The New York Asian Film Festival 2016 which will run June 22-July 9.
Kim Jin-hwang’s first feature film is an interesting mystery-thriller that explores the consequences of a well-constructed lie that spirals out of control.
Have you ever told a lie? Probably. But have you ever told one that implicated someone in a murder? Probably not. Such is the case, however, for Wan-Joo in Kim Jin-hwang’s first feature film The Boys Who Cried Wolf. In it, Wan-Joo (portrayed by Park Jong-hwan) plays a struggling stage actor. In order to support his ailing mother’s medical bills, he also has a side job which includes playing roles for clients. Things take a dramatic turn when one of these clients asks him to act as a witness for a murder case. At first, Wan-Joo declines, uncertain whether or not he will be able to handle the burden. Then, when the client tells him her son, Jae-Woo, was the victim of the crime, Wan-Joo changes his mind. But what happens when he finds out that Jae-Woo was actually an orphan?
Thus, Wan-Joo embarks on a quest for justice as he begins to dismantle the real perpetrator’s elaborate scheme. He starts by questioning friends of both the victim and the framed suspect, piecing together slowly who the culprit could be. In the midst of all this, he has to deal with the suicide of Yoon Mi-Jin, a previous client, as well as the repercussions of meddling in the Jae-Woo murder case instead of just being compliant. Ultimately, Wan-Joo learns that making things right isn’t easy, and that one lie can do more harm than expected.
Overall, The Boys Who Cried Wolf does a good job of executing this main plot, although in its 80-minute length it takes nearly one-fourth of the time to introduce its conflict; in the first twenty minutes, while there are a few scenes that tie in to future ones (such as an outing with Yoon Mi-Jin), there are many that are irrelevant (such as a clash with another client). Still, the film excels in keeping the audience on edge, constantly guessing as to how Wan-Joo will fix his mess. And while the outcome is predictable, it ends on a note of reflection, conclusively tying up loose ends (maybe too well) while leaving us unsure of Wan-Joo’s future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JXQFnuGm-8
