Opiseu

I really like Korean cinema (I Saw the Devil, Train to Busan, OldBoy, etc) so I decided to watch this one too since it's on Netflix.

As far as murder mystery movies go, this is a decent one. And, I feel as though it has something to say - along the lines of 'don't work yourself to death' or 'an overly stressed person can *snap* due to their work environment'. I don't know, I'm just guessing.

It's made well: good sound design and the creepy atmosphere is effective when it needs to be.

It's not the strongest film I've seen from South Korea but to be fair I've only seen around 10 or so. But, if you're in the mood for a good thriller-whodunit movie give this one a shot.

Also not a normal day back at home. There are things happening here, that might and probably should alienate you. Some things are more than brutal (especially the depicted violence, just thinking about it, makes you shudder), other things seem to float along. It's a weird little gem, that is anything but mainstream.

If you have seen other Korean movies, you know there is a sensibility to some of them, that might not feel right for western audiences. But that is what makes movies like this so great to watch. You have no idea where this is going, nor what to think of the main character. Is he supposed to be good or bad? Will that question be answered or not? What is the movie trying to tell us? ... and so forth

The film starts off interestingly mysterious, and there's a few creepy and scary scenes. However, the middle part of the movie becomes nothing more than business talk and rivalries within a big business.

The film (sort of) redeems itself towards the end. There's mention of demonic possession, but this is never clear or confirmed. It felt as if the writer didn't know how to justify the antagonist's actions and then opted for this explanation. The film doesn't feel well constructed with too many distractions from the primary premise.

Ko Asung was very good in her role as Lee Mi-Rye.

Litteraly one of my favourite ever films.

I love the acting, I love the story and how it has some very good twists.

Not filled with screaming and over the top music (the score is very well done) to take away from film or to try and make it scary just a good constant feeling of threat abit like the witch.

Shows how lonely life can be and over working or trying to be accepted.

It's also worth reading into the ending abit as I think some people are missing the supernatural point as why people are seeing certain things, as well few other things that I didn't pick up on my first watch but now seen it many times 😅

The cut-throat (literally) corporate work space of today, permeates through everything, including, our minds, our private lives and our homes. Sometimes this can result in unimaginable horrors. It is especially true for more submissive and highly orthodox work practices prevalent in Japan and Korea, where you work is expected to precede everything including your family. "Office" takes place within that ambiance and tells a story of a monolithic work space bordering on slave labour that the majority of multinational corporations have turned in to today. The characters involved share a completely serene on the surface but potentially demented dynamics between themselves that explodes with a bang eventually. The director has played with the genre and tried to include some new plot elements, however, they turn out as contrived at best.

A half decent and formulaic out-put from Korean cinema that fails to match the standard set by the best of the lot coming out of there.