A Boat Departed from Me Taking Me Away

In the ranks of the Japanese army during WWII, there existed what was known as comfort women. In the present, that term was replaced by a definition that is closer to reality—they were women who had been kidnapped and turned into sex slaves. After a long period of humiliation, the victims remained quiet, but some of them built up the courage to write about their ordeals in a series of letters. Cecilia Kang’s new documentary recovers those testimonies in order to talk about the way in which History and social mandates affect the lives of Korean women in Argentina, from the perspective of a young acting student who, after coming into contact with this correspondence, allows herself to reflect on the community she lives in and understand more about the traditions of her people as well as her own family history.

Directed by Cecilia Kang, A Boat Departed from Me Taking Me Away leans on a strong ensemble — Melanie Chong, Hae Kyung Jeon, Alex Chong — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2023.