KOFFIA MOVIE REVIEW: ROUGH PLAY (BAEUNEUN BAEUDA)




21/2/5

Oh Young is an aspiring actor who is looking for his big break, but does everything wrong. His desire for constant improvisation is also a threat to the careers of his fellow actors. Things are about to get very bad, when a producer appears at his door to turn it all around. Oh Young is reluctant to obey the rules but takes his chance to succeed. It's not long until he becomes famous, but how long will it last? And is the fame a real reward for a true actor?

ROUGH PLAY (the real name is AN ACTOR WILL BE AN ACTOR) has a confusing structure. It's sketchy non-linear narrative makes it difficult to focus on the story, and the opening scene is hard to place even after the movie's final. From the beginning you are given a taste of what's to come, but it's just not enough to get you hooked. The story could have been interesting to watch if at least some of the characters were likeable, but they are all presented under the worst light possible, and the most annoying of them is Oh Young himself, heading straight to derailment even when we see him rise to fame.

ROUGH PLAY is not particularly violent, nor it is gruesome. There are moments of genuine tension, but that's it. Especially it is strange, when the poster is trying to sell us a thriller. What we get here is a little sad drama about people that never quite get it and can never appreciate what they've got.

By its final ROUGH PLAY carries too many loose ends to be a satisfying movie experience. What it achieves is to highlight the difference (and contradiction) between being a celebrity actor and a good actor in modern society. It's about the re-gaining the true joy of acting and a humbling effect that loosing everything may have on the ones who tasted fame and success.

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