Written by Alexander Reams
35/100
Unlike the film, I’ll keep this short. Cloning has long been a subject of controversy, scientists say it is the way of the future, the people say it is the way to end us. Two very extreme sides, and who is to say which side is right? This is what writer/director Lee Yong-ju attempts to tackle in his film Seobok.
The plot revolves around a former intelligence agent who finds the first human clone, Seo Bok, and as you would expect, other people want him for their own nefarious reasons. Unfortunately, an intriguing plot is not enough to make a film work. The film does not fail in its writing or directing, in fact Yong-ju does a fantastic job doing both, the actors are who let the film falter, and eventually fail as a whole.
Park Bo-Gum and Gong Yoo clearly do not understand the ideas that Yong-ju wants to present and ask the audience. Their interpretation of his work turned the film from serious piece to a borderline comedy whenever they interacted. Not only disappointing, but actively frustrating when a film is so close to greatness that it fails spectacularly due to egregious miscasting. I wish I could say something more positive but this a rare occurrence where I verbally said “Well, I’m glad that’s over” as soon as the credits rolled.
Seobok Trailer
Seobok is playing at Fantasia Film Festival 2021.
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