Netflix's Korean sci‑fi disaster film "Daehongsu" sparked debate at home and abroad as soon as it premiered.
Lead actor Kim Da‑mi said she pushed her limits with long underwater takes and an emotionally demanding portrayal of motherhood.
The film stages human feeling against survival in an apartment swallowed by water.
Audience reactions have split sharply, and discussions continue about the film's industrial meaning versus its artistic merit.
"Scenes Where Water and Emotion Collide" — Daehongsu and Kim Da‑mi
How the film begins and its setup
Water tests the characters.
Daehongsu imagines a global catastrophe triggered by an impact near Antarctica that sets off a world‑flood scenario.
The story centers on struggles inside a submerged apartment where people fight to protect a child.
These sequences aim for both visual spectacle and emotional texture.
The film was released worldwide on Netflix in December 2025 (Netflix is a global streaming platform).
Production began in 2022 and took about three years to complete.
Reports say the shoot combined large‑scale underwater filming and heavy investment in special effects.
In its narrative, the film layers survival instincts with human emotion.
The protagonist, Anna (also called Guanna), is written as an AI developer who cares for a child.
Her choices are framed as more than survival tactics; they are an experiment in imagining a new, emotionally defined kind of person.
This setup links the unit of family and the ethics of child protection to disaster storytelling.
Kim Da‑mi's performance is a key attraction because it demands both physical skill and emotional depth.
On set and the actor's struggle
She collided with the work physically.
"Daehongsu was the toughest project I've ever worked on," — the actor admitted.
Kim Da‑mi has said in several interviews that she performed many underwater scenes, practiced diving, and endured long stretches submerged, and that hardship translates into the tension we see on screen.
Movement under water exposes an actor's physical limits while being reshaped by camera angles and visual effects.
Underwater shoots require strict safety and technical coordination.
While the actor's words convey personal experience, they also imply that rigorous safety management and professional dive teams made the work possible.
Therefore, the actor's struggle can be read as a collaboration between her effort and the crew's expertise.
Meanwhile, her account gives viewers a path into the film's realism and immersion.
Filming underwater costs time and money to achieve visual realism.
The fatigue and strain experienced by cast and crew raise ethical and institutional questions about production practice.
Safety rules, adequate rest, and psychological support for performers matter now more than ever.
This has prompted discussion about reexamining safety and labor conditions in future Korean blockbusters.
The repeated cycles of shooting, returning, and regrouping serve as a training ground for performers.
Kim Da‑mi's account can be read as a turning point in her acting career.
The mix of physical hardship and emotional expression asks new things of the actor.
As a result, audiences may feel both peril and pity at once, which the film uses deliberately.
The heart of the performance: rethinking motherhood
Motherhood is used as a motif.
Motherhood holds the emotional axis in a disaster story.
The film tries to set maternal love against mechanical destruction.
This choice gives audiences a familiar emotional hook, but it also invites criticism for simplifying complex issues.
Anna's effort to protect the child reads as instinctual protection and as the engine of the plot.
However, how maternal feeling is constructed on screen shapes audience reception.
Emotional design can feel overwrought at times, and persuasive at others.
Thus, when motherhood is tied to disaster ethics, layered interpretation is necessary.
Supporters: a record of challenge and growth
The acting has evolved.
Kim Da‑mi's physical performance shows a different side of her craft.
Supporters praise Kim Da‑mi's willingness to take on the challenge.
They note that she handled underwater work while keeping the character's emotional arc intact, which they read as artistic growth.
From this view, theatrical variation matters.
Kim Da‑mi shows dimensions unlike her previous roles, expanding her range.
That could mark a turning point in her career and broaden future casting opportunities.
Efforts to secure physical realism through underwater shooting also give critics and viewers a reason to accept the film's authenticity.
The film's emotional focus is also seen as a genre expansion.
By combining spectacle with human story, the movie seeks points of emotional identification.
That attempt can deepen the disaster genre so audiences feel not only tension but also empathy and belonging.
Thus the film can be read as more than visual showmanship; it is an emotional experiment.
Finally, the Netflix rollout has industrial significance.
Global exposure highlights Korean filmmaking capacity and commercial potential, and it may lead to further investment and international co‑productions.
Seen this way, Daehongsu functions like a pilot testing the potential of Korean disaster blockbusters.
From an investment perspective, big projects can diversify risk and revenue streams.
Critics: narrative persuasiveness and ethical worries
Emotion invites debate.
Not every viewer will be persuaded by a motherhood‑driven story.
Critics point to gaps in the film's persuasiveness.
They argue that centering motherhood sometimes flattens the narrative or fails to convince.
From this stance, overt or repetitive thematic presentation can provoke pushback.
If emotional messaging fails to balance tension, the story loses persuasive power and audience immersion can turn into resentment.
Particular concern arises over how the child character is used: if a child's role serves the plot rather than being treated with nuance, viewers may question the director's moral choices.
Moreover, heavy‑handed direction or editing that pushes emotional appeals too far can make the film feel coercive.
Critics claim the movie does not always maintain a steady balance between visual destruction and emotional resonance.
These assessments often focus on structural weaknesses in the plot and character design.
In short, some viewers and reviewers raise fundamental questions about the film's emotional logic and ethical choices.
Global release accelerates the spread of criticism.
Netflix's worldwide reach can amplify cultural misunderstandings and invite harsher scrutiny from international audiences.
Therefore, criticism may be reinterpreted across cultural contexts beyond domestic reviews.
This is a risk producers and platforms must consider when launching a film globally.
Industry and institutional implications
Platforms change the game.
Netflix expands the stage for Korean films to the global market.
Distribution on Netflix brings commercial value and wider cultural exchange.
However, big projects also raise questions about production burdens, safety, and working conditions.
The success of a Korean sci‑fi disaster blockbuster depends on production capability and investment scale.
Because this genre requires resources for spectacle, institutional support and sustainable financing models are essential.
For global appeal, filmmakers must consider how cultural codes translate and how audiences receive them.
Directors and producers face the task of balancing universality with local specificity.
On‑set safety and labor ethics are especially urgent for high‑risk shoots like underwater filming.
Systems to protect cast and crew, realistic schedules, insurance, and compensation need strengthening.
As the industry grows, securing workers' stability should go hand in hand with creative ambition.
Ultimately, artistry, commerce, and ethics must be weighed together.
Image placement matters in promotion and coverage.
Visuals attract attention, while text supplies context.
The combination of image and copy becomes a small design that shapes interpretation.
These elements closely link to marketing and publicity strategies in the film business.
Conclusion and a question
The core need is balance.
Kim Da‑mi's challenge and the production's ambition show what Korean cinema can attempt.
However, narrative persuasiveness and ethical considerations must be part of the conversation.
Global release brings opportunity, but it also brings responsibility.
In short, Daehongsu attempts both technical feats and emotional experiments.
Kim Da‑mi's performance may mark a career turning point.
Yet opinions about the film's artistic value remain sharply divided between audiences and critics.
Which side do you think should carry more weight: the film's role as an acting and industrial experiment, or its responsibilities as a persuasive and ethical piece of storytelling?
