Cruel Optimism

An artist is preparing for the solo exhibition that could finally establish his place within South Korea’s contemporary art scene. Around him, a gallery director pursues commercial success, a curator balances ambition with personal loyalty, an emerging artist struggles for recognition, and a student imagines a future within the same system.

Rejecting the idea of a single protagonist, Cruel Optimism constructs a panoramic portrait of the contemporary art world through a constellation of interconnected lives. Blending black comedy, fiction, and experimental filmmaking, the film examines aspiration, institutional validation, and the fragile promises that sustain creative workers. Inspired by Lauren Berlant’s concept of “cruel optimism,” it asks what remains when the dreams that define an artistic life begin to stand in the way of living it.