“Are we movers ?!” complained one male employee, when his boss asked him to move things from his old office. Not wrong, it’s just a little “funny”, because they don’t seem to mind, when there are many female employees in each department, only ordered to make coffee and clean. Samjin Company English Class brings the audience to see how these women prove that they deserve more respect. Best Movie Site
Set in 1995, Lee Ja-young (Ko Ah-sung), Jung Yoo-na (Esom), and Sim Bo-ram (Park Hye-soo) form friendships as fellow employees at Samjin. Because they only have high school graduates status, the three of them are forced to accept assignments, which, through the eyes of the patriarchy, are considered “women’s jobs” as mentioned above. Whereas Ja-young joins to get involved in research, while Bo-ram is a genius, a former math Olympiad champion. Yoo-na? His career was ruined by being accused of seducing a boss, even though in reality, it was the one who was subjected to abuse.
Opportunities open, when Samjin promises promotions for employees who score 600 or more on the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) exam. They also take English classes, hoping to succeed in grabbing this opportunity. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the process, Ja-young accidentally learns a dark secret of the company, which has the potential to endanger the lives of many people, and involves the ranks of power in Samjin. Movie Review
Director Lee Jong-pil (also wrote the script) knows how to create empowering nuances through his cliché and somewhat exaggerated images related to emotional manipulation, effectively provoking the audience’s cheers. Women walking hand in hand in slow motion, or when employees form a guard of honor in their honor, are just a few examples.
The subtlety was eliminated, replaced by fast-paced and stylish storytelling, through a pile of unpredictable twists. The main focus is on the investigation of the trio of protagonists regarding “who is the mastermind of all the chaos in Samjin”, who simultaneously fights for the rights of female employees. And like many South Korean crowd-pleaser offerings that include elements of mystery, the exposition is complex (whether necessary or not), while the twists are stacked on top of each other before the audience can digest the previous surprises.
The result is indeed a dynamic and entertaining spectacle, but at some points, especially in the last half, the film often has a hard time handling the knick-knacks. His movements are rough, confusing, as if Jong-pil missed every moment of writing the script, or neglected to take the transition shot, or had done all of it but left it in the editing room. Top Movie
The inclusion of English classes is also questionable. I understand what Jong-pil is after. Thanks to that class, the Samjin women can unite to solve secret files written in English. From there also, the message about “against foreign invasion” was conveyed, where Korean women with this modest education, were able to defeat foreigners using the language of their own enemies. It will work, if it doesn’t appear sudden, and is presented as a continuous process, which brings the audience to see progress periodically.
The weaknesses above are created due to the overcrowded narrative. There are many characters in the speech about empowerment, about the environment, about corporations, and so on. Luckily, the appearance of the three main players makes you less of a headache. Their chemistry is extraordinary, as friends who support each other in times of difficulty, complement each other’s strengths, while creating exciting interactions. Dedicated and passionate Ja-young, nerdy Bo-ram, Yoo-na who is behind the harsh words and the impression of being ignorant actually has high concern. You will support all three of them, even when the film doesn’t quite do that.