Diva ~ Did I Kill My Friend or Did She Try to Kill Me?

“Diva” is a 2020 Korean movie, and categorized as Crime, Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense; and streaming on Viki.

SUMMARY: Two friends grew up together, one taught the other to swim and dive. But the student became better than the teacher. That caused problems in their relationship. There was a car accident. Only one of them survived but the survivor’s mental health has been drastically affected as well as her swimming and diving capabilities.

♦ Was It an Accident or Intentional?

Yi-Young is a diving diva, thanks to her best friend Soo-Jin. They met when they were little girls, and Soo-Jin encouraged her friend to learn to swim and to dive. “Don’t be afraid”, she said. “I’ll teach you.” When they grew up and entered competitions, Yi-Young was outstanding and she surpassed Soo-Jin. She became a champion and won gold medals. By contrast, Soo-Jin began performing so poorly that she was going to give up and stop competing. Yi-Young didn’t want her friend to leave, so she demanded they be allowed to compete in the synchronized swimming competition.

Suddenly, Soo-Jin’s skills improved. Yi-Young heard other divers saying something about Soo-Jin being visited by the ghost of Ju. It seems that any athlete visited by Ju became exceptional. Yi-Young discovered that Soo-Jin was taking performance-enhancing drugs that were being acquired illegally. Everybody knows that’s against the rules. What if Soo-Jin got caught? Why is Soo-Jin willing to go that far?

Yi-Young decided to take her aside and talk to her privately. This is not something anybody else should know. Yi-Young wants to help. After all, they are best friends and they should be able to work this out together. The last thing Yi-Young remembers is that they were both in a car together, Soo-Jin was driving, they got into an argument over Soo-Jin taking the drugs, and then there was an accident. She woke up in a hospital bed, and there were police there to ask her questions.

This is a mystery because her friend, Soo-Jin, is missing. They pulled her body out of the water, but Soo-Jin’s body has not been found. There are suspicions and many unanswered questions.

• Is Soo-Jin still alive?

• What caused the accident?

• Was the accident intentional?

• If Soo-Jin was the driver, had she been drinking?

• Did Soo-Jin try to kill Yi-Young out of jealousy and envy?

• Was Yi-Young the one driving the car?

• Did Yi-Young try to kill Soo-Jin?

To make matters worse, Yi-Young has lost her memories of that night, so she can’t answer the police investigators. They are suspicious of her. In addition, because of the trauma, she has to practice and regain her skills. There is immense pressure for her to maintain her status as a diving diva. Yi-Young is deeply troubled by Soo-Jin ’s disappearance, and her attempt to try to regain her memories is taking a toll on her mental health. Even she wonders if the car accident was intentional. If so, who caused it? Her or Soo-Jin? Is Soo-Jin dead or alive?

Main Characters:

• Yi-Young (played by Shin Min-A, “Karma”, “Go Go 70s”, “No Gain No Love”, “Tomorrow With You”)
• Soo-Jin (played by Lee Yoo-Young, “Dare to Love Me”, “SF8: The Prayer”,“Tunnel”, “Your Honor”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 5.4 out of 10 stars

• MyDramaList: 7.4 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this film 8.2 out of 10 stars
• Letterboxd: 3.1 out of 5 stars
• Amazon customers rated the film: 4.4 out of 5 stars

I agree with the rating of the Viki viewing audience.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Diva (2020) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A diver on the brink of madness | Seongyong’s Private Place

Upcoming Thriller ‘Diva’ encapsulates every meaning of the word | Koera JoongAng Daily

K-Movie Spotlight: “Diva” Dives into Deep Memories of Friendship and Competition | Kdrama Diary

Movie Review: Diva (2020) | The cat that watches TV

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Far East Films. “Diva (2020) 디바 – Movie Trailer – Far East Films.” YouTube, 19 Aug. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRpozYxrVec.

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