The Call (2020 South Korean film)
The Call (Korean: 콜; RR: Kol), is a 2020 South Korean thriller film directed by Lee Chung-hyun, starring Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo. Based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican film The Caller, The Call revolves around Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) and Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), two women from different times who connect through a phone call that interchanges their fates. The film was originally going to be released theatrically but cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] It was released on Netflix globally on November 27, 2020.[1]
| The Call | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 콜 |
| Revised Romanization | Kol |
| Directed by | Lee Chung-hyun |
| Written by | Lee Chung-hyun |
| Based on | The Caller by Sergio Casci |
| Produced by | Syd Lim Jeong Hui-sun |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jo Young-jik |
| Edited by | Yang Jin-mo |
| Music by | Dalpalan |
Production company | Yong Film |
| Distributed by | Next Entertainment World Netflix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Plot
In 2019, 28-year-old Kim Seo-yeon loses her cellphone while traveling to visit her sick, estranged mother in a rural area. Arriving at her rundown childhood home, she finds a decades-old cordless phone, and through it receives calls from a distressed woman who says she's being tortured by her mother. After investigating the house, Seo-yeon figures out that the woman on the phone, Oh Young-sook, is living in the same house but in 1999. The two are able to communicate across time through the phone, and exchange information about their lives. Young-sook is orphaned and lives with her adoptive mother, who is a shaman, while Seo-yeon lost her father in a fire that she blames her mother, Eun-ae, for.
Young-sook, acting on information from Seo-yeon, sneaks out of the house to prevent the fire that killed Seo-yeon's father. She is successful, and Seo-yeon's reality changes: her parents are both alive and healthy, and their house is lavish. Young-sook, however, is punished by her mother, and becomes resentful that Seo-yeon's life is improved while hers is the same.
Seo-yeon searches the internet and learns that Young-sook was killed by her mother during an exorcism. During the next phone call, Seo-yeon warns Young-sook, who saves herself and kills her mother instead. Now freed, Young-sook becomes a serial killer. Seo-yeon realizes what has happened when Young-sook's victims disappear in the present day. During a phone call, Seo-yeon confronts Young-sook, but inadvertently reveals to her that she'll be arrested.
In 1999, Young-sook is visited by an 8-year-old Seo-yeon and her father, who has come to the house to close their purchase of it. Young-sook kills Seo-yeon's father and takes young Seo-yeon captive. In 2019, Seo-yeon's reality changes again: her father is dead and the house in even worse condition. Young-sook calls Seo-yeon and tells her to find out how she'll be arrested. At first Seo-yeon feeds Young-sook false info, but when Young-sook threatens to kill Eun-ae next, Seo-yeon breaks into the local police station for the notebook used in 1999. Young-sook taunts Seo-yeon that they're the same when she reveals that Seo-yeon caused the fire that originally killed her father, and lied about Eun-ae being responsible.
Seo-yeon gives Young-sook the correct info, and her reality changes again: the house is now owned by an older Young-sook, who has continued as a serial killer. The content of the notebook changes as well, with a note that Eun-ae came to the house with a police officer and made a call on the cordless phone. Seo-yeon waits in the house for the call and uses it to warn Eun-ae.
In 1999, Young-sook kills the police officer and chases Eun-ae. In 2019, older Young-sook reveals herself and similarly chases Seo-yeon. Eun-ae uses the phone again, and Seo-yeon picks up and encourages her to fight. Eun-ae seemingly sacrifices herself to kill Young-sook, and 2019 changes, with the house becoming derelict and old Young-sook disappearing. Seo-yeon leaves the house and is reunited with Eun-ae, who is alive and well, albeit with scars.
In a mid-credits scene, older Young-sook called her younger counterpart to warn her about Eun-ae and the police officer arriving, allowing Young-sook to alter her own history, resulting in the erasing of Eun-ae from present day Seo-yeon's side. The scene then cuts to the torture room where a person tied to a chair and covered in a white cloth is screaming for help. The cloth is removed, revealing a frightened adult Seo-yeon, once again a captive of Young-sook.
Cast
- Park Shin-hye as Kim Seo-yeon[2]
- Jeon Jong-seo as Oh Young-sook[3]
- Kim Sung-ryung as Eun-ae, Seo-yeon's mother.
- Lee El as Ja-ok, Young-sook's mother
- Oh Jung-se as Seong-ho
- Lee Dong-hwi as Baek Mi-hyun
- Park Ho-san as Mr. Kim (Seo-yeon's father)
- Park Hyung-soo as Man-voice
- Kim Min-ha as Young Seon-hee
Production
Principal photography began on January 3, 2019, and wrapped on April 2, 2019.[4]
Reception
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10.[5]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (Film) | Jeon Jong-seo | Won | [6] |
| Best New Director | Lee Chung-hyun | Nominated | |||
| 30th Buil Film Awards | Nominated | [7][8] | |||
| Best Actress | Jeon Jong-seo | Won | |||
| 15th Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [9][10] | ||
| 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [11] | ||
| Best New Director | Lee Chung-hyun | Nominated | |||
| 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actress | Jeon Jong-seo | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | 20th Director's Cut Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
| Best New Actress | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Director | Lee Chung-hyun | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b Park, Sae-jin (October 20, 2020). "Thriller film starring actress Park Shin-hye to premiere on Netflix". Aju Business Daily. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ "Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo Team up for New Thriller". The Chosun Ilbo. January 19, 2019.
- ^ "영화계 블루칩 증명한 전종서, 두번째 꿰찬 주연은?" (in Korean). Daily Today. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ "KoBiz - Korean Film Biz Zone". www.kobiz.or.kr (in Korean). Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "The Call (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Kim Jin-seok and Jo Yeon-kyung (April 12, 2021). "57회 백상예술대상, TV·영화·연극 부문 최종 후보 공개". isplus.joins (in Korean). Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Jo Young-mi (August 26, 2021). "'모가디슈' ·'자산어보' 13개 부문 중 8개 부문 후보에 올라" ['Mogadishu' and 'Jasaneobo' were nominated in 8 out of 13 categories]. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "부문별 후보 소개" (Press release) (in Korean). Buil Film Awards. 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "The 15th Asian Film Awards Nominations Announced". Asian Film Awards Academy. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ Souw, Rebecca; Frater, Patrick (October 8, 2021). "'Wife of a Spy' Wins Top Prize at Asian Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
- ^ Seong Ha- Hoon (July 5, 2021). "춘사영화제, 이번엔 온라인 개봉영화까지 품었다, 26회 춘사국제영화제 후보작 발표, <승리호> 조성희 감독도 후보에" [Chunsa Film Festival, this time also has online release, Nominations announced at the 26th Chunsa International Film Festival]. OhmyNews.