Life of Hae-oak

First, increase the number of screenings, please! This film is so meticulously detailed it could be called "Park-tailed" (Park Tale). It may seem like a typical story about a bar exam student, but it's far from being ordinary or typical. There are no scary scenes, yet in this horror/thriller film, when you find hope, you might feel comforted through *Hyeok*! Of course, this isn't a friendly way to provide comfort if you're looking for it!

Is it because of Hyeok or thanks to Hyeok? Escape is based on intelligence. I await the day when Park Jeong-hwan, the director who made us feel like our home is hell, becomes a more standard figure.

We are weaker than we think and less clever than we think. Can ordinary people maintain their dignity, like the captain who stays on the sinking Titanic until the end, or the orchestra that plays until the very last moment? For most people, the best they can do is get on a lifeboat.

Personally, it felt like the Sinlim-dong version of *Whiplash*. It seems calm, but throughout the movie, you are swept away by various emotions like psychological pressure, disgust, fear, despair, and empathy. It's a film with a strong pull. Even after it ends, the process of revisiting the various familiar or innovative image references planted throughout the film is quite enjoyable. I look forward to the next work.

The conversation with the rude customer at the meat restaurant is integrated into the protagonist's situation, making the film immersive. Reflecting on the words used in that conversation brings to mind both the pigs trapped in the first scene and Hyeok herself. Unlike the mother's belief that hard work never betrays, the success of those who succeed through strange methods only makes Hyeok feel more miserable, causing me to reflect on my own life's efforts. It's been a while since I've encountered a movie worth revisiting.

Hope is often depicted as something positive and uplifting, but this film takes a different approach. Here, hope is not a beacon of light but a psychological trap. The protagonist clings desperately to the hope of passing her bar exams, believing that success will bring validation and relief. However, as the movie unfolds, it becomes clear that this hope is slowly destroying her. Every failure chips away at her self-worth, and the hope that once motivated her turns into an unbearable burden. The film portrays the suffocating weight of hope that is never fulfilled, showing how it can lead to despair rather than empowerment. The oppressive atmosphere, marked by tight, claustrophobic spaces and the constant reminder of her impending exams, intensifies the protagonist's torment. The audience is drawn into her spiral of anxiety and hopelessness, making the film an intense emotional experience. This exploration of hope as both a motivator and a source of pain is what sets this film apart, forcing viewers to rethink their own relationship with hope and ambition.

Infusing hope can sometimes be psychological torture. The clearest example of this is in this exam thriller. - The scene of a small compact car climbing a snow-covered hill was the best metaphor for the youth of this era.

It's been a year since the exam ended, but I still haven't taken down the post-it note from my window. When asked if I cried after the results, I said I was just glad I didn't have to tell my mother I'd failed. So many of the images I'd envisioned for myself appeared in the movie.

The genre is definitely horror. A name hidden under desire.

Civil service exams and casinos are always fair. The news only ever shows those who have succeeded, never revealing the ugly truths behind most cases.

In this film, the protagonist's journey through failure and effort feels like a reflection of life itself. The narrative plays on the irony that effort doesn't always guarantee success, and sometimes, the harder you try, the further you fall. The protagonist puts in countless hours and energy, only to face repeated setbacks. This journey becomes a commentary on how society values perseverance but often overlooks the emotional toll it takes. The mother's belief that hard work never betrays resonates with many of us, but the film shows how this belief can sometimes be destructive. The protagonist's continuous failure forces the audience to question the meritocracy we live in, where hard work is supposedly rewarded. The film also touches on the complex emotional dynamics between family expectations and personal ambitions. As the protagonist continues to fail despite all her hard work, the movie challenges the viewer to reconsider the relationship between effort and success, leaving a lasting impression on the futility of blind persistence.