Any discussion of must begin with Han Ji-min. Known primarily for her gentle, feminine roles in romantic dramas like Rooftop Prince and Familiar Wife , Han underwent a radical transformation. She cut her hair short, refused makeup, and lost weight to embody a woman who has given up on being seen as "soft."

The antagonists are not just the physical abusers (played with chilling realism by Lee Hee-joon and Kim Sun-young). The real villains are the police officer who says, "It’s not our place to interfere," the social worker who is overworked and underpaid, and the neighbors who hear the screams but choose to turn up the TV. Lee Ji-won forces the audience to ask a deeply uncomfortable question: Would you have done anything?

Her world shifts when she encounters ( Kim Si-a ), a nine-year-old girl she finds shivering on a cold winter street. Sang-ah quickly realizes that the girl's "accidents" are actually the result of brutal domestic abuse at the hands of her father and his girlfriend. Recognizing her own past in the child’s eyes, Sang-ah decides to protect Ji-eun, even if it means risking her freedom and safety. Rooted in Reality