SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!
Beauty Water means that you can freely change your face as you would with makeup without having to undergo plastic surgery. Due to her appearance, Yeji has suffered terribly. One day, she faces an incredible temptation and she changes her face and body, literally from head to toe, to become popular. She just wants to keep her new appearance and life, no matter what it takes or what sacrifice must be made. This film is a feature animation based on Beauty Water an episode of Oh Seongdae’s webtoon Tales of the Unusual. While keeping the original’s eccentric imagination and atmosphere, the film adds a new story with high-quality drawings and movements. Voice actors were also added, doubling the bizarreness and entertainment. This work satirizes the absurdity of modern society’s obsession with appearance through the protagonist, who is swept by the beauty standards of the world that ends up driving her to catastrophe.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Beauty Water Plot Summary and Synopsis
Yaeji is a young woman who works as a voice actor and suffers from low self-esteem due to her appearance. She is constantly bullied and harassed by her co-workers and strangers, and has no friends or love life. One day, she receives a package containing a bottle of Beauty Water, a mysterious liquid that can transform anyone’s face and body into their ideal shape. The package also includes a scalpel, a syringe, and instructions on how to use the product.
Yaeji follows the instructions and uses the Beauty Water to reshape her face and body. She is amazed by the results and feels happy and confident for the first time in her life. She changes her name to Seo-yeon and moves to a new apartment, where she meets her handsome neighbor Ji-hoon, who is attracted to her. She also gets more opportunities and recognition at work, and becomes popular among her colleagues.
However, Yaeji soon realizes that the Beauty Water has some horrifying side effects and consequences. She has to constantly maintain her appearance by injecting more Beauty Water into her body, otherwise her skin will start to rot and fall off. She also becomes obsessed with perfection and starts to use the scalpel to cut off any parts of her body that she is not satisfied with. She becomes paranoid and jealous of other women who are more beautiful than her, and even kills one of them in a fit of rage.
Meanwhile, Ji-hoon becomes suspicious of Yaeji’s behavior and discovers her secret. He finds out that the Beauty Water is actually made from human flesh and blood, and that the people who sell it are part of a sinister organization that kidnaps and kills people for their body parts. He also learns that Yaeji was one of their victims, and that they sent her the Beauty Water as a bait to lure her back to them.
Ji-hoon tries to save Yaeji from the organization, but it is too late. Yaeji has already lost her sanity and identity, and does not recognize him anymore. She attacks him with the scalpel, but accidentally stabs herself in the chest. She dies in his arms, while he cries in horror and despair.
Beauty Water Ending
The film ends with a scene of another woman receiving a package containing Beauty Water, implying that the cycle of horror will continue.
Beauty Water Ending Explained
The ending of Beauty Water is a tragic and ironic twist that shows the futility and danger of pursuing unrealistic beauty standards. Yaeji, who was once a victim of the Beauty Water organization, becomes one of their perpetrators by using their product and killing another woman. She also loses her true self and identity, as she changes her name, appearance, and personality to fit the society’s expectations. She dies without realizing her own worth and happiness, and without being recognized by the man who loved her for who she was. Her death also does not stop the organization from continuing their evil scheme, as they send more Beauty Water to other unsuspecting women who are unhappy with their looks. The film is a brutal commentary on society’s obsession with beauty and the consequences of sacrificing one’s humanity for superficiality.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).