Even the most casual of horror fans will likely have seen, or at least heard of, Train to Busan.
Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho breathed new life into the oversaturated subgenre of zombie horror with his acclaimed film, bursting with biting social commentary and brilliantly choreographed action. His efforts since the 2016 film have continued to dabble in genre spectacle, but, in his latest endeavor The Ugly, the acclaimed South Korean filmmaker opts for a more intimate and smaller-scale story that, while predictable, packs powerful messages about beauty, self-worth, and the value we place in the opinions of others.
Based on Yeon's graphic novel of the same name, The Ugly stars Park Jeong-min as Dong-hwan, the son of the renowned blind stamp maker Yeong-gyu (Kwon Hae-hyo). As a filmmaker (Han Ji-hyun) interviews Dong-hwan as part of a documentary she is making, news emerges that the remains of his mother, Yeong-gyu, have been found 40 years after her disappearance, which sets Dong-hwan off on an investigation that unearths disturbing details of his family’s traumatic past.
Employing deliberate pacing throughout, Yeon Sang-ho’s film initially intrigues as a compelling murder mystery. The discovery of his mother's bones raise a number of questions for Dong-hwan and, in turn, the audience. Dong-hwan never even knew his mother. What happened to her? Are the police correct in assuming her death was a result of foul play? And, perhaps most interestingly, why does everyone keep commenting on how ugly Young-hee was, and why is there not a single picture of the deceased woman?
These questions loom large over the first act of The Ugly, during which Dong-hwan and the documentarian Kim Su-jin begin an investigation through a series of interviews with people who may have known Dong-hwan’s mother. While Yeon Sang-ho certainly has a keen eye for shot composition and is unafraid to leave the camera lingering on his characters’ faces to maximize tension, the film disappointingly shows its cards far too early in its runtime. It doesn’t take long until one is able to piece together largely coherent answers to the aforementioned questions, which prematurely depletes the story of subversion and intrigue.
The disappointing predictability of the story may lessen its impact as a murder mystery, but Yeon Sang-ho ensures that his film is far more than a routine whodunnit. Through flashbacks that task Park Jeong-min with playing a dual role as both Dong-hwan and the young version of his blind father Yeong-gyu, The Ugly begins to explore a rather bleak side of human nature.
When Dong-hwan’s mother is initially labeled as ugly by distant family members, it’s difficult to not chuckle at the juxtaposition of the callousness of their remarks and the funeral home setting in which they are made. But as comments continue to be made about Young-hee’s appearance in the present day and flashbacks detail the sub-human way in which she was treated by others, a palpable dread and disgust slowly builds. The writing may be on the wall for how the story resolves and yet there is still undeniable heartbreak and cynicism toward society that results from observing a kind-hearted, innocent woman be subjected to such maltreatment.
When the pieces of the puzzle are finally spelled out (even more overtly than they were previously), a sense of ridiculousness and even dark humor emerges. The behaviors and thoughts that led to the ultimate demise of Young-hee are so absurd that, if described to someone, a morbid chuckle wouldn’t be unreasonable.
But Yeon Sang-ho rides the wave of this initial absurdity until a gut-wrenching bleakness sets in. In doing so, the filmmaker invites audiences to contemplate the extent to which we have internalized society’s definition of beauty at the expense of holding onto our own opinions. He provides a damning, even cynical critique of human nature and the disproportionate value we place in appearances, taking this point to its most destructive of extremes.
The fallout from the reveals continue to show that Yeon Sang-ho has no desire to back down from his dour commentary on humanity. A climactic dialogue between Park Jeong-min’s son and Kwon Hae-hyo’s father characters leaves a strong, lasting impression that bleeds into an epilogue that evaluates the lengths we’ll go to suppress the truth and preserve our self-image and image of others.
Ultimately, due to the nature of the reveals surrounding murder mystery and the thought-provoking themes that follow, The Ugly is the antithesis of a feel-good movie. But that doesn’t mean it lacks anything important to say. Yeon Sang-ho crafts an intimate, emotionally charged, and eventually gut-wrenching film here that will have viewers look inward and evaluate their values long after the credits roll.
The film releases next Tuesday, March 10, only On Digital, via Well Go USA. Visit their official site for more information.