The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion

"The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion" begins with a young girl escaping a mysterious and violent incident at a secret laboratory, leaving a trail of bodies. She collapses on a farm and is taken in by an elderly couple who raise her as their own, naming her Ja-yoon. Ten years later, Ja-yoon (Kim Da-mi) is a bright high school student living a peaceful life, seemingly with no memory of her past. However, she suffers from debilitating headaches. To help her family with their financial struggles and her adoptive mother's progressing dementia, Ja-yoon's best friend Myung-hee (Go Min-si) convinces her to enter a nationally televised singing competition.

During the audition, Ja-yoon showcases a 'magic trick'—levitating the microphone—which goes viral. This public display of her telekinetic power alerts the very people she escaped from a decade ago. Soon, she is approached by enigmatic and dangerous figures from her past, including a cocky young man known as Nobleman (Choi Woo-shik) and the ruthless Dr. Baek (Cho Min-soo), the scientist who ran the experiments. As these sinister characters close in, threatening her family and idyllic life, the facade of the innocent country girl begins to crumble, hinting at a much darker and more complex truth hidden beneath her supposed amnesia.

The core meaning of "The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion" explores the dark consequences of scientific hubris and the inescapable nature of one's identity. Director Park Hoon-jung poses a critical question about what defines humanity: is it our upbringing and the love we receive (nurture), or the inherent traits we are born with (nature)? The film deconstructs the typical superhero origin story by presenting a protagonist whose powers are not a gift but a curse born from unethical experimentation. It serves as a commentary on the generational conflict, where an older generation of scientists creates and then fears their powerful, younger creations, ultimately failing to control them. The 'subversion' of the title refers not only to the plot twist but to the subversion of audience expectations, transforming a seemingly gentle coming-of-age story into a brutal tale of premeditated vengeance.

While the film's main twist is quite explicit, the ending leaves room for several interpretations and fan theories, primarily concerning the final scene.

• Dr. Baek's Twin as Ja-yoon's Mother: A prominent theory suggests that Dr. Baek's twin sister, whom Ja-yoon confronts at the end, is actually her biological mother. The cure for Ja-yoon's condition is a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative, which would give the sister immense leverage. This interpretation adds a layer of personal drama to the search for a cure, suggesting Ja-yoon may have to confront or coerce her own mother in the sequel.
• The Scarred Girl's Allegiance: In the final moments, a mysterious young woman with scars on her face appears. One interpretation is that she is another escaped experiment, potentially hostile and a new antagonist for the sequel. Another reading suggests she might be an ally or subordinate to Dr. Baek's sister, acting as her bodyguard. Ja-yoon's immediate threat to her implies a history between them, possibly from the original lab massacre.
• The Adoptive Father's Knowledge: When Ja-yoon leaves her family, her adoptive father alludes to having always known, or at least suspected, what she was capable of. This can be interpreted in a few ways. He might have simply put the pieces together over the years due to small, unexplainable events. A more complex interpretation is that he had a deeper understanding of her origins than he let on, perhaps even having some past connection to the organization, which would re-contextualize his decision to take her in.

Released in 2018, "The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion" arrived during a period of surging global interest in South Korean cinema, a trend that would culminate with "Parasite's" Oscar win a couple of years later. The film was a significant box office success in South Korea, attracting over 3.1 million viewers.

Critically, the film was often analyzed as a South Korean take on the Hollywood superhero and YA dystopian genres, sharing narrative elements with franchises like "X-Men" or films like "Hanna" and "Logan". However, it was praised for subverting those familiar tropes with a distinctly Korean cinematic sensibility, blending intimate high-school drama with visceral, bloody action and a shocking narrative twist. The slow-burn pacing of the first half, which suddenly explodes into hyper-violent action, was noted by many critics as a bold structural choice.

The film's greatest impact was arguably the launch of Kim Da-mi's career. Her layered performance as the seemingly innocent girl who reveals herself to be a cunning anti-hero was universally acclaimed and established her as a major new talent in the industry. The character of Ja-yoon became an iconic female action anti-hero, celebrated for her intelligence and agency as much as her physical prowess, contributing to a growing trend of powerful female protagonists in Korean media. The movie successfully established a new franchise, with its sequel further expanding the universe and solidifying its place in modern Korean genre cinema.

Audience reception for "The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion" was largely positive, with viewers praising its unique blend of genres and its thrilling second half. The most consistently lauded aspect of the film was the breakout performance of Kim Da-mi, whose ability to transition from a sweet, innocent schoolgirl to a cold, calculating killer was considered phenomenal. The final 30-40 minutes of the film, which feature intense, well-choreographed, and brutal action sequences, were frequently highlighted as a major strength. The shocking plot twist was also a significant point of praise, with many viewers enjoying how it re-contextualized the entire preceding narrative.

Points of criticism often centered on the film's pacing. Some viewers found the first half, which focuses on building Ja-yoon's life as a normal teenager, to be slow compared to the explosive finale. Another common critique was the heavy reliance on dialogue and exposition in the final act to explain the backstory and the nature of the experiments, which some felt was clunky. Despite these criticisms, the overall verdict from audiences was that it was a fresh and exciting entry in the action/sci-fi genre, with many eagerly anticipating the sequel.