Stoic, unflinching, and almost near silent, Ballerina takes a fitting approach to enact its protagonist’s revenge. Within its lean 90 minute runtime, ex-bodyguard Ok-ju single-mindedly searches for answers, through following the lead from her friend’s suicide note. The film shares nothing personal, no doubts, worries, or fears from Ok-ju – except for her affection for best friend Min-hee. Instead of capitalizing on Ok-ju’s tears, or on the violence inflicted on Min-hee, writer-director Lee Chung-hyun relies on action, on stunning cinematography, and on Jeon Jong-seo’s performance to create a spectacle that doesn’t hold back from the gruesomeness, but somehow still incredibly restrained. Jeon Jong-seo delivers Ok-ju’s bloody revenge, a fitting retribution to all perpetrators of sexual violence.

For revenge films, the story has to show that wrong has been done, so that viewers would side with the protagonist becoming their villain’s reckoning. However, many times, when the camera simulates sexual violence, the scene can be triggering to survivors, at best. At worst, the violence is crafted to look sexy for spectacle. The titular character is found dead, but Ballerina never showcases the violence inflicted on its victim. It never sexualizes her. Instead, we know what's been done through the size of the labeled USB collection, the empty soy sauce bottle, Choi Pro’s leather mask, and the camera he’s holding. The only glimpse we have of the video used for blackmail is only limited to the few seconds Choi Pro touches her face. The violence Min-hee faced is never used for spectacle – Instead, it’s the violence enacted on those that harmed her that makes the film gruesomely satisfying.