delight to kind of see their softer side that lives just as strongly as their tough, cool side.

I was also inspired by how passionate they are about taking care of the ocean. It’s not for themselves but because they feel that it’s their duty as older women to pass on a clean planet to their descendants. It’s almost like it’s a legacy, a responsibility, and a heritage that they’re passing on. They felt so deeply about it that they were so motivated to take part in the protests. Plus, go all the way to the United Nations and speak on behalf of the ocean.

As a mother, I think about the impact and the repercussions of what’s happening with global warming and climate change. But I don’t know that I ever understood what it’s like to have that personal responsibility to do anything. Or the feeling of what I do or don’t do being a reflection of who I am as a person because that’s what I’m passing on to the younger generation. I really took that message to heart from them. Now, I feel a very different sense of responsibility with what I do with my life and how much impact I can make in trying to preserve the planet for our younger generations.

Watch the trailer for The Last of the Sea Women below.

The Last of the Sea Women, directed by Sue Kim, is currently streaming on Apple TV+.