A Leave
Middle-aged worker Jae-bok recently lost a lawsuit asking for the invalidation of his recent dismissal. Jae-bok returns home but what awaits him are his daughters neglecting him and the feeling of worthlessness.
Summary
A Leave is a restrained Korean social drama about Jae-bok, a middle-aged worker whose recent dismissal has become the defining crisis of his life. After losing a lawsuit seeking to have the firing overturned, he returns home expecting at least some sense of refuge. Instead, he finds himself increasingly isolated, confronting the indifference of his daughters and the painful realization that his identity and self-worth have long been tied to his job. The film follows Jae-bok as he tries to navigate the aftermath of his legal defeat and the emotional distance within his family. His daughters are not presented simply as antagonists; their neglect reflects their own frustrations and the widening gap between generations. Around them, the film evokes the broader world of labor disputes, economic insecurity, and people whose years of work can be discarded with little regard for their dignity. Quiet and observant rather than conventionally dramatic, A Leave is concerned with what happens when a person loses not only employment but also the social role that once gave his life structure. Its title suggests both a temporary break and a painful separation, capturing Jae-bok’s uncertain passage between his former working life and an equally unsettled future. The film’s central themes include the dignity of labor, unemployment, family alienation, aging, and the difficulty of finding value in oneself when institutions and even loved ones seem to have moved on.
