The Call [Movie 2020]

[stroppyse]

 

The Call 콜

 

 

Directed and Written By:

Lee Chung Hyun

 

Released: November 27, 2020

Venue: Netflix

 

This film is a thriller involving two women (Park Shin Hye as Seo Yeon, Jeon Jong Seo as Young Sook) who are mysteriously connected by a phone call though they live 20 years apart albeit in the same house. Young Sook is a serial killer who is looking to change the past to change her own fate.

 

 

 

 

Main Cast:

Park Shin Hye - Seo Yeon

Jeon Jong Seo - Young Sook

Kim Sung Ryung - Eun Ae (Seo Yeon's mother)

Park Ho San - Mr. Kim (Seo Yeon's father)

Lee El - Ja Ok (Young Sook's mother)

Oh Jung Se - Seong Ho

Lee Dong Hwi - Baek Mi Hyun

 

 

 

Trailer

 

[stroppyse]

@Mapleoaks5, @Unnie0110 , @mademoiselle, I noticed that there was some conversation about this movie, so created this thread because I'm curious what you all thought about it since I think all of you have watched it? The trailer looks pretty creepy. I was getting flashes of an old American movie called Single White Female, though with the time fantasy element added to it. So, maybe a cross between Single White Female and Voice?

 

@Tofu, not sure if you've watched this, or were thinking of watching it.

[Unnie0110]

Hello @stroppyse, @mademoiselle, @Mapleoaks5 and @Tofu! To distract me yesterday from the last episode of DDSSLLS frustrations I have decided to watch this movie. Why not since it's PSH;) I do not want to write spoilers here so I'll just give a general view of it. First, the actors were all well-suited for their roles. Second, I like the fantasy element of it, very intriguing though was not explained or explored just a driving force in the movie. Third, the cinematography, editing and special effects were all great- really feels like a big budgeted movie. Fourth, it did what it meant to do-gave me chills, shivers and made me momentarily forget the Eunpo folks for I was literally scared half to death for PSH! hahah

 

It's a good movie over-all, some plot holes and some unanswered questions but forgivable;) out of 10 rating, I'm giving it a 7.

[stroppyse]

@Unnie0110, so it was actually scary? I'm not huge on scary movies, but I do like Park Shin Hye, and the trailer looks slick. This movie was actually supposed to open in theaters, but because of the pandemic, they decided to just release it to Netflix instead. So, I would guess that the production values are very good since it had been meant for cinematic release. Thanks for your mini-review!

[Unnie0110]

@stroppyse, yes for me it was scary! I don't usually like horrors or scary movies but every once in a while, when it's bright and sunny, I'd watch it out of sheer curiosity and to distract myself from some things haha I have manage to watch the KIngdom series because I have watched it on my phone and not on my laptop! hahaha anything bigger than my phone screen would give me nightmares for many days.

 

I was brave and frustrated enough  yesterday to watch THE CALL on my laptop, though placed in the far end of my bed! Kudos to PSH and JJS! I think I'd be cautious whenever I'd answer my phone in the next few days;)

Edited November 29, 2020 by Unnie0110

[stroppyse]

@Unnie0110  So, it's night, so it's dark and cold for me right now. I'm contemplating whether I really want to start watching this movie... Your verdict is giving me pause for thought.

[mademoiselle]

@stroppyse I'm going to give you a benefit of a doubt. I'm usually a half chicken (scared to death of The Ring / The Grudge) but The Call is not scary for me. It has a couple of jumpy moment and a few slightly eerie moment and that's it. Go! Go! Go!

[ktcjdrama]

Thanks for starting this thread. I am just about to watch this movie today. Will be back with thoughts. 

[ktcjdrama]

9 hours ago, Unnie0110 said:

First, the actors were all well-suited for their roles. Second, I like the fantasy element of it, very intriguing though was not explained or explored just a driving force in the movie. Third, the cinematography, editing and special effects were all great- really feels like a big budgeted movie. Fourth, it did what it meant to do-gave me chills, shivers

Agreeing with what you wrote above. I was holding my breath so many times for PSH as well. It’s like “what’s going to change for her now?”. The tension was so high that there were times I wanted to just pause and continue another day maybe, but curiosity got the better of me. 

 

9 hours ago, Unnie0110 said:

some plot holes and some unanswered questions but forgivable

Wondering what plot holes you have in mind? As for unanswered questions, I think it’s just because of the limited time for a movie that we’re left to just use our own imagination 😅

 

9 hours ago, Unnie0110 said:

I think I'd be cautious whenever I'd answer my phone in the next few days

Hahahaa, good thing I no longer have a landline, and my phone ringtone is set to a jingle instead of that classic ring tone.... That ring at the end gave me a jump! 

 

So these are my thoughts, may contain spoilers though that will reduce the thrill in watching. Btw, I haven’t watched the trailer not read synopsis at all before starting the movie. I only know that they’re connected by a call. 

Spoiler

- The beginning (setting up) was rather nice, or so I thought. I was happy to see these two girls making connection and becoming friends to help each other. But then, things turned uncontrollably ugly as we find out more about YS. At first, I was feeling bad for her to be treated that way by her “mother” but she turned out to be 100x even scarier. 

- Don’t even bother to guess what’s inside the numerous fridges in the living room 😓

- Love how smart SY is to try trapping YS into her death, also when she read the written police log and went back into the house so as to talk with her mother in the past. 

- I like that this time, the protagonist is in the present and she has less control and powerless about how to change the past events and yet she has to save herself in the past. She was really at the mercy of the craziness of the antagonist. That, I thought, is something new in this kind of time-passage drama. And surprisingly the development and resolution was done well. 

 

Overall, it’s a great movie. The way the past and present are being interspersed as we watched was done really well to build up the tension, as well as the impending changes.

 

The one thing I dislike will be the part when YS recited her address out to someone who supposedly already know where her house is. That was too convenient that I raised my eyebrow and wonder whether the movie is worth my time continuing or not. Fortunately, the subsequent developments were done so well that I didn’t have time to be bothered by it. 

 

Great performance by all casts! Especially by Jeon Jong Seo as YS. 

 

[abs-oluteM]

 

[stroppyse]

Watched this movie, and thought it was pretty creepy. It was interesting how the two young women initially are so friendly with each other, and how Seo Yeon is initially concerned about Young Sook and wanting to protect her before the truth of it all starts to come out. YS is really creepy as the movie becomes more deranged.

 

Next part in the spoiler since it's a spoiler.

Spoiler

Like @ktcjdrama, I really liked that they flipped the time connection so that the villain is the one living in the past and can hurt the heroine by doing something to her in the past. That was crazy, especially when YS started hurting little SY.

 

This movie was creepy for me, but I'm not sure how overall scary I found it, though it became more and more engrossing as the movie wore on. I'm not sure that I would have gone to watch this movie in the movie theater since I'm not generally a fan of scary movies, but it was perfect for a cold, dark night with a good amount of suspense and tension.