Ji-yeon, the protagonist of Deprivation, is a woman ready to do anything to get pregnant. Her actions, such as begging other patients to get an anti-miscarriage injection or taking her husband to a location blessed by a shaman to demand sex, goes beyond being ridiculous and becomes almost pathetic. The number of people around her, who understand her position, becomes smaller, and even her husband, who is supposed to share the responsibility for achieving her pregnancy, becomes distant as time goes by. At this point, one would expect the film to play music that comforts or appeases her heart, or to tell a story that would comfort her, but Deprivation just observes her haggard appearance calmly. In the close-up scene of Ji-yeon walking away from a hairdresser without even being able to dry her hair, one might wonder if the director was too harsh. The extremely minimalistic reality shown in Deprivation completes this portrait of a woman devastated by infertility yet striving for pregnancy, who cannot help but head towards it. Kim Seeeun, who plays Ji-yeon and delivers a harsh performance, is equally impressive as the director. It is unusual that Lee Do-jin, who plays Do-jin, also co-directed the film. (MOON Seok)