Cruel State (2015): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2015, Cruel State is a documentary film directed by Kim Jin-yeol, running about 120 minutes.

What it’s about. In April 2014, the entire nation of South Korea watched on television live as The Sewol capsized off the coast of Jindo. The tragedy left life-long wounds in the hearts of people whose family and friends had been among the 304 passengers killed. The majority of the victims were high school students on a school trip. Their parents were not even given the luxury of grieving, as they had to camp out in front of the Parliament, City Hall and the Presidential House, asking for only one thing - to know the truth about why their children had been left to die. But after more than a year, that truth has yet to be brought to light. This film is a documentation of the year-long struggle and painful soul-searching of people destined to be labelled as 'bereaved families' for the rest of their lives, as they come face to face with the naked face of their cruel country.

Who’s in it. Cruel State stars Pope Francis as Self, Moon Jae-in as Self, Moon So-ri as Narrator and Park Young-sun as Self, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.3/10, Cruel State sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Cruel State page.

If you liked it. Fans of Cruel State tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.