From a young age, many women are told they’re not pretty enough, not thin enough, not anything enough — and it can do major damage to their psyches. This diminishment and its devastating effects are played out in the offbeat and cinematic series Mask Girl, out Aug. 18. The K-drama follows a young woman in Seoul who — having given up on her lifelong dream of being in the spotlight because she’s not “beautiful” enough — turns her life upside down after growing tired of dealing with men’s reactions to her vastly different identities: a quiet office worker disrespected daily by her colleagues, and a mask-wearing camgirl fetishized nightly by her many adoring fans.
The genre-bending suspense thriller delves into the journey of Kim Mo-mi, a twentysomething whose looks cause her to be chronically insecure and marginalized by society — which leads to deadly consequences. The sweeping revenge story spans decades, with Mo-mi depicted by three actors: newcomer Lee Han-byeol, onetime Miss Korea runner-up turned Baeksang Arts Award winner Ko Hyun-jung, and singer-actor Nana from the K-pop groups After School and Orange Caramel. K-drama fans will also recognize actor Yeom Hye-ran from The Glory and The Uncanny Encounter.
Based on the eponymous webtoon, the series was written and directed by Kim Yong-hoon, whose feature debut, Beasts Clawing at Straws, won the Special Jury Award at the 49th Rotterdam International Film Festival. Mask Girl is Kim’s series debut.
Watch it at the top of this article.
As a kid, Kim Mo-mi dreamed of becoming a dancer. However, her appearance —because it didn’t align with society’s impossible beauty standards — hindered her aspirations. Now it’s 2009, and Mo-mi works at a mundane office job where she battles her insecurities while harboring an insatiable crush on her manager, Mr. Park. At night, Mo-mi attempts to reclaim her childhood dream by moonlighting as a masked camgirl dubbed Mask Girl, who captivates her growing audience with seductive dance routines. But after a rough night of drinking her feelings, Mo-mi’s fate becomes forever entwined with that of her co-worker, Ju Oh-Nam — causing her to change her identity and run away to escape herself and the bodies she’s left behind. (Curious to know how Mask Girl ends, check out this article. Spoilers abound!)
Yes, it’s based on a webtoon of the same name by writer Maemi and illustrator Hee Se.
The series is set in South Korea, in places like Seoul, Gangcheon and other locations within Gyeonggi Province.
