The Liar review [LKFF 2015]: “Another thoughtful and rewarding character study from Korea.”

The Liar review: Both the writing and Kim Kkobbi’s performance give us a truly wonderful cinematic character.

We’ve all wanted to be something we’re not, but for Ah Young (Kim Kkobbi) giving off a sense of her own inflated importance is very important indeed. In fact, she is so deep in a web of lies and deception, that she may not have even have a character of her own. Or, perhaps her lies are more representative of who she sees herself as. The film opens in a well designed apartment which Ah Young is interested in purchasing, she looks the part and say all the right things, but conveniently doesn’t have to make any financial commitments. As the title of the film appears on screen towards the end of this opening scene, it comes across as almost a punchline.

Ah Young works in an Aesthetic Clinic, which ironically has women covering up their blemishes and appearing better than they look naturally. Popping pimples isn’t exactly Ah Young’s idea of a luxurious life, which is dominated by a desire for material possessions. Therefore, Ah Young spends most lunch breaks getting dressed up and attending open houses, household appliance sections of electrical stores, or fancy car dealerships, and acts like an interested buyer. Of course a forgotten wallet or sudden emergency sees her never have to purchase those items. It’s a thrill for our protagonist, a bit of fun that Kim presents so well in her lead role. Her sweet nature, which rarely fades, is either hiding a damaged soul, or shows her as more in control than we may believe.

Things begin to spiral out of control when she tries to combine her real life and her fictional one. She informs colleagues of her engagement to a rich middle school teacher, and soon finds herself being questioned, tripping over her lies, and paying the price. But this isn’t as simple as it seems, with Ah Young’s homelife, where she deals with an alcoholic diabetic sister, is something of great sadness. Represented by the peeling wallpaper, it’s a life Ah Young feels trapped by.

Both the writing and Kim Kkobbi’s performance give us a truly wonderful cinematic character. At times we hate Ah Young for her lies, while other times they are genuinely humorous. Sometimes we feel bad for those she lies to, and at times we feel sad for her, or at least empathise with her. This results in a film where we are constantly feeling different emotions towards one character for doing the same thing. As you might imagine, the lies get bigger and more absurd, and we feel more and more for Ah Young.

The Liar is essentially a search for happiness and throwing off the shackles that bind us down. Ironically, Ah Young soon discovers that others lie too and everyone is willing to spin a lie even if they hate being lied to. The darkly comic tone relies heavily on our connection with Ah Young and it never fades thanks to Kim’s solid acting. It may get a bit repetitive after a while, with many scenes feeling unnecessary as they establish elements we are already familiar with without advancing character or story. At the sametime, more focus on the aftermath once she decides to only tell the truth, would have been appreciated and of great interest.

Both gentle comedy and saddening tragedy, The Liar cleverly conveys the complex emotions of a chronic liar, while also analysing the damage they cause. On top of that there are also satirical elements that hold a mirror up to a society that encourages people into a fantasy world. There’s a unique power to the film that makes you smile as you watch it, but think seriously about the story once it’s over. It never gets too bloated though, nor is it stretched out to extremes. Instead, this a very realistic portrayal of a vulnerable character who uses their strengths in all the wrong way. Another thoughtful and rewarding character study from Korea.

The Liar review by Luke Ryan Baldock, November, 2015.

The Liar screened at the London Korean Film Festival 2015 as part of their Busan International Film Festival strand.