My Unexpected Reflection on Friday Movie Night with Kids – K-pop Demon Hunters (2025)
I chuckle a little, sitting here on my cozy couch this Saturday morning. After tossing around many ideas for my fortnightly blog, I chose this unexpected reflection. I'm sure you can relate – when a psychologist watches a movie, our psych brains never quite turn off, and parallel analyses keep running in our heads!
When my daughter picked this movie for our night, I was secretly skeptical. I thought they were just mashing together popular trends – K-pop singers who are also demon hunters trying to seal demons from entering a barrier called Honmoon? How ridiculous! But it truly exceeded my expectations. Not only were the animation, music, lyrics, and showcase of Korean culture brilliant, but they also wove together beautiful narratives about unmasking, self-acceptance, authentic self, and the integration of all our parts.
Internal Family Systems: Embracing the Inner "Demon Hunters"
The film's portrayal of internal battles against mythical demons parallels the concept of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. IFS posits that we are composed of multiple subparts—each with its own voice, role, and purpose within the larger system of the self. These parts can range from the protective "managers" to the wounded "exiles" and even the reactive "firefighters." Beneath it all, our original intrinsic authentic Self is whole and complete with Compassion, Creativity, Calm, Clarity, Connected, Confident, Curiosity, and Courage. This is the same quality as our Buddha Nature (in Buddhism), or the Observing Self (in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)).
In K-pop Demon Hunters, the external demons serve as metaphors for internal struggles. In fact, some of these demons gave their souls away when they became slaves to Gwi-Ma, the evil force, because Gwi-Ma tortures them with their traumatic memories in words, mental images and voices in their head. Trauma, anyone? When main character, Jinu, identified with Gwi-Ma's voice in his head, he was filled with self-hatred. But Rumi sees the good in him, which creates an entirely different outcome for Jinu (trying mindfully not to spoil the movie!). When the demons nearly took over, the mass public became consumed by the evil voices in them playing against their insecurities and fear.
The film also echoes the IFS principle that healing comes through understanding and integrating these parts—not by alienating or destroying them, but by acknowledging their roles and finding harmony between them. Each part of our identity—our strengths, weaknesses, dreams, and fears—contributes to the totality of who we are. The film reminds us that wholeness is not about perfection; it is about embracing the entirety of our being, including the messy, imperfect parts.
There was a cute scene of the main characters, Rumi, Zoey, and Mira, meeting the doctor to get a special tonic to heal the voice. While the doctor wasn't legitimate, there was a nice conversation about part-whole relationship, which I found hilarious! I love that the characters eventually learn to work together and accept their flaws with acceptance and compassion. Their return to face the Gwi-Ma and protect their fans' souls tells a story of how personal awakening can lead to collective healing and awakening.
The Act of Unmasking: A Dance Between Vulnerability and Freedom
One of the recurring motifs in K-pop Demon Hunters is the act of unmasking—both literal and metaphorical. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, adorned in the vibrant costumes of performers and warriors, hide beneath their façades of strength and perfection. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, there are moments when the masks are torn, revealing vulnerabilities, fears, and deeply personal truths.
The main character, Rumi, struggles with concealing her dual identity as part-demon and part-hunter. Her desperate attempts to seal the Honmoon and erase her demon patterns mirror our own struggles as therapists—trying to be 'perfect' and over-functioning, finding it hard to relax. Isn't this familiar? Our protector parts working overtime to ward off our own demons—the voices that whisper "we are not good enough"?
Celine, Rumi's guardian after her mother's passing, instilled in her the message to cover up her true nature from a young age. "All fears and insecurities are not to be seen." This social conditioning resonates deeply—in the name of protection, many of us were raised to be good girls: cover up, don't show, conceal, be strong.
As therapists, we often grapple with multiple layers of identity. The concept of 'masking' resonates because we're trained to set aside our personal "stuff" when showing up for clients. While this skill is valuable, without space for integration, our different parts can become fragmented—who we're expected to be, who we are, and who we aspire to be.
Our professional training includes necessary regulations and standards to protect the public. However, this can create a narrative that masking is essential for doing the job well. This challenge is particularly acute for those of us who stand out among the global majority—the neurodivergent among us, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Unmasking isn't just about revealing vulnerabilities; it's about reclaiming authenticity. It's the integration of 'all parts of us.' This was beautifully captured in the finale song, What It Sounds Like, when Rumi returns to the stage with her integrated self to face the Gwi-Ma:
[Verse 1: Rumi]
Nothing but the truth now
Nothing but the proof of what I am
The worst of what I came from, patterns I'm ashamed of
Things that even I don't understand
I tried to fix it, I tried to fight it
My head was twisted, my heart divided
My lies all collided
I don't know why I didn't trust you to be on my side
[Chorus: Rumi, Zoey, Mira, All]
I broke into a million pieces, and I can't go back
But now I'm 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
Why did I cover up the colours stuck inside my head?
I should've let the jagged edges meet the light instead
Show me what's underneath, I'll find your harmony
The song we couldn't write, this is what it sounds like
[Verse 2: Rumi]
We're shattering the silence, we're rising defiant
Shouting in the quiet, you're not alone
We listened to the demons, we let them get between us
But none of us are out here on our own
So, we were cowards, so, we were liars
So, we're not heroes, we're still survivors
The dreamers, the fighters, no lying, I'm tired
But dive in the fire and I'll be right here by your side
[Chorus: Rumi]
We broke into a million pieces, and we can't go back
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
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
Reflections and Takeaways
K-pop Demon Hunters is more than just an entertaining family movie. I love how the characters confront their inner demons, embrace different parts of themselves, and strive for collective harmony and purpose. As they shed their masks, face their fears, and unite as a team, perhaps it's also a reminder for us therapists seeking greater spiritual growth: the path to wholeness isn't linear.
It's not about running away from the messiness of life and imperfections. It's not about concealing more. It's about reclaiming our authentic Self through radical acceptance of all parts of us.
It's about leaning into the fear, the insecurities, the suffering and pain to see clearly.
Maybe when all the fear and insecurities are just reconciled and accepted, we can realise our True Self, that's compassionately with us all these times.
So, I would say, unmasking could be a huge spiritual experience to realise your True Self.
These are all from K-pop Demon Hunters. Who would have thought?
So, I think last night I slayed as a cool mum, being all absorbed in the movie and not falling asleep halfway through the family movie night!
