2 Korean Movies With Hitchcock Titles (Part 2 of 2)

In Part 1, the Korean movie with the same title as the Alfred Hitchcock film was “Spellbound”, released in 2011.  Part 2 is a review of “Vertigo”, released in 2019, and provides entertainment trivia about the Hitchcock movie of the same name, for contrast and comparison.

♦ 2) Vertigo (2019)

• GENRE: Secret Romance, Workplace or Office Drama
• IMDb Rating: 6 out of 10 stars
• MyDrama List: 7.1 out of 10 stars
• Letterboxd: 3.2 out of 5 stars

STORYLINE:

All the women at the office fantasize about Lee Jin-Soo, but none of them have ever gotten to first base with him. So they settle for talking about him during their lunch break. The conversation makes Seo-Young feel uncomfortable, so she excuses herself from the lunch group. They don’t know why she reacted that way, but they dismiss it and continue talking. Her co-workers did not know Seo-Young was having a secret affair with her manager, Lee Jin-So.

Seo-Young grew up unhappy and moved away from her mother and stepfather to live on her own. But even on her own, her life continued to be sad and tragic. She thought she could have a wonderful life with Lee Jin-So. Except … all of a sudden he ghosted her and she didn’t understand why. As if a failed relationship wasn’t bad enough, she went to the doctor because of certain physical ailments and learned that she suffered from Vertigo.

The company had been burglarized and to catch the criminal, the management reviewed video footage from the CCTV. Something was caught on camera that had nothing to do with the robbery. Lee Jin-So was fired because the video showed him having sex with one of the employees. But that employee was not Seo-Young, so she didn’t get fired. Seo-Young was a little baffled but she didn’t dare ask anyone for more information about the manager’s termination.

Seo-Young worked as a contract designer and her employment contract was up for renewal. She did not know it but she had a secret admirer, Kwon-Woo, who worked as a contract window cleaner. Desperate to make a good impression so that her contract would be renewed, she often worked on weekends. Usually, nobody is in the office, but this weekend another manager came to work. He approached her when she was in the break room and told her that he had seen the video of her with the other manager but didn’t tell anyone. Then he tried to secure sexual favors from her, in return for keeping it a secret. When she refused, he physically assaulted her and started yelling.

Because she was suffering from vertigo, she became dizzy, she couldn’t hear the manager even though he was yelling at her, and it was difficult for her to regain her balance and composure. It so happened that Kwon-Woo was cleaning windows and saw what was happening to her. The window cleaner started banging on the glass panes, making loud noises. When the manager realized that someone had witnessed his behavior he left immediately.

Seo-Young was grateful for Kwon-Woo’s help. But the incident left her distraught and depressed. Why should she continue to live like this? She really wanted her life to be over. But Kwon-Woo really wanted to convince her that life was worth living.

Main Characters:

• Seo-Young (played by Chun Woo-Hee, “Unlocked”, “Anchor”, “Love, Lies”, “The 8 Show”, “The Atypical Family”)
• Lee Jin-Soo (played by Yoo Teo, “Love to Hate You”)
• Kwon-Woo (played by Jeong Jae-Kwang)

Where to Watch

TRAILER/TEASER:

KoreanFilmBiz KoBiz. “Vertigo (2019).” YouTube Video. YouTube, October 24, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrdO2vkH_p8.‌

♦♦ Entertainment Trivia About the Hitchcock Film ♦♦

Vertigo (1958): (Psychological drama, Thriller, and Suspense) James Stewart plays a retired San Francisco police detective John “Scottie” Ferguson. After a traumatic incident on the job, he developed acrophobia (a fear of heights). An old friend confides in him that his wife, Madeleine Elster played by Kim Novak, has begun to act strangely. He hires “Scottie” to follow his wife around, but the detective becomes obsessed with her. His covert investigation reveals a disturbing truth about her identity.  (Where to Watch)

TRAILER:

Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers. “Vertigo (1958) Restored Trailer – Alfred Hitchcock Movie.” YouTube Video. YouTube, November 15, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Geu4LXm_GlY.‌