[The Second Take] The Clue to Resolution Lies Beyond Boundaries and Prejudice

Unia, the "Black Nun" Who Defied Tradition
Holding the Boundary... The Attitude Needed in an Era of Confusion
Presenting a New Ideological Horizon Through Two Approaches

In the film "The Nun," Sister Unia (played by Song Hye-kyo) struggles to save a possessed person (bumaja, meaning one possessed by a demon). The name Unia appears only once in the Epistle to the Romans by the Apostle Paul. She is said to be the first woman ever permitted to hold the position of apostle. For female ministers who are still not recognized as equals to men, she is a figure as precious as a jewel.

Movie stills from The Priests

The character in the film, borrowing her name, also breaks away from traditional norms. She violates church law, which states that a nun who has not been ordained cannot perform an exorcism. She does not hesitate to seek help from shamanistic beliefs. She joins forces with a shaman performing a gut ritual by the seaside to fight the evil spirit. She escapes from the binding customs and norms of the world, demonstrating devotion and sacrifice.

This is only possible because she does not draw boundaries. Unia is not an ordinary member of a religious order. From childhood, she suffered the misfortune of sensing spiritual energies. Many people like her became either shamans or nuns. Out of fear and prejudice, they hid behind religion to escape a world tainted by dread.

Unlike them, Unia stands on the boundary. She is not constrained by the rules and principles that uphold society. "Whether it's a demon or a hallucination, whatever you call it, isn't it enough just to save the child?"

Movie still cut from Black Nun

This is the attitude needed in an era shackled by prejudice. Many people, amid confusion, yearn for new ideologies. As the issues we face today are unlike those of the past, there is a demand for new standards of judgment that shed fresh light on both the understanding of current phenomena and future prospects. However, something entirely new tends to bring anxiety rather than excitement. It is difficult for it to be established as a new value that brings joy to life.

Unia presents an ideological horizon through two main attitudes. The first is a Socratic skepticism that questions everything given, but does not deny the very existence of truth itself. She rejects the prejudice that something becomes truth simply by gaining the support of the religious order, and instead seeks an independent truth.

In this process, 'aporia'?the state of not knowing?is not a logical flaw or a defeat in argument. Rather, it is a sincere awareness of the limitations of human knowledge. It guides those who attempt to answer questions onto the path of philosophical reflection.

Movie still cut from The Priests

The second is an acceptance of cultural transformation. In the film, the religious order simplifies church law, claiming that only exemplary priests can perform exorcisms, treating it as an unchanging tradition. They neglect even the most natural acknowledgment of the continuity and change of culture.

In contrast, Unia finds clues to resolve the incident through contact with different religions. This way of thinking starts from the realization that the present, connected to the past, can be transformed into a new possibility for the future. Through cultural contact and transformation, it develops into innovative ideas. Perhaps this is the very power to overcome the barriers of prejudice.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.