Project Y (Korean: 프로젝트 Y)

Project Y(프로젝트 Y)  — Release Date: 21 January 2026.
Written and directed by Lee Hwan, starring Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo. The film is a South Korean neo-noir crime drama set against the affluent yet morally corrosive backdrop of Gangnam, Seoul.

At its core, Project Y follows Mi-sun and Do-kyung, two women of the same age whose lives have narrowed to a single point of dependence: each other. With limited means and no safety net, their bond becomes both refuge and catalyst. The story unfolds as they set their sights on a daring theft involving hidden black money and gold bars—an audacious attempt to escape a reality defined by precarity and exclusion.

The narrative frames crime not as spectacle, but as consequence. Mi-sun and Do-kyung’s plan is born from desperation rather than ambition, and their choices are shaped by systemic imbalance rather than individual greed. As the plot advances, the film explores how trust, loyalty, and survival intersect under pressure, with each decision tightening the moral and emotional vise around the protagonists.

Lee Hwan’s direction embraces the textures of neo-noir: shadowed interiors, nocturnal cityscapes, and a restrained visual palette that contrasts wealth with vulnerability. Gangnam’s polished surfaces serve as a counterpoint to the characters’ internal states, reinforcing the divide between visible prosperity and hidden desperation. The screenplay privileges intimacy and momentum, allowing character dynamics to drive tension rather than procedural detail.

The supporting cast expands the film’s ecosystem of power brokers, intermediaries, and enforcers, situating the central duo within a network where leverage is fleeting and consequences are swift. Performances are calibrated toward realism, with emphasis on silence, glances, and the cumulative weight of risk.

Premiering at major international festivals ahead of its domestic release, Project Y positions itself as a character-forward crime drama that interrogates agency within constrained circumstances. The film blends heist mechanics with psychological immediacy, presenting a portrait of survival forged in loyalty and sharpened by the costs of escape.