Premise and Background
KPDH presents a world where “demons” are soulless, soul-sucking, former humans enslaved by the very thing that they encourage in others—shame. They are a loud tone of purple, comedic as they flail about, and, to put it in one word, campy. They do not exactly scream “biblical demon,” but they do portray some of the same characteristics.
Gwi-Ma, a demon embodied as flame and the prime antagonist in this story, feeds off the souls of the shamed. Rumi, the kick-butt leader of K-pop group “Huntr/x,” leads Mira and Zoey in strengthening the Honmoon—a magical barrier that separates humans from demons. And she does this by performing catchy songs that seem to have taken up permanent residence in my brain space, even superseding “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black-Eyed Peas.
The story quickly reveals that Rumi has certain marks on her body that she keeps hidden. This is a secret that keeps her from full community with her group. The marks are also a birthmark indicative of her identity—Rumi is half demon spawn.
By the end of the film, Rumi has nearly given in to her demon genetics. Her shame, caused by her markings and failing voice, leads her to increasingly withdraw, cutting off friends and her mentor. She is a picture of defeat, her voice contorted and her scars increasingly demon purple. For the Christian, aside from inciting empathy, this picture is a strong, accurate representation of what happens when we allow shame to rule our lives.
But here is where I lose whatever golden thread the film was leading me with. Rumi does not confess a need, at least, not in the Christian sense. She begins a “confession,” an anthem describing an inexplicably newfound sense of wholeness. She sings:
But now we’re seeing all the / Beauty in the broken glass / The scars are part of me / darkness and harmony / My voice without the lies, this is / what it sounds like (ah) / Why did we cover up the colors / stuck inside our head? / Get up and let the jagged edges meet the light instead / Show me what’s underneath, I’ll find your harmony / Fearless and undefined / this is what it sounds like /
So Where is This Film Trying to Take Us?
KPDH has struck a chord with so many of my friends because of its explicit engagement with shame. It is admittedly refreshing to see shame be explored so openly. And this film has some helpful portrayals of what can happen when we are affected by sin that we did not initiate. However, the narrative does us a disservice in that it provides a warped perspective on how to deal with that shame. It portrays human condition rightly but completely misses the mark on what it means to be truly healed. Not only does it miss the mark, but it delivers such an attractive narrative of acceptance that it must be engaged.
In Psalm 83, Asaph pleads, “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord.” Typically, there is a clear connection between one’s shame and a position (guilt) before God. Shame serves as an indicator, that something needs to be addressed. In Rumi’s case, she felt shameful about her demon markings—her birthmark. And here lies the tricky point. Rumi acknowledging her shame is indeed a good thing, but this is not groundbreaking in and of itself.
Rumi is not truly freed from the darkness, instead she marries it with the light (look back at her lyrics)—which is a component of Buddhism and Taoism (think Yin and Yang). Our “darkness” and sin only truly become beautiful parts of our story because they are laid at the foot of the cross, not because they are accepted—they are positionally changed in light of Christ’s work. For example, one would not say that it is necessarily the broken pieces of the bowl that make Kintsugi (the Japanese art of mending pottery) beautiful, but rather the gold that binds them. Rumi is saying that it is the shards of glass themselves that make her beautiful. That is a lie from the Devil.
If there is no redemption, no forgiveness, no atonement, then there is no hope, which, truthfully, KPDH offers a good picture for.
So How Do We Engage?
I do not want to discount the necessity of Rumi recognizing her condition: What would have happened if Martin Luther, when the Devil taunted him with his inadequacies and short fallings, had said “This is untrue, I am good as I am”? He would have effectively denied the truth of his brokenness and absolute salvation through the blood of Christ. And I also do not want to discount the potential for Gospel conversations that stem from this film. But everything can be used to share the Gospel, and some things are more useful than others.
If you are communicating to your youth groups and young ones that we reckon with our shame by announcing it and melding it with our “light,” you have taught a false Gospel, for God sees Christ and his blood, not our sin and “broken glass.” Yes, the scars are part of our earthly bodies, but our identity should not ultimately be defined by them. Rumi says that she tried to fix everything, and she could not. So, she decided to instead see her nature in a different light.
Luther wrote, “As often as you object that I am a sinner, so often you remind me of the benefit of Christ my Redeemer on whose shoulders and not on mine lie all my sins. So when you say I am a sinner, you do not terrify me, but comfort me immeasurably.” Rumi’s response to an objection like this was, “I am fearless and undefined”—more lyrics from the above song—which ultimately denies any need to reckon with something that might be wrong (hashtag expressive individualism).
The goal here is not to become comfortable bedmates with our “darkness” or our sins. Do I think that KPop Demon Hunters is seeking to convey this with this exact language? Absolutely not. The film even communicates the opposite in some instances. But I do think that the film uses enough Buddhist and Taoist ideology to warrant wariness. Some may accuse me of splitting hairs here, and that may be the case. The only thing I ask is that you wholistically consider the messaging of this film. Walk with the ramifications until they reach their logical, biblically-informed end, and consider what is redeemable, and what is not.
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