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[HanCinema's Film Review] "Together"

Suicide is a rather significant issue for S. Korea, with the country ranking 10th in the world, but first in the OECD. Albert Shin shoots a short that focuses on a specific aspect of the issue, that of Internet suicide pacts, where strangers meet online and make a pact to rendezvous somewhere to commit suicide together.

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"Together", which premieres at TIFF, focuses on two such individuals, a young woman and a middle aged man, who find themselves meeting in a seaside motel, after agreeing to comit suicide together. Sharing a reluctant intimacy that derives from sharing such a common cause, the two make their preparations and try to fall asleep, but soon realize that they cannot shut their eyes. The girl then proposes to have a drink, and eventually the two of them start partying in the room. Alas, their "ritual" is not stopping...

Albert Shin shoots a film that aims at showing the futility of the whole concept, with particularly the suicide pact presented as something ridiculous, essentially making no sense, even more so for the young girl, who despite her will to kill herself, still wants to party one last time, in a testament to her overall mentality. At the same time, the short presents a comment on human nature, as, even under these extreme circumstances, the two protagonists seem to be looking for empathy and some sort of connection with other people, which can also be interpreted as the reasoning behind doing the act with someone else.

Also quite interesting is Shin's choice not to have them talk about the reasons for committing suicide, with his focus being on the mental state before and during such an act, rather than the reasons that led to it.

Cinematically, his approach is exceptional, with Moon Myoung-hwan's cinematography being impressive on occasion, particularly during the partying scene, where the red lights flood the image, and in two frames, one involving the girl sitting in the mirror with the man in the background, and one showing the view of the sea from the window. Heo Seo-hyeong's set design also takes full advantage of the room, while Cam McLauchlin's editing makes the most of the 12 minutes of the movie through a rather fast pace with frequent cuts, with the abrupt one close to the end being particularly impactful.

The acting is also of high level, with Ahn So-yo as the girl and Kim Jae-rok as the man showing a wonderful chemistry and two characters that become likeable for different reasons altogether.

"Together" is a very interesting and very well shot short, particularly for the ways Albert Shin manages to communicate his comments in such a short time, while making his audience empathize, and essentially like his protagonists.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Together" is directed by Albert Shin, and features Ahn So-yo, Kim Jae-rok. Release date in Korea: No release date in Korea yet.

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