MovieChat Forums > Beoning (2018) Discussion > Fantastic film, so what did you think ha...

Fantastic film, so what did you think happened to Hae-mi (spoilers)

posted 5 years ago by looper007 (1126)
10 replies | jump to latest

I personally think she is the character of Yuen-Joo, the "new" girlfriend of Ben's who we meet when Hae-mi leaves the scene. Hae-mi did mention herself that she had plastic surgery done before and probably that's why the cat is in Ben's apartment. It's clear to me that Hae-mi wanted rid of her old life as she seemed to have run up debt and hadn't a friend in the world beside's Jong-su and wanted to start her life over again. The way Yuen-Joo act at the last party reminds me of how Hae-mi reacted during the earlier party with Ben's friends. Also the bracelets left in Ben's bathroom also say's she's living there.

I thought for a while Hae-mi and Ben were using Jong-su to get revenge on him for calling Hae-mi "ugly" as a kid, some people hold grudges you know for that long. But even was that true, as Hae-mi is known to lie. I didn't think Hae-mi wanted Jong-su around look at how disinterested see looks when she's with him, probably Ben pushed her into it as he seemed interested in him, Making the ending somewhat tragic. As Ben seemed bored with his life and seemed interested when Jong-su was around.That's my take probably wrong lol

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

she was killed by Ben who was a psychopath.

[–] looper007 (1126) 5 years ago

Could be, I think it's far too easy imo. I found this on Reddit that gives a different view on that happened in the film. I'm liking it more as I read it.

I'm pretty sure after thinking very much about the film that Steven Yeun's character essentially helps girls like Shin Haemi, girls who are at the short end of the stick and want to 're-invent' themselves by leaving everything in their life behind and becoming someone completely different. One of these methods is basically learning how to convincingly lie to their friends about past experiences, or about completely new traits about themselves. Hence the whole 'pantomime' technique. I feel like the whole 'trip to Africa' was a lie and Shin Haemi was consulting Ben on how to detach herself from her old life and leave everything behind. One of her motivations clearly being to become an actress. If she can convince her only friend, if she is willing to take drastic measures, then she has what it takes.

She's obviously able to convincingly conjure up stories (she already aspired to become an actress beforehand and could lie to her parents in the past), and I feel like Ben convinced her to lie to the one person she truly trusted, Jongsu. In the scene involving her dancing topless at dusk, I think its supposed to portray her feelings of re-inventing herself as someone new, then when her high slowly fades away she realizes how much she has lost her old self. This is further emphasized when Jongsu confronts her about becoming a whore. I felt it was somewhat odd at first that she would lie to the one person she trusted, but I believe Ben convinced her to do so.

[–] looper007 (1126) 5 years ago

I think when Ben is seen with a different girl after she disappears, is when he feels Haemi is ready to be on her own, and he takes on his next disciple. The whole statement on how 'you don't believe you have an orange in your hand, you 'forget' it's not there in the first place' really comes into play here. That's why he keeps her watch and her cat. That's why he lies to Jongsu's face and convinces Haemi to do so as well.

Ben probably has some sort of superiority complex, and, as he puts it simply, 'plays' with other people. He loves seeing others go through different emotions, ones he can't go through himself (he states he can't cry), he's fascinated with manipulating others into transforming into completely different people, and seeing them lie to themselves, and others, thus 'playing' with their emotions. Definitely a hobby that came as a by-product of growing up rich and not learning about dealing with consequences of one's own actions. Which is why he seems genuinely surprised when Jongsu stabs him and kills him in the end, since he thought it was all a game and he himself would never be on the receiving end. I personally think Ben had so much money to himself he never had to work, and boredom drove him to manipulating others as a sense of satisfaction, with the objective of allowing his victims to transform themselves being some sort of 'moral' justification for his actions.

[–] Voided (50) 4 years ago

Very interesting. You could have a point about the plastic surgery. That penultimate scene of Ben applying make up to her lips is quite suggestive. I’ll have to think about this.

[–] kawaiikiwi (93) 4 years ago

I think Ben killed her. The greenhouses were a metaphor for women. He said he burned a greenhouse near Jong-su but he never found it. He was killing and then burning women, not greenhouses. He had his fun with Hae-mi and then she was useless, like he said of why he burned greenhouses, when they became useless. When Jong-su asked about Hae-mi, Ben said she disappeared like smoke. So he got rid of her body by burning her. That's what I think.

I don't think she could get plastic surgery to the point of being unrecognizable. I think you are overestimating plastic surgery. It's impossible to completely change your face, your bone structure, your eyes. This is a realistic movie, not Sci-Fi. Plastic surgery doesn't turn you into someone else. Even if she did change her whole face, you would still be able to tell it's her. Some stuff can't be completely changed.

[–] Voided (50) 7 months ago

Of course, it’s much easier to say that Ben killed her, and that burning greenhouses is a metaphor for that….but I still think there might be something to the surgery angle. Maybe it’s true that you can’t completely change a person’s face, but I do think there is enough similarity between the two women’s faces to suggest it might not take too much work. Also, I do remember reading that burning barns or greenhouses was a term that alluded to plastic surgery in Korean culture….unfortunately I can’t remember where I read this, but it must have been on Reddit, I think.

[–] yvesyves (630) 3 years ago

for me:

Ben was a rich family kid who got off by making Jongsu jealous every time the three were together it's obvious Jongsu is wondering if the girl and Ben are dating or sleeping together he is so much in power, the girl likes him and the other guy a loser is envious of him on all levels, Ben likes that feeling and playing with Jongsu.

Ben says every two months he burns a greenhouse, makes it disappear, it's a metaphor for a girl which he kills, and like many serial killers he keeps a belonging of his victim (the pink watch) and even the cat.

HOWEVER Ben does say according to English sub '' I make the greenhouse disappear in thin air '' which in English can mean someone who doesn't want to be found so I understand why some people think his hobby is to help this kind of lonely girls restart their lives, also if this is the case the girl would have asked him to take care of the cat which is why he has it.

When Jongsu goes to the girl's flat after the old lady opens the door inside the flat we can see her pink suitcase, implying that she didn't go on vacation, but if she was not killed and disappeared she would have taken some clothes and few belongings no? Or of course she might have left it on purpose to really make it all more mysterious.

[–] yatzo376 (7440) 3 years ago

Ben was a serial killer

[–] Surpriseiiime (96) 3 years ago

Are we forgetting that in the climax, Ben is lured by Jogn-su on the pretext that Hae-mi is with him?? This means Ben cannot be the killer....

[–] rushington (727) 2 years ago

Maybe as OP said, Ben helps his girls reinvent themselves by starting a new life while keeping an object relating to them as a souvenir of their past lives. I second this theory and put the serial killer persona in the second degree.