By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: July Jung
Starring: Bae Doona | Kim Si-eun | Park Woo-young | Sim Hee-seop | Yoo Jung-ho
Original language title: Da-eum So-hee
Year: 2025
Running time: 138
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19820538/
Michael says: “Here is a film that one our new members, Adam, tipped me off about as it is eligible but wasn’t on our site (it is now). It features Bae Doona – one of my favorite actresses, so i had to watch it. I HIGHLY recommend this for everyone to see. I definitely plan to nominate it! Here’s my review. If the review sounds vague, it’s because I don’t want to give anything away.
“Very powerful story about injustice and the difficulties that come with standing up to it. Quietly mixing in elements of class and shame into a scenario that leads to a criminal investigation, director July Jung manages to enrage the viewer and break their hearts. Kim Se-eun plays high school student Sohee, who loves to dance, and puts her all into a life that’s not easy coming from her family’s place in society. When she gets a coveted spot at a service call center as an extern through her school, she expects the best, but quickly finds out everything is stacked against her.
“About halfway through, the film shifts focus to Chlotrudis-favorite Bae Doona, a criminal investigator who through an initial case involving Sohee, begins to uncover outrageous, if not illegal conduct all the way up the chain to the highest powers. Like Sohee’s story before, Detective Oh faces towering opposition, but she pushes on backed by a moral outrage the she usually keeps in check. We never know the end result of her investigation, but we do get to a point where we uplift the underseen and experience a catharsis that really hits home.
“Both actresses are terrific in their respective roles, as are many of the many supporting roles. It’s a tough film, but one that I highly recommend. 4 1/2 cats“
Chris says: “I never had any desire to work in a call center, but this makes a particularly searing case against doing so. The first half is excruciating but it needs to be in order for the second half to be effective, although Bae Doona’s masterful, almost minimalist performance in that second half is also essential. As our surrogate, we discover the same infuriating hard truths as she does–an understanding of a broken system with no easy fixes. 4.5 cats”
