This review may contain spoilers
The Art Of Sarah -- A Fable of Modern Society
As a piece of fiction, I enjoyed the show and its social commentary. It made me think. It was somewhat like a fable that tells how society is all about keeping up appearances, blurring the lines between the real and fake. Sarah Kim is an extreme case but honestly, doesn't everyone put on a mask to get ahead? Sarah Kim put in actual work into her brand and ironically operated it like many other luxury brands -- yes, she faked her resume, identity and the history of Boudoir -- but really, how different was it from the legitimate luxury brands?Another memorable part is Sarah's claim about how there were no victims so it wasn't a scam. She successfully conned all those people because she "looked at what they didn't have, not at what they have". She fulfilled their needs and desires in exchange for their money and trust -- a family member for the loan shark, a nice apartment for the sugar baby, a "friendship" with Nox's CEO etc. It might have been a con, but it always looked like there was something genuine there. I especially liked her story with the loan shark, it felt a little like a father-daughter relationship.
As for the ending, I found it fitting for the themes of the drama and also a little ironic and bittersweet. Sarah Kim made use of the wealthy's insecurities to sell those bags, and she saw through the loopholes in the system. But she was actually the most insecure person in the entire show. Her entire self-worth is tied to Boudoir and the Sarah Kim she created. We see that even as Mok Ga-hui, she projected herself onto that silver bag, telling it to flee as it didn't belong there. When Boudoir was at risk of being exposed, she sees herself drowning yet again -- she is unable to continue living without it. Yes, she succeeded in protecting her art, but in the process, she lost something important. The ending may be up to interpretation, but for me, it shows that Sarah Kim didn't know or love herself. Which ties back to the hints of her unstable childhood, leading to her instability as an adult as well.
TLDR; it was a unique watch and one of the more interesting kdramas as of late.
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