Yeon Sang-ho expands cinematic universe with gripping family mystery 'Paradise Lost'

Fresh off critical acclaim in Toronto, director Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film "Paradise Lost" — a project rooted in a story passed down by his mother — is making its way to home. The psychological thriller centers on So-young (Kim Hyun-joo), a grieving mother whose world is upended when her son, Sun-woo (Bae Hyeon-seong), whom she presumed dead after a camping bus went missing nine years ago, miraculously reappears. The film made its world premiere on Sept. 13 at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. Following last year's "The Ugly," this marks Yeon's second consecutive year being officially invited to the festival's Special Presentations section — further expanding the ever-growing "Yeon-iverse." Based on the novel "Black Inferno," the plot follows So-young as she relies on an artificial intelligence program called "Children of Paradise" to interact with a digital avatar of her young son just to get through each day. Then comes the shock: Sun-woo returns home alive. While the public erupts over his miracle survival, So-young is gripped by a growing dread. Covered in scars,