[TF Cine Review] 'Final Interview,' a well-crafted but unfinished play

The fresh ensemble of Joy Hyun&Kim Jaewon → Kang Yoo Seok is a point of interest.It was fun as a mystery, but... a disappointing ending."Final Interview," released on the 4th, is a film about six applicants gathered for a final interview who discover mysterious envelopes containing their personal revelations, leading them to suspect each other and fall into confusion. /NEW[THE FACT| Reporter Park Ji Yoon] As the envelopes containing the hidden secrets of the applicants who jumped into "Final Interview" are opened one by one, the fun of deducing the culprit who designed this scheme is considerable. However, as romance and social messages are suddenly added, the taut tension gradually loses its strength, and even the immersion in the meticulously built story collapses."Final Interview" (directed by Kim Jeong Hoon), released on the 4th, is a film about six applicants gathered for a final interview who discover mysterious envelopes containing their personal revelations, leading them to suspect each other and fall into confusion. It is based on the novel "Six Liars" by Asakura Aki Nari.In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, numerous job seekers flocked to the recruitment of a global IT company, and six applicants made it to the final interview, breaking through a fierce competition rate of 5000:1. With the dream of becoming colleagues, they prepare for a month of team discussions, but are given a task to select only one successful candidate within a limited time of 2 hours.They establish their own fair rule of voting every 30 minutes to select the candidate with the most votes as the final successful candidate, and continue intense discussions and voting to select the successful candidate under the pressure of surveillance cameras. Meanwhile, they discover mysterious envelopes with their names on them, and as they open them one by one, secrets, whether true or false, are revealed, turning the final interview, which promised fair competition, into an uncontrollable exposé."Final Interview" is based on Asakura Aki Nari's novel "Six Liars" and is directed by Kim Jeong Hoon, who also directed films such as "The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure" and "Detective: The Beginning." /NEWThe film continuously intercuts the past, from the interview preparation days when they dreamed of becoming colleagues to the final interview where they constantly suspect each other, with the present, which features interviews with those who were together at the time, six years later. It poses two questions to the audience: who placed the mysterious envelopes there, and who was the successful candidate in the final interview?First of all, as it is cloaked in the guise of a mystery, the process of uncovering the culprit and the final successful candidate is definitely enjoyable. It also delves into the hidden sides of human nature, which are not easily revealed like the dark side of the moon, while sharply criticizing the face of modern society, which hastily accepts fragmented information of uncertain truth or falsehood as truth and fails to examine the context beyond the apparent facts.Through the six applicants driven to extreme situations, it relentlessly explores the desperation of youth preparing for employment, as well as the human nature hidden behind it. It also makes one ask oneself, "If I were in their shoes, would I have tried to find the truth from a distance?"Adding to this is the unique ensemble of fresh faces rarely seen on screen, which doubles the film's charm. Shin Seung Ho, who has built a solid acting foundation through continuous work, portrays a wide range of emotions from reliability to resentment and anger that escalate in the face of revelations. Kang Yoo Seok impressively reveals an unexpected side hidden behind his characteristic friendly impression, taking responsibility for the tension. Bae Kang Hee, with a presence so vivid that it belies her being a debut film, makes the work even richer."Final Interview" draws viewers in with the fresh synergy created by the rising stars of Chungmuro and the tension unique to mystery films, but it has the limitation of the meticulously built story's immersion collapsing as romance and social messages are suddenly added. /NEWAmong them, Kwak Dong Yeon is undoubtedly the highlight. Playing Jeon Yoo Han, who creates a sharp atmosphere even in harmonious moments with a somewhat detached attitude, he single-handedly imprints the character's individuality with unique external styling, such as a different mask and dirty glasses. Furthermore, in the scene where he spills out the truth after his character's secret is revealed, he conveys the character's complex inner world to the audience by expressing even the slightest trembling in his breath and jaw.However, this fun and charm gradually lose their strength as the movie enters the middle and latter half. The confined interview room is left behind, Han Jin Woo's (Kim Jaewon) present is revealed, and his relationship with Moon Hye In (Joy Hyun) expands from a fleeting emotion to a full-fledged romance. This part does not organically mesh with the mystery narrative and feels detached. Ultimately, this acts as an element that diminishes the genre's unique tension and genre fun, rather than a thrilling twist in the process of pursuing the truth of the case.Consequently, it is unclear whether it is due to the actors' abilities or the limitations of the dialogue itself, but there is a sense of disappointment in the performances of Joy Hyun and Kim Jaewon, who are listed first in the cast. Joy Hyun, even considering the character's trait of needing to evoke the audience's suspicion, remains with overly monotonous expressions and restrained emotional expression, failing to fully bring out the character's charm. Kim Jaewon, unable to deliver the cheesy lines as his own, adds to the awkwardness.Thus, "Final Interview" stimulates interest with the fresh synergy of Chungmuro's rising stars and the tension unique to mystery films, but it reveals a lack of staying power as the genre's direction becomes ambiguous in the latter half. It is rated for ages 15 and up and has a running time of 107 minutes.jiyoon-1031@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]