As we have mentioned before, Hong Sang-soo’s style has been dominating the approach of Korean indie films for quite some time now, with a number of productions looking pretty similar, although definitely in a level lower than the prolific auteur. Occasionally, however, we do see an exception in that regard, and “Small Fry” seems to be one of those, particularly due to the rather smart way Park Joong-ha presents his comments in the film. The movie won the Cineteca Nacional México Award and the Best Acting Award for Kim Ho-won from Jeonju.
“Small Fry” is available from Echelon Studios
Actor Ho-joon had received an award for Best Actor in the past, but now his career is in shambles. In order to make ends meet, he runs a YouTube fishing channel, which gets him a bit of money from traffic and sponsors, while also has given him some fame in the particular circle. As the film begins, he starts another video in the reservoir fishing spot he frequents, but it turns out that his favorite spot is picked by another guy, who is actually quite impolite and eventually becomes obnoxious about the whole fishing thing, particularly when Ho-joon picks fish after fish and he has gotten nothing.
Soon, however, and after a girl, Hee-jin appears, it is revealed that the latter man is actually a director named Nam who is about to work on his first commercial film, and Hee-jin is about to sign as one of the main leads. Even more so, Ho-joon had actually auditioned for the role some days before, and he was turned down, while director Nam has come down to the fishing spot to clear his head due to a casting conflict with the production company. Despite his protests and Ho-joon’s reluctance, Hee-jin’s insistence has the three of them spending the night together fishing, eventually getting drunk. As time passes, the tension mounts.
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Park Joon-ha does a number of very smart things here, and his narrative, which does function as a stage play on occasion, appears deceptively simple. For example, it soon becomes apparent that in the Korean industry, and particularly due to the way it works, all three of the protagonists are actually the titular small fries, with the impact and the ‘authority’ they have in it being miniscule. Director Nam seems to be on a higher level, considering that he can make decisions about casting for example, but as time passes, it becomes evident that this is not exactly the truth, with his producers having the last word in all decisions. Furthermore, and through the way the story progresses, even this authority is stripped from him, in a rather dramatic if subtle fashion, that stresses the comment even more.
At the same time, that all three of them end up knowing each other from before is a comment on how small the indie industry in Korea is, while the attitude of the director seems to be a rather pointed comment on how filmmakers work in the country. In that regard, Nam appears petty, jealous, not to mention the fact that he seems to want something more from his actress, who actually uses Ho-joon in order to shut him down, even if a likeness does eventually shape between the two actors. The way Ho-joon eventually acts, and the way Nam reacts, in the telephone scene, another one of the most impactful here, is indicative of the mentality of both but mostly of the latter, cementing the aforementioned comment, which, on a meta level, could also be perceived as self-deprecating.
Apart from these, an in the most evident ‘wink’ towards Hong Sang-soo here, a significant part of the duration of the film is taken up by the protagonists eating and drinking, with the drunken buffoonery that ensues being among the most entertaining aspects of the movie. It is also here that the hypodermic humor Park implements throughout the movie finds its apogee, in another rather memorable scene.
Considering that the movie is quite dialogue-heavy (the stage-play aspect mentioned before), it is a blessing for the whole thing that the acting is on a rather high level. Sung Hwan as Director Nam plays the petty, jealous, but also pinned down by higher authorities man with gusto. His fighting with the timid and polite Kim Ho-won’s Ho-joon is quite entertaining to watch, highlighting both the performances and the chemistry of the actors. This last aspect extends to Im Chae-young‘s Hee-jin, who plays the apple of discord and the ‘peace force’ quite convincingly.
Park Joong-ha also functions as DP and editor here, and his work is competent, although without any particular standout points, as the focus seems to be on the context and dialogue. Considering, however, that he is also co-scriptwriter and art-director, it is easy to say that “Small Fry” works very well as a one-man-show.
Although it takes some knowledge of the (Korean) indie movie industry and some additional thinking for all the comments to come through, “Small Fry” emerges as a rather smart indie, that will definitely satisfy the viewers who enjoy their art house movies with a bit more context.
