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The Net
Movie

The Net

2016 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

A poor North Korean fisherman finds himself an accidental defector, and is groomed to be a spy by an ambitious South Korean military officer.

Overall Series Review

The film centers on Nam Chul-woo, a North Korean fisherman whose engine failure causes him to drift into South Korean waters. He endures brutal interrogations on suspicion of being a spy, but his overriding desire is to return to his family in the North. The narrative portrays the fisherman as a simple family man caught in the ideological conflict between the two Korean states. The film frames the conflict as one between the individual's basic human desire for home and family, and the oppressive mechanisms of the state, criticizing the authorities in both the totalitarian North and the ostensibly free South. The protagonist remains loyal to his home, even when offered a comfortable new life in the South, because his primary concern is the fate of his wife and daughter. The commentary is focused on human rights, political systems, and the division of the Korean peninsula.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

Characters are judged based on their humanity and their ideological function within the state apparatus, not immutable characteristics. The narrative centers on a political and humanitarian crisis, not a race- or gender-based critique. The fisherman is a simple man whose value is measured by the content of his soul and his loyalty to his family. The story avoids the intersectional lens.

Oikophobia4/10

The film critiques South Korean political and military institutions, showing their oppressive and authoritative face against an innocent individual. The narrative highlights the dark side of the developed South, such as its moral failings like prostitution, and suggests economic prosperity does not guarantee happiness. However, the film critiques the state system of *both* North and South Korea, which frames the conflict as human versus state, not civilizational self-hatred of a singular system.

Feminism2/10

The core motivation for the protagonist's actions is his desire to be reunited with his wife and daughter, which affirms the importance of the nuclear family. Motherhood is a foundational, celebrated element driving the plot's emotional core. Female characters are not depicted as Mary Sues or Girl Bosses, and the depiction of a prostitute in Seoul highlights the victimhood of women rather than a modern feminist theme.

LGBTQ+1/10

The film focuses entirely on political, humanitarian, and familial themes arising from the North-South division. No presence of alternative sexualities, gender ideology, or deconstruction of the traditional nuclear family structure is observed.

Anti-Theism1/10

The conflict is political and ideological, not religious. The movie avoids direct commentary or hostility toward traditional religion. The morality of the protagonist is rooted in the objective, transcendent value of family and home, which serves as a moral anchor against the corruption of the two political systems.