How Do I Kill That B? (2021)

For fans of Parasite and Ha Yoon Kyung

What grabbed me about this short film is, without a doubt, its production. It feels strongly Parasite-inspired in its lush setting, muted palette, and tone which blends thriller and satire, and although it lacks the depth of the movie it's aping, I do think that viewers craving something with a similar vibe will come away reasonably satisfied.

The same goes for fans of lead actor Ha Yoon Kyung, who is now gaining recognition for her role in Extraordinary Attorney Woo. She does well with the material she is given - there's a nice moment in the trailer where you can see her seething as she watches the other maid frolicking in the garden with their (male) employer - and her character is queer, which is always a plus.

That being said, it does feel like due to the focus on emulating Parasite's atmosphere, not enough attention was given to other elements of the movie. The story and characters are not especially fleshed out, and the younger maid Ji Yoon's characterisation as a mix of ingénue and femme fatale may be divisive. On a technical level, the editing is sometimes confusing, making it difficult for viewers to tell where characters are in relation to one another (this is a particular problem in the second half, which takes place in the nearby woods).

Despite the flaws, though, I do think it's worth watching as one of the more ambitious short films I've seen, and it does certainly make me wish that there were more works involving queer female characters in this line.

Pros:
- great atmosphere, high production values
- Ha Yoon Kyung plays the lead character, who is queer

Cons:
- story and characters lack depth
- editing can be confusing

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