[FILM REVIEW] Intimate Strangers (2018)

Is honesty really always the best policy? ‘Intimate Strangers’, a comedy-drama remake of the 2016 Italian film ‘Perfect Strangers’, attempts to answer this through a seemingly casual game at the dining table.

Married couple Seok Ho (Cho Jin Woong) and Ye Jin (Kim Ji Soo) hosts a housewarming dinner, which is attended by their lifelong friends, two other married couples and one divorcee.

Though Seok Ho and Ye Jin seem to have a perfect marriage, ideal daughter and a luxurious life on all appearances, there are palpable tensions between the couple and within their family. Tae Soo (Yoo Hae Jin) and his wife Soo Hyun (Yum Jung Ah) have not been on good terms for a while, and the latter is becoming desperate in regaining his attention. Meanwhile, he is dismissive of her, and his mood and demeanor with his wife is highly different from that of when he is with others. A stark contrast to Tae Soo and Soo Hyun is former playboy Joon Mo (Lee Soo Jin) and his much younger wife Se Kyung (Song Ha Yoon), who are lovey-dovey newly weds. Meanwhile, there seems to be more going on with Young Bae (Yoon Kyung Ho), a divorced teacher, that he is not telling.

All seems to be going well during the reunion until dinner, when a discussion on smartphones comes up. Ye Jin suggests a game where they have to place their phones on the table and share all their incoming texts and calls with each other. Though some were initially reluctant to play the game, they end up conceding to avoid the suspicion that they have something to hide. The game starts off light and playful at first, but a more serious and uneasy atmosphere quickly develops as hidden truths surface and each person tries to maintain the image they want others to perceive. As it turns out, the group of close friends may not know each other as well as they thought, and they start seeming more and more like strangers.

The plot is filled with many unexpected twists and turns (for those who are not familiar with the original film), and the film had the audience waiting with bated breath each time a phone rings with a call or message. It was also heartwarming to see some of the characters resolve their issues together and attempting to help despite keeping them hidden from each other and having those secrets come out unpleasantly during the game.

The most unexpected twist, however, occurred right at the climax of the movie after all the tension from the hidden truths have built up – and unraveled all the progress and the journey the characters have made. Though some may argue that honesty is not worth all the chaos and arguments that come with it, it was discouraging to see all the character development – particularly that of Seok Ho and Ye Jin with their daughter So Young (Ji Woo) – undone. The eventual ‘happy ending’ was discontenting as the group of friends still had many unresolved problems and tensions underlying.

Nevertheless, Cho Jin Woong and Yoo Hae Jin definitely pulled off their versatility in acting through the varied moods and emotions, from humorous to anger and agitation. The various stories and secrets also surface in a convincing manner that did not seem forced. For those who are keen to watch a casual comedy-drama movie, be sure to check out ‘Intimate Strangers’ with an open mind! Many thanks to Purple Plan for the movie screening invitation 🙂

Running Time: 117 minutes
The Seoul’s Story Ratings: 3/5 🌟
Photo Credit: Purple Plan

—

PATRONISE US: http://www.theseoulstory.com/
TWEET US: http://www.twitter.com/theseoulstory
‘LIKE’ US: http://www.facebook.com/theseoulstorydotcom
WATCH US: http://www.youtube.com/c/theseoulstory