The Next Sohee (2022)

How much is a life worth?

How much is a life worth? Not much, I'm afraid. This film is about a streetwise, headstrong high schooler who gets her passions and aspirations beaten out of her by the cruel machinations of this capitalist society. Everyone in this film is graded by how much they are "worth" - from the call centre staff being measured by their commissions/sales amounts, to the schools being graded on how many students have successfully found employment. There is no leeway for error; falling down the ranks means being fired or having a school shut down. Every worker - be it an intern, police officer or teacher is essentially reduced to a number on an excel sheet, dispensable and replaceable. "If you can't take it, just quit! No one is forcing you to stay" is a phrase thrown flippantly around by the management of the company that had the greatest hand in causing So Hee's demise. If only life were that simple, to be able to escape this rat race at any point you desire. Does anybody actually desire to be a cog in a machine, slaving away for profits that you would never even receive? Alas, when quitting means disappointing a "respected" teacher, being threatened with expulsion and worsening an already bad family financial situation, it seems that death is the only answer.

Personal opinions of our current society aside, this film has done a great job in highlighting the injustices of a capitalistic society that reduces the worth of a human being down to a single number. The acting is amazing, though the cinematography is straight to the point, in an almost documentary like style which is quite befitting to the theme of this film. It is a bleak slow burn with no resolution, and Bae Donna's character's mission to find the truth is akin to the fight between David and Goliath. But in the end, that's what life is right? When the rich get richer and the poor continue to suffer and have their voices silenced, injustices are covered up and victims have nowhere to go. Since this film is based on a real life incident, I can only hope the "real" So Hee has found peace at last.

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Avoid if not in the right headspace

Great movie, super interesting topic but don't watch it if you're feeling down or pretty sensitive, I felt like crap afterwards. It's not too explicit but this is a really depressing movie, especially since it's loosely inspired by a true story, and that's def not a wholesome feelgood movie.

The way the movie is written and directed is interesting. We switch perspective halfway through the movie.
It is quite slow paced and you feel like how hard it is for the characters to go through their days.
From what I recall, there's not a lot of background music but the lack of it contribute to make the ambiance heavy.

If you are interested in how hard training program and work culture for young people is in Korea, that's for you but brace yourself, that's a bumpy and painful ride.

PS: Sorry if some sentences sound weird, English is not my first language.

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Socially Conscious, Barely a Film

Next Sohee is a socially conscious screed that barely puts in the effort to pose as an actual story. While its core concern strikes an interesting turn as an expose, its messaging—though wholly sympathetic—is the be-all/end-all of the film, sacrificing all pretense of narrative for “pretense” and “narrative.”

Dull, preachy, and too lazy to do anything but the most perfunctory gesture at storytelling. Its one saving grace is the character work for its protagonists—though that may owe more to the solid performances from the lead actresses than anything in the script. It could and should have been able to rage against the machine while still weaving a compelling tale (either about an exploited worker or the investigation into exploitation), but it fails to deliver on it’s fundamental responsibility as a film: tell a good story.

There’s certainly something there, and the most fervently “activist” among the audience will undoubtedly forgive its failings regardless. But for anyone else, it will be an occasionally interesting swing and miss—sympathetic though it may ultimately be.

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