Director Park Hoon Jung made a stunning comeback with the dystopian action thriller “The Witch Part 2: The Other One.” The movie reminds one of the popular Western movies like “X-Men,” for it shows individuals who are manufactured in labs, tested upon frequently, and possess superhuman qualities. This movie is a sequel to “The Witch Part 1: The Subversion,” which tells the story of a teenage girl named Koo Ja Yoon who escapes from a facility where she is subjected to several tests to increase her mental capabilities. There is not much connecting the first movie to the second one, except the common theme of genetically modified individuals out in society and a bunch of people after them to stop them. Of course, there remains a lot to unpack, beginning with why these experiments were conducted in the first place and how far the reach of the experiments is. This is because non-Koreans are also seen as possessing similar capabilities. The title “The Other One” is quite apt, as the main protagonist of the film is never addressed by name. She is only ever addressed with the codename ADP or as ‘the other one.’ Let’s dive into the story of “The Witch, Part 2: The Other One.”
Spoilers Ahead
‘The Witch 2: The Other One’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
The sequel to the 2018 movie picks up the mystery of Koo Ja Yoon’s disappearance. At the end of the first movie, we see that she meets the professor, but her whereabouts later are unknown. The movie begins with a group of superhuman mercenaries from Shanghai who is on a hunt to find “the girl.” They think they’ve killed her, but she survives and ends up meeting Kyung Hee (played by Park Eun Bin of “Attorney Woo” fame), who was being taken hostage in a van by Young Do’s thugs. The girl, earlier known as ADP but otherwise unnamed throughout the movie, finds a home with Kyung Hee and her brother Dae Gil. Kyung Hee takes her to a vet and family friend named Dr. Byun, who treats the girl’s wounds.
The mother of this girl, aka ADP, is a young, pregnant woman who was taken hostage during her high school trip. Her classmates and others on the bus were brutally killed, and the bus was pushed into a ravine. The woman’s embryo was taken and grown into a human clone, who is the ADP. She, too, faces bouts of immense pain and experiences nose bleeds just like Ja Yoon did in the first movie. She does not speak much but is quite fascinated with nature, like the cattle grazing or the soft wind blowing on a drive. She has a large appetite, and this becomes a slight comic relief in the film. More so when Dae Gil addresses her as an ‘alien’ and attempts to get her to star in YouTube videos as a means to make quick and easy money.
ADP is subconsciously connected to her mother. ADP is a clone and, as it is later revealed, Koo Ja Yoon’s sister. We see that Jang visits the professor, Dr. Baek. Jang is also one of the superhumans. His ability is only shown when his veins pop out during his talk with Dr. Baek. It is known that Dr. Baek has a twin sister as well. Despite having retired from the field, she still has her eyes on everything that is happening in relation to the experiment she conducted. There are mentions of agencies ARK and Transhumanism, but not much is revealed even in their conversation.
As the story moves ahead, it is known that Young Do is a thug who is after Kyung Hee’s property. He keeps on forcing her to give up her farmland. When he comes to Kyung Hee’s home with his group of thugs, ADP comes to her rescue and fights the bad guys. Young Do finds an opportunity here to earn some good money and contacts the mercenaries from Shanghai with information about ADP. The ADP’s powers of telekinesis, combat, and speed are quite stronger than the rest of the group. Her skin, like that of the others, has self-healing properties. So, when Kyung Hee’s house is attacked a second time, she escapes the blast without any mortal harm and fights the others with great agility.
Towards the climax, we find that all the characters are assembled at Kyung Hee’s property. Kyung Hee and Dae Gil lose their lives. ADP is deeply disturbed over their deaths and uses her powers of telekinesis and matter manipulation to kill the mercenaries from Shanghai.
‘The Witch 2: The Other One’ Ending Explained – Is The Girl Still Alive? What Happens To Her?
Toward the end of the movie, we find that ADP is more powerful than she is believed to be. Despite being genetically engineered, she feels emotions like humans do. Her sadness over the deaths of Kyung Hee and Dae Gil is a testament to that. The sister-brother duo was the closest thing she had to a family and losing them was a blow to her. Her dilemma about whether to bring them back to life was clearly seen on her face. As she is lamenting the loss, Koo Ja Yoon drugs her and takes her away to meet their mother. So, to answer the question stated earlier, yes, the girl is still alive. Koo Ja Yoon puts her in the car and drives away on the road to their mom. From Koo Ja Yoon’s behavior, it is clear that she has her own hidden agenda in place.
Will There Be A Sequel To ‘The Witch 2: The Other One’?
“The Witch Part 2: The Other One” ended on a stunning note with quite a few loose ends. First, we have Koo Ja Yoon’s entry, which is a mystery in itself, and then we have the short post-credit scene where Joo Hyun and her comrade get back to their feet. Joo Hyun joins forces with Jang to discover Koo Ja Yoon’s agenda and also close the matter once and for all. Jang and Joo Hyun’s powers are also a mystery. Their veins pop out when they are in a state of stress. The viewers are unaware of their origin or past. The characters mention an incident that happened ten years ago, but the incident is never disclosed.
So, a sequel to the movie seems very plausible at the moment. The makers have not revealed any plans for the same, but the viewers can surely hope for one. Considering the gap between the first and second parts, the third installment can be expected by 2025.
Concluding Thoughts On ‘The Witch Part 2: The Other One’
Koo Ja Yoon, or the girl, is often referred to as “The Witch” in the first installment. The opening scenes of the film are very chilling to see, as it has snippets of scientific experiments on humans right in their infancy. They are subjected to tests and torture to make them reach their maximum mental capacity and turn them into weapons of mass destruction. Ironically, ‘The Witch’ is an apt name to refer to these women, for in ancient times, women who displayed ‘out of the ordinary’ behavior were deemed witches and burned at stakes. Be it Koo Ja Yoon or the girl, both are genetically engineered girls who display high intellect and superhuman powers like telekinesis, agility, combat, and near immortality—something not usually seen in society.
The main question that arises from the movie is one of morality. Scientists and researchers spend their lives on a quest to unlock the highest human potential in various fields. Inadvertently, these experiments are carried out in secret and often lead to the doom of all those involved. The human psyche of these genetically modified individuals is damaged beyond measure and repair. It leads to questions about the limits of science and experimentation. How far does one go when it comes to experiments on humans? Breakthroughs and scientific discoveries pave the way for technological progress, but at what cost?
Next, it also makes one wonder about the classification of such individuals. What should they be addressed as? How should they be treated? Are they humans like the others around them? Or are they robots made in a factory? These individuals were tossed aside like trash when they became too dangerous for the project or were beyond control. The movie plays on multitudes of such moral questions, which have been a recurring theme in several western movies. Shows like “Westworld,” “Severance,” or even “Black Mirror” have shown the ugly side of science and technological advancement. It has been said time and again that anything in extremes is bad, and the same applies to science as well.
