Running away from an unseen situation, teenagers Soo-hyang (Cho Soo-hyang) and Eun-soo (Kwon Eun-soo) find another young girl, Ha-dam (Jeong Ha-dam), being beaten up by a man in a rubble strewn area of the city. Coming to her aid by attacking the man with fists, feet and indeed bricks, they rescue the frightened girl and all three make a frantic, hurried escape. However, before these ‘wild flowers’ (runaway girls) can even begin to catch their breath and begin to get to know each other, they are kidnapped by a surly, aggressive man known only as ‘Uncle’ (Oh Chang-kyeong) and locked in a room. Quickly realising that they are to be forced into prostitution, Soo-hyang takes the lead in trying to secure their freedom. But all too soon, personal needs, lies, betrayal and the pressures of homelessness threaten to stretch the new friendship of these young wild flowers to utter breaking point. A nuanced story with outstanding performances from the female leads makes an unmissable cinematic experience.

By Paul Quinn