The Lost Choices(어떤 살인) Korean Film Thoughts

  Here we are again with another film I bought on a whim. I was looking around online for more Korean films to watch and talk about only to find "The Lost Choices". The direct translation of the film is "A Kind of Murder".( This is my translated title as I speak Korean. You might find another direct translated title, "Some Murder" which is also correct but also a very boring translation.) My next inclination was to check out the trailer which I loved but I was still skeptical. The last time I imported a indie Korean film, I felt it wasn't worth the wait that I had to go through but thats the risk of an East Asian film/drama collector.

 "The Lost Choices" was directed by Anh Yong-Hoon as his first film and stars Yoon So-Yi with Shin Hyun-Bin. Acts of rape plus the creditability of the rights of people with disabilities is the main focus of this film. A girl and her parents are involved in a car accident that killed the parents and left the girl with a speech disability. One night while walking down a dark street in Seoul, Gangsters appear and forcefully rape her. She tries to go to the police tattered and broken but they brush her account off as a lie because of her stutter. Soon she is raped again in her home and thats when enough is enough. The girl decides to take matters into her own hands.

 The performances were nothing short of powerful. Shin Hyun-Bin takes her character to new heights as she try to find her way in a world that is against people like her. She is not only a person with a disability but she is also a women. Both don't create a great mix in certain situations. Korea can be behind on how to deal with people with disabilities so that causes these citizens to go without good paying jobs. Shin Hyun-Bin's presents in her acting that her character has gone through this many times before. She finds a job but its not under the best circumstances. On top of that she is alone without a family. Her life just goes by day by day as she does her best to survive. The events that happened to her were like a punch in the gut signaling that she would never truly be happy because noone would take the time to help her no matter who much she cried out. Then when Yoon So-Yi's character does try to send out a helping hand, its too late. Yoon So-Yi plays a female cop that was put on the rape case but she doesn't get truly involved until things have escalated out of control. She has bones in her closet that fuel her actions to the point that Shin Hyun-Bin's character could have been her little sister. The chemistry caused my eyes to stay glued to the screen to find out how everything unfolded.

  The plot pulls you in then drags you into the mud in a good way. This film was not made to make you feel good.... well... that is unless you like revenge. I'm going to be the truthful guy here and say that I was rooting for her to get her pay back but I don't support violence. Gender roles is also a big part of the film's plot. I felt like the female characters were shown in a more vulnerable way to showcase how its easy for them to be the target of men with not so pure intentions.  It was no mistake that most of the male actors played men who had absolutely no respect for women at all. Only the young male cop that worked along side Yoon So-Yi seemed to be on the right side of justice. I could also relate to the issue dealing with rights that one has in Korea. Because the girl was a female and she had a disability, The police discarded her clam. The something happens to foreigners and people who are gay. There are no rights protecting these people and if something happens, The police either believes the Korean person or does nothing at all. Actions need to be taken to change this issue. "The Lost Choices" did a fantastic job making the viewer see that there is a problem needing to be resolved. I can see it and I hope you do too.



  Shooting for the film looks like a ton of other gritty Korean films. The director is not shy to show the bad parts of Seoul where the low income people live. We Americans would say the Ghetto. Dark streets, dirty apartments, dirty factory, dirty bus stop, one room apartment etc. All seems very charming right?(If only you could hear the sarcasm in my voice.) No filter for the weak of heart and it gets worse. The rape scenes are one of the most unsettling thing I have scene all year. No, its not because of the graphic nature of the scene. The way it was shot disturbed me. The camera literally becomes the eyes of the girl that is getting rapped and you see EACH ONE OF THE GUYS FACES AS THEY RAPE HER. They all had smiles on their faces too. She was rapped by three men so thats a totally of three times then one extra time after the fact. So really four times..... I CAN'T EVEN DEAL WITH THIS...... I get emotional just thinking about what she must to have been feeling.

  "The Lost Choices" was a great emotional thrill ride that will have you gripping your pillow till the ground breaking final scene. I'm going to be watching this film again after some time has passed. Without a doubt, this film goes on the list for one of the top K-thrillers of 2015.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS FILM DOES DEAL WITH THEMES OF RAPE AND VIOLENCE. WHILE THE SCENES OF RAPE ARE NOT THAT GRAPHIC, THE VIOLENCE MAKES UP FOR THAT SO DO NOT WATCH IF YOUR UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN.