Directed by: Lee Jae-Gyu (이재규)
Starring: Yoo Hae-jin (유해진), Cho Jin-woong (조진웅), Lee Seo-jin (이서진), Yum Jung-ah (염정아), Kim Ji-soo (김지수), Song Ha-yoon (송하윤), Yoon Kyeong-ho (윤경호)
Review: Five childhood friends and their respective wives reunite on a moonlit night for a house-warming party at one of the couples’ home. Plastic surgeon, Seok-Ho (Choi Jin Woong) and psychiatrist, Ye Jin (Kim Ji Soo) are the hosts to said party and they are soon joined by lawyer friend, Tae Soo (Yoo Hae Jin) and his subservient wife Soo Hyun (Yum Jung Ah) along with newlyweds Joon Mo (Lee Seo Jin) and Se Kyung (Song Ha Yoon). The final guest that joins them is Young Bae (Yoon Kyung Ho) who shows up without his partner for reasons that are revealed later in the film.
The dinner starts off as a typical night of good food, drinks, and merriment until Ye Jin inexplicably suggests that the group play a game in which everyone is required to leave their cellphones on top of the dinner table. The established rules are: all incoming calls must be answered on speaker phone and the contents of every received text, Kakao Talk message, email throughout the night must be revealed to the rest of the group. And so you have the basic setup of the film: lifelong friends are placed into an uncomfortable situation in which their deepest secrets are about to be exposed to one another.
It would be fair to say that I went into this film with little to no expectations. I was prepared for a few juvenile laughs and a mildly enjoyable experience that I would forget within a week; no more, no less. What I got instead, was one of the better Korean film experiences of 2018 and a breath of fresh air in a year littered with disappointments.
The film takes a bit of time to introduce all of the characters of this ensemble cast, but for good reason since the movie’s strongest element are the characters and their dynamics. Although some of this character establishment is more interesting than others, most of this laid groundwork is necessary once the film kicks into full gear and more secrets are unearthed and it certainly adds dramatic weight to some of the emotional payoffs toward the film’s climax.
The performances by the cast are also strong across the board and accentuated by the often hilarious rapid-fire banter that is the genetic makeup of the film’s comedy. They all gracefully riff off of one another and even some of the cheesiest bits of dialogue come across naturally which is a testament to the cast’s acting capabilities. Speaking of the comedy, it is also worth mentioning that the film is not too heavy on pop culture references that make some comedy films indigestible in other territories and most of it is ubiquitous enough for most foreign audiences to enjoy without supplemental interpretation.
The setup of the film seemed to lend itself to lots of situational comedy involving the exposure of certain characters’ sexting exploits and unfaithful escapades, and the film is certainly comprised of a lot of these familiar shticks and beats. What I wasn’t expecting, however, is all of the dramatic layers and socially relevant commentary underneath the exterior of all the buffoonery. As the phone calls and texts come pouring in, relationships and marriages are tested and characters are forced to confront one another and themselves about the value of friendship and parenthood. The film also directly addresses themes such as adultery and even tackles such issues as image-based society and mental illness which are so prevalent in South Korea. The film’s setting (most of it takes place around the dinner table at Seok Ho and Ye Jin’s house) and structure also enhances its ability to build both comedic and dramatic tension as one secret is exposed after the next.
Intimate Strangers is not, of course, a movie without flaws. As mentioned before, some of the earlier character setups take some time to get going and some of it could have been truncated for a better flowing narrative. Additionally, there are a few reveals that seemed a bit too contrived or convenient and certain musical choices during some of the more emotional scenes came across as a bit artificial and blatant heart tugging. The ending is also a point of contention that I still haven’t quite made up my mind about. The intent is understandable, but I left the theater a bit conflicted as to what kind of cathartic impression the ending was ultimately meant to leave behind.
The basic premise of Intimate Strangers may not be an entirely new concept (the film is a remake of a 2016 Italian film, Perfect Strangers) but the film’s surface-level model seemed refreshing enough to set it apart from the ho-hum efforts of a rather underwhelming year of Korean cinema. As it turns out, Intimate Strangers is a surprisingly deep dramedy that touches on a myriad of issues that pertain to friendship, marriage, sexuality, social acceptance while working within the constructs of a singular setting and begs to ask the broader question: who are we as a society and people once we reveal the avatar hidden beneath the lock screen of our mobile devices? SCORE: 8/10
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