‘I just dropped my smartphone’ novel material

≪Choi Ji-ye’s Some Stars≫
Reporter Choi Ji-ye of Ten Asia rates the movies she saw before their release and leaves a one-line review. Be sure to check before purchasing movie tickets. Because your time is precious!

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‘I just dropped my smartphone’ How many stars? = ★★★☆☆
‘I just dropped my smartphone’ One line comment = Smartphones are scary in many ways

What if you leave your smartphone on your way to work on a busy morning? If it's 100, I'll go home and get my smartphone. Even if you are late, it is difficult to head to work without your smartphone. For modern people, smartphones go beyond being a means of communication and function very closely in our lives, including financial transactions and work sharing. It is safe to say that for modern people, smartphones are their alter egos.

Nami (Chun Woo-hee), an office worker who works as a marketer at a small company, uses her smartphone to communicate with friends, take bus cards, pay for meals, and take photos to post on social media. Furthermore, they communicate with business partners and use second accounts on SNS to advertise the company's products in complete secrecy. Nami, who has a confident and easy-going personality, drops her smartphone on the bus on the way home after drinking with her friends like any other young person in her 20s. Junyoung's (Im Siwan) face is reflected on the screen of Nami's smartphone.

The Netflix movie 'I Just Dropped My Smartphone' (director Kim Tae-jun, hereinafter referred to as 'Just Dropped My Smartphone') imagines the worst situation Nami can face after dropping her smartphone, which is like her alter ego. Furthermore, when a smartphone falls into the hands of a serial killer, it depicts a threatening situation that reaches its extreme, providing an opportunity to think about the extreme ramifications that a palm-sized smartphone can create.

The material is novel. It evokes a fear closely related to reality. It's scary because it gives me a sense of crisis that the digital crime depicted in 'Steulman' is not far away from me. Scenes of everyone looking at their smartphones with expressionless expressions in public places such as subways or on the streets are also scary. I think that the point of fear that ‘Studdman’ is trying to convey is the appearance of people who seem to be dependent on their smartphones.

However, unfortunately, the narrative development is somewhat loose. The story of Joon-young, who gets Nami's smartphone in the beginning and succeeds in hacking it with spyware, shaking up Nami's life, is captivating and fast-paced. However, the process after the middle where Nami learns that Junyoung is the culprit at the center of the incident is improbable and breaks the immersion. Ji-man's (played by Kim Hee-won) investigation method and family history in pursuit of Jun-yeong are important parts that determine the depth of the narrative, but the structure feels uneven.

Im Si-wan's performance as a serial killer is impressive. It is different because it is playful and not serious. Woohee Chun naturally portrays the role of Nami as her own. The roar that exploded in pain in the second half confirmed Chun Woo-hee's acting spectrum once again. Kim Hee-won's acting is impeccable, but due to the frustration of the character, there are many times when watching it feels disconnected.

There are some points in the middle to the end that make the story a bit more slanted, but the running time doesn't feel long thanks to the overwhelming sense of speed in the beginning. It is a work worth watching at least once as it has a message and deals with novel material.

Released on Netflix on February 17th. Running time 117 minutes.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr