Synopsis
If KIM Han Min’s debut film Paradise Murdered (2007) is more of a faithful representation of the genre format, his Handphone (2009) is a clever, twisted portrayal of the reality through the genre. OH Seung Min, a CEO of an entertainment business has lost his ‘handphone’ (cell phone) containing sexual images of an actress. JEONG Lee Gyu, a supermarket employee, happens to pick that phone up. Now the chase begins. Upon the breathless hide-and-seek between the two, juxtaposed is a particularly Korean reality of communication absence. A person answering the phone launches name-calling before even saying ‘Hello.’ A customer repeats only what he/she has to say, instead of listening to the other. A couple no longer talks to each other. The phone symbolizes such everyday events lacking communication on a personal level which effectively contribute to the escalating tension. When condensed, the message is loud and clear: “We need to talk!” Repeated cameo appearances of the director and other actors indicate disconnected communication between members of society renders a clear good-vs.-bad distinction meaningless. Instead, one gets to glimpse a typical Korean relationship dynamics wherein verbal violence toward one’s neighbors leads to emotional breakdown, and ultimately to destruction. (HUH Nam Wung)