‘The Fin’ Trailer Previews Dystopian Sci-Fi Horror About Mutated Mermen

Kani Releasing has unveiled the official trailer for The Fin, the new dystopian science fiction feature from Park Syeyoung, director of The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra. Featuring a bleak vision of a post-war society populated by mutated mermen, the film is preparing for a limited theatrical release in North America.

The Fin begins its North American rollout this month, with Park scheduled to attend special screenings at Roxy Cinema in New York on November 27 and November 29, followed by a screening at Toronto’s Revue Cinema on December 1. A VOD release is planned for January.

What Is The Fin About?

Set in a dystopian future following a devastating war, The Fin takes place in a unified Korea where mutated mermen known as Omegas have become society’s outcasts. Living in an environmentally devastated world suffering from severe water shortages, these creatures are exploited as cheap labor.

When one of the Omegas approaches death, he asks a fellow member of his community, played by Goh-Woo, to find his daughter Mia (Yeon Yeji), who is hiding among humans. His final wish is for Mia to receive his fin as part of a traditional passing ritual.

Meanwhile, Sujin (Kim Pureum), a young civil servant, begins questioning the ideology imposed by the state as she pursues the Omega for her own reasons.

Yeon Yeji, Kim Pureum, Goh-Woo, Jeong Young-do, and Maeng Joo-one lead the cast.

Park Syeyoung Explores the Meaning of Humanity

Beyond its dystopian setting and unusual creature mythology, The Fin examines the boundaries between humanity and those considered outsiders. Park has previously discussed the questions at the heart of the film, particularly how society determines who deserves to be recognized as human.

“I hope that people get the feeling that maybe what they see around them is not true. So they actively, not passively, reconsider what actually constitutes an Omega or not, which leads to how do we decide who is an Omega and who is not? How do we decide who is a human or not? And if anybody in the audience reaches that point of questioning what divides Omega and humans, I think that the film has succeeded. It’s about stating two things and then showing that the statements are very volatile,” the filmmaker explained.

The film is co-produced by Coproduction Office, marking the company’s first collaboration with Park. The production company is known for its work with filmmaker Ruben Östlund, including his Palme d’Or-winning films Triangle of Sadness and The Square.

With its mutated creatures, ecological collapse, and unsettling vision of a divided society, The Fin offers a distinctly unconventional take on dystopian science fiction.

The trailer is available below ahead of the film’s North American theatrical screenings and its planned January VOD debut.