The Last of the Sea Women @TIFF 2024

These women are called haenyeo and are considered real mermaids of the sea. For many decades these women have found work where they swim into the sea depths to find and harvest seafood. It is been a livelihood for most of them all of their lives and a camaraderie that is one of the strongest ever among women. Most of them are now in their 60s and 70s and have learned to be a haenyeo ever since they were children and are now facing the extinction of their strong culture.

There are many layers to The Last of the Sea Women that director Sue Kim explores in this documentary that is now streaming on Apple TV. It is quite the occupation where the women were able to create a livelihood for themselves to help out in the family. This was a form of empowerment. It is quite a dangerous role where they were trained to breathe underwater and dive into depths that were warning signs to their lives.

The haenyeo stuck to it though even though there was no insurance for their work which brought these women together. Swimming under the sea was therapeutic for them and even today a lot of them experience some great pain. It was an honest fight for their livelihood and what it meant to be a haenyeo. But now this group of sea women are facing some of the biggest challenges that may face their extinction.

The Last of The Sea Women is also an environmental film that shows the advocacy of the haenyeos. Water pollution has made their lives that much tougher as these women are getting older and all the pollutants that are attacking their bodies. Furthermore, how the pollution is doing so much damage to the biodiversity and the decline of harvesting in this body of water by Jeju Island. It is that much more difficult to make a living being a haenyeos. Even for some young haenyeos who are creating a life of their own and being on TikTok to show the world that the culture is still alive, it will be still difficult in the future to uphold.

The biggest challenge that the Sea Women are facing is the discharge of nuclear pollutants from the Fukushima accident. This has caused quite a political stir amongst the haenyeo who believe their country will be devastated by the lasting effects of the discharge. This will cause further devastation to the already desecrated biodiversity of Jeju Island and the culture of the haenyeo. As you will see in this powerful documentary, the banding of this group of Sea Women go to lengths and protest against the unlawful discharge. One elderly woman even goes to testify before the United Nations. This is how strong this special group of women are in protecting themselves, their culture and their country.