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In 2024, Kim Sung-won (68), a stoic journalist with a career-marked deformity on his face, packs his belongings into a cardboard box after thirty years of service. Among his things is a warped, rain-damaged journal from 1987. Yoon Ji-ho (26), a restless and “hungry” reporter digging into the past, approaches Kim to ask about an article he wrote decades ago. Though Kim warns her that “it’s best not to go there,” Ji-ho seizes an opportunity to steal his 1987 notebook.The story flashes back to Seoul, 1987. A young Kim investigates the death of a university student, Park Jong-chul, who allegedly died of “cardiac arrest” during “routine questioning”. Kim uncovers evidence of torture and asphyxiation, but his editor orders him to destroy the report to stay safe. After receiving a threatening phone call and being brutally assaulted by a mysterious man, Kim’s attempt to reveal the truth is violently suppressed, leaving him with a permanent scar.Back in the present, Ji-ho realizes history is repeating itself. Her own brother, Yoon Min-jun, has recently died in police custody under the exact same “routine” circumstances. Driven by grief and the evidence in Kim’s notebook, Ji-ho prepares to finish the investigation Kim started. The film ends as the two reporters meet in an elevator—representing the passing of a dangerous, yet necessary, torch of truth.
Written by Yewon Kim (South Korea)