Seeing international films like this one in particular, can introduce you to real life issues that you had no idea or previous thought of.
For this one, we head over to South Korea. This is a country that has a great eye for film and I usually have pretty good success with discoveries from this part of the world.
I knew absolutely nothing about this and I was surprised with what we got.
It was almost like watching two films the way it was structured. One half, an emotional drama that portrays some tough real life struggles that were very relatable. The other half, a detective story that almost goes on an attack on its own country's flawed education system.
It certainly worked for the most part for me. The emotion of the story is strong and effective and the topics covered will certainly get people talking and researching.
Kim Si-Eun was great in the titular role. Kim showed real authority and it got a lot of empathy from me in particular as there were moments that I had experienced.
It was great seeing Doona Bae again as it took me back to her memorable performance in Cloud Atlas.
It's all about her in the second half of the film and her drive and passion shines through.
However, I did feel the film dragged at times. The slow pacing along with the structure that forces you to retread the story's steps did make me lose my focus occasionally.
But in the end, it was an interesting and fairly effective slow-burning drama that attacks South Korea's education system.
As a piece of film, it's solid and effective in its emotions and you really feel the struggles and pain that our characters are feeling. But I think it will be remembered more for its importance and making international audiences more aware.
Rating: 7/10
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