3
3
Good plot; stilted, superficial production.
The plot here is very good. It is a remake of a British drama and it has more twists than a packet of fusilli. With such a solid foundation I was hoping for a great tension filled drama, but I just couldn’t latch onto it. There was no emotional depth, only slippery surface emotions which slide away far too quickly when you try to grab them. After reflecting on why it wasn’t working for me and I came to the conclusion that it was as simple as a general lack of imagination both in the production and the acting. For instance the situation that the FL finds herself in is worst nightmare, but she sails along with no visible signs of deep shock reactions. There was so much opportunity for an impactful performance, but in the end it was just the actors serving the plot to move it along, instead of the plot serving the actors to move them along.
For instance, the camera angles and editing do nothing to help build the tension. Cutting from shot to shot in tense emotional moments for no good reason, when coming slowly in to a closeup that captures micro expressions would be so much less distracting and much more powerful. Tbh Lee Bo Young’s reactions do not have the subtlety that they could have, I don’t see the realisation hit and the dread unroll. Only a limited range of standard emotions that cling to one feeling rather than explore the multiple levels of reactions that happen in reality. If you want to understand what I mean here, just remember/go-watch My Liberation Notes or Flower of Evil and stand in awe of the interplay between camera and actor.
The whole production has a constrained vibe, and I don’t mean in a good way. Like the actors do not feel free, but are being moved around like chess pieces. I am speculating that this was over-control on the director’s part because it wasn’t just one actor, pretty well all of the performances gave off this vibe. The only exception imo was Kim Sang Ho as the detective, Baek Min Yeop who was a standout credible character.
Overall it fails to deliver in the credibility stakes. The villains are ridiculously villainy without a good foundation for being so. There is no subtlety to send a shiver up your spine and I really didn’t feel empathy for the main characters either. Disappointing
For instance, the camera angles and editing do nothing to help build the tension. Cutting from shot to shot in tense emotional moments for no good reason, when coming slowly in to a closeup that captures micro expressions would be so much less distracting and much more powerful. Tbh Lee Bo Young’s reactions do not have the subtlety that they could have, I don’t see the realisation hit and the dread unroll. Only a limited range of standard emotions that cling to one feeling rather than explore the multiple levels of reactions that happen in reality. If you want to understand what I mean here, just remember/go-watch My Liberation Notes or Flower of Evil and stand in awe of the interplay between camera and actor.
The whole production has a constrained vibe, and I don’t mean in a good way. Like the actors do not feel free, but are being moved around like chess pieces. I am speculating that this was over-control on the director’s part because it wasn’t just one actor, pretty well all of the performances gave off this vibe. The only exception imo was Kim Sang Ho as the detective, Baek Min Yeop who was a standout credible character.
Overall it fails to deliver in the credibility stakes. The villains are ridiculously villainy without a good foundation for being so. There is no subtlety to send a shiver up your spine and I really didn’t feel empathy for the main characters either. Disappointing
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