Winner of the 2018 Asiana International Short Film Festival Asif Fund Project Pitching, “Unpredictable Boy” is an unsettling short film about the frustrating inability to communicate and the relative nature of truth.
“Movements” is screening in Hong Kong Arts Centre on Friday 30/7 at 7:30 pm
as part of Women Direct. Korean Indies! – Korean Women Independent Film series, under the signature programme of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Independently Yours
Myung Hyun (Jan Sun) is a young elementary school teacher who is running an after-school English language program. One of the children, Chang Jin (Kang Min), is late with his tuition fee despite the many reminders. Confronted by the teacher, he produces some confused excuses but ultimately, he says he has just put the 50,000 won of the fee on the teacher's desk. However, the money is nowhere to be found and Myung Hyun wonders if the whole story is true or just a cheeky move from the boy. When the school secretary tells her Chang Jin's family must be very poor as they often miss payments, Myung Hyun decides to pay the boy's fee to avoid further discussions about the vanished money. This move doesn't help the difficult relationship between the boy and the teacher who on her side, feels more and more annoyed by Chang Jin's unresponsive and antisocial behaviour until she makes a mistake that risks snowballing and backfiring, as the boy is obviously not as gullible as she had thought.
“Unpredictable Boy” is an attentive and critical observation of the dynamics between two bubbles that fail to interact. Each of the characters at play are so dense with facets and nuances that it is impossible to take a side and I suspect this is the real point the filmmaker wants to make. It is a matter of trust and where we place it that defines the truth in the storytelling. The disorientation we feel as the narration bounces back and forward between the two, showing their reactions to each other's provocations is what should trigger our critical thinking.
The director indulges with care on a myriad of interesting details and revealing close-ups. The boy's personality is built up with little obsessive details; the bizarre way he fiddles and eats his food, the way he he gets furious when he drops a snack as he ate only 5 out of the 40 pieces in the packets and when, in a rather unpleasant playground scene, he keeps smashing ants while the teacher tries to talk about integrating with the other kids. It all subtly suggests some sort of mental discomfort but at the same time, Chang Jin is extremely bright in unveiling the teacher's tricks and turning the situation at his advantage.
The boy is unpredictable indeed, and so are the reactions he provokes in the woman; her frustration and anger make her behave in ways she probably wouldn't have foreseen, not only at school but also in her private life, as shown in a small episode of revenge by proxy. Sadly, the two universes of Myung Hyun and Chang Jin will not interact, nor collide as the teacher will choose the path of avoidance.
There is a pinch of social critique in “Unpredictable Boy”, as the poverty of Chang Jin is at the base of the accident and probably at the core of the mutual incompatibility, but this is essentially a character study and not only about the protagonists buy also and especially about us and our interpretations and understanding of their behaviours.
Cho Young-cheon's cinematography is accomplished, elegant and warm. The camera often follows the characters from behind walking along empty corridors, with an alternation of very long shots and powerful close-ups, made brilliant by the excellent acting of both the protagonists.
Thought-provoking and intense, “Unpredictable Boy” challenges our ability to place trust in what we see, prompting us to look further.
