(Movie Review) 'Handphone` uses innocent mistake to explore brutal side of human nature

(ATTN: photos available)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- Out of South Korea's ultra-wired population of 49
million, about 4 million are seen as "alien," not because they hail from outer
space or are social dropouts, but because they don't have a mobile phone.
Inspired by the country's growing addiction to the pocket-sized devices, the
movie "Handphone" revolves around the consequences of cell-phone obsession and
the gruesome outcome that losing it can lead to.
Nearly four years in the making, director Kim Han-min said his film is based on
the real-life stories of people who experienced the agony of losing their cell
phones, an average of 1.5 million people a year.
Seung-min (Eom Tae-woong) is an ambitious celebrity agent who sleeps with his
mobile next to his pillow. The phone contains the numbers of 328 people who hold
the promise of money and fame for his aspiring clients, 118 photographs and one
video clip that no one is supposed to see -- an actress just beginning to rise in
popularity for her "pure and innocent" image engaged in a compromising act.
One day, Seung-min accidentally leaves his mobile at a cafe. The phone is then
picked up by Ee-gyu (Park Yong-woo), a typical youngster who discovers his darker
side when he begins to play a cruel game with the desperate phone owner.
Ee-gyu, like many of his real life counterparts, has two very different sides.
The kind, hardworking employee and devoted son is also a cruel and sadistic man
who blackmails Seung-min into committing crimes to get his phone back.
The film's climax leaves audiences questioning the nature of the film's
anti-hero, avoiding a simple contrast between who is good and who is bad, instead
confronting viewers with their own potential for both good and evil.
"The movie is not just about losing one's phone," Park, who played Ee-gyu, told
audiences at the preview Wednesday. "Losing the phone is just the premise that
leads to the anger, fear and anxiety that many people will relate to. It is not
the story itself, but the realistic aspects that audiences will be shocked by."
Initially unaware of his darker side, Ee-gyu soon becomes engrossed in a twisted
game of his own making, believing he is safely hidden behind a mask of anonymity.
Seung-min, meanwhile, runs into massive debt buying expensive drinks for big
names in the film and television industry to gain a leg up in the intensely
competitive entertainment market.
He and his wife live in a wealthy Seoul neighborhood, driving posh cars as their
lives drift farther apart and into their own private realities.
"Handphone," the second thriller by Kim after his debut in 2007 with the widely
acclaimed "Paradise Murdered," has been long awaited by fans of the filmmaker.
The film does stumble towards the end, with an abrupt shift in focus and a
lengthy running time of 150 minutes, leaving audiences slightly confused and
wondering where the suspense went.
"Handphone" hits local theaters Feb. 19.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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