Baegseolgongjuege Jugeumeul

When Se7en (1995, Brad Bitt) meets Zodiac (2007, Jake Gyllenhaal) meets Fatal Attraction (1987, Glen Close), you get this Kdrama psycho-crime mystery suspense thriller 'Black Out' (aka Snow White Must Die), currently on Netflix in Singapore. Just finished watching this 14-episode series and I highly recommend it to everyone reading! Based on the best-selling German novel 'Snow White Must Die' by Nele Neuhaus, it depicts a series of incidents that occur in a closed-off village and the ugly nature of the hidden inner self of humans. The suspense builds up on each episode with a 'what?', 'what?', 'what?'.. soon many characters become suspects and then the plot twists and reveals start as the show progresses leaving the viewer breathless. Definitely an enjoyable edge-of-your-seat experience that is thoroughly engaging. So many times I had that emphathy for the victims yet feel such 'hate' towards some of the characters, showing just how good their acting skills are. Hats off to the hero played by Byun Yo-han.

I only occasionally watch kdrama series because I know it can be extremely unrealistic & overly dramatic. But I just went ahead to give it a chance by watching the first episode....

The whole cast got me hooked. The screenplay, editing & camera work was intricate & excellent. It was like watching an art piece in motion. Sometimes the story gets ridiculous & insane but what kept me watching are the excellent acting from the whole cast! Costuming & setting is so well done as well. Impressive. The art style remains solid & consistent.

For making me watch till the last episode, I say CONGRATS.

Just one complain. Why do kdramas tend to use the same actors for the mom & dad roles?! It kept me from emotionally investing in the characters cos I've seen them before a bit too many times! Haha!

Every episode is a full course meal. Sixty minutes of an episode is full, complete, and compact, leaving the audience full with stories, wonders, and emotions. Writing, direction, and editing really work well together to complement one another.

'Snow White Must Die - Blackout' succeeds in making everyone in the village a suspect thanks to the actors' brilliant acting. They can both portray good and bad so perfectly as the shadows change by the light. Kwon, who plays a chief of police, is the best of all. Even in the seconds of frame he can be from extreme good to extreme bad just with his face.

Cognitive dissonance from all characters in all different situations is well documented. It's even cathartic to see the real ugliness in the very inside of each character. I see them raw and naked, that complicated intrinsic greed and selfishness as delicately and elegantly as possible.

The drama started ok but as you watch each episode, the story felt drawn out unnecessarily. The storytelling was all over the place going back and forth each episode. No suspense whatsoever. Essentially this story could have been told in 4 episodes and didn't need 14, the 10 extra episodes felt empty and redundant, unnecessary things thrown in for filler. It's also full of the typical kdrama over the top melodrama I'm starting to get annoyed with in kdramas. The poor storytelling takes the mystery and thrills out of this drama unfortunately. After 10 episodes I couldn't bare to continue finishing.

Korean Drama '' Black Out '' or '' Snow White Must Die '' is a crime mystery drama about a man's quest to find the truth.

The drama is thrilling from start to end, with many twists and many layers of the mystery that keep things interesting and fresh.

In addition, the characters were also interesting, though some of them were too much of stereotypes, especially the 'bad guys'.

Still, the puzzle was well crafted and the result unpredictable.

Finally, the performances were all great by all the actors and actresses of the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten for the drama '' Death to snow white ''.