Wanted to love it, a bit disappointed
Disclaimer: I watched this as a pick me up on a shitty day, feeling very much meh, so it could be a factor in my less effusive appreciation.
As others have said, this movie deals with dark, heavy themes (bullying, sexual assault, violence, and rape) so watch at your own risk! Also worth to note the autistic portrayal (story wise) may be upsetting so take that into consideration as well.
I watched this for Jin Young (and the whump, fine), and the acting, generally speaking, is consistent throughout, as I've come to expect broadly speaking from Korean productions. I couldn't help but compare the Joo Wol Woo portrayal to Moon Sang Tae from It's Okay Not To Be Okay which I felt was more artfully done, but to be fair it was a series, not a movie, so the range, depth, and exposure was longer.
The themes are nothing new from other dramas and movies exploring violence, bullying, and systemic violence, definitely heavy handed in an "everybody swears all the time" kind of way (on top of all the other dark shit). The cinematography echoes that dark grittiness but it's not mind-blowing good (but it was an indie budget wasn't it?).
I was a bit let down by the story... immersion? It wasn't very clear of the boys' relationships from the start, where they knew each other from, I got confused in terms of places and who went where, when. Maybe that was more the subtitles, I'll never know. I did see a twist coming, which is good (the crumbs they give do lead to the right road), and the ending works for the story they've told.
As others have said, this movie deals with dark, heavy themes (bullying, sexual assault, violence, and rape) so watch at your own risk! Also worth to note the autistic portrayal (story wise) may be upsetting so take that into consideration as well.
I watched this for Jin Young (and the whump, fine), and the acting, generally speaking, is consistent throughout, as I've come to expect broadly speaking from Korean productions. I couldn't help but compare the Joo Wol Woo portrayal to Moon Sang Tae from It's Okay Not To Be Okay which I felt was more artfully done, but to be fair it was a series, not a movie, so the range, depth, and exposure was longer.
The themes are nothing new from other dramas and movies exploring violence, bullying, and systemic violence, definitely heavy handed in an "everybody swears all the time" kind of way (on top of all the other dark shit). The cinematography echoes that dark grittiness but it's not mind-blowing good (but it was an indie budget wasn't it?).
I was a bit let down by the story... immersion? It wasn't very clear of the boys' relationships from the start, where they knew each other from, I got confused in terms of places and who went where, when. Maybe that was more the subtitles, I'll never know. I did see a twist coming, which is good (the crumbs they give do lead to the right road), and the ending works for the story they've told.
Was this review helpful to you?