Fool Me Once: The Answer Lies in its Title.

NoW

Recommendations for this week

2024.02.02

Credit

Article. Choi Yeonju, Baek Seolhui (Writer, Columnist), Jeong Seohui (Cinema Journalist)

Design. MHTL

Photo Credit. Netflix

Fool Me Once (Netflix)

*Spoiler alert.

Choi Yeonju: The mystery thriller Fool Me Once is based on the novel of the same title, which, when directly translated, means, “Come on and fool me once,” and also implies, “If you’re fooled twice, it would be my fault, but that won’t happen.” Just like the title emphasizes, Fool Me Once includes a series of twists amid the intriguing story. Maya (Michelle Keegan), a former soldier turned helicopter pilot, broke the military law to save her colleagues, but ended up killing a civilian in the process. Due to a hacker who revealed this for the public good, she develops sleep disorder and faces disgrace that would haunt her until her death. Meanwhile, Maya must also unravel the mysteries behind the deaths of her husband Joe (Richard Armitage) and her sister Claire (Natalie Anderson). The narrative accelerates toward its conclusion with exciting events, and a series of twists at the end leaves a lasting impression. However, it concludes without any room for doubt. A mystery thriller you can’t stop watching once you start the first episode. It offers dual charms just like its title.

LookSam’s Album Reaction (LookSam)

Baek Seolhui (Writer, Columnist): Streamer LookSam’s Album Reaction is “delicious,” to use his expression. That’s one word that captures his video. Eight years have passed since LookSam, a professional gamer for Blizzard Entertainment’s strategy card game, Hearthstone, became a streamer. While he has steadily revealed his love for the genre of hip hop, staying true to his childhood dream of becoming a rapper, it wasn’t until 2023 that he began discussing music, specifically K-pop, on broadcast. He became famous for embracing all music genres with positivity, including his beloved hip hop, and for his unique, upbeat reactions. Yet, he also accurately points out each album’s characteristics and intentions, sharply catching the hidden elements behind them. However, be sure to watch his video with caution, as it’s an Internet broadcasting station featuring unfiltered swearing and slangs popping up.

Recently, he has expanded beyond merely reacting to albums, creating content that looks into diverse types of groups. The most recently uploaded Reactions to Silica Gel’s 2nd Studio Album, POWER ANDRE 99, Reactions to Jung Kook’s First Studio Album, Golden, and K-POP Intensive Study: ENHYPEN show LookSam’s approach to music. If you want to see his broad acceptance of diverse genres, don’t miss watching The Best Trot World Cup and The Best Classic World Cup. The way he respects every song he discusses in the video is truly remarkable.

Anatomy of a Fall

Jeong Seohui (Cinema Journalist): Throughout the 76 Cannes Film Festivals, three female directors have won the Palme d’Or: Jane Campion (The Piano, 1993), Julia Ducournau (Titane, 2021), and Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall, 2023). Anatomy of a Fall appears to capture the dynamics of a “married couple with children” or a family of three. Sandra (Sandra Hüller), her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis), and their 11-year-old Daniel (Milo Machado Graner), live in a remote chalet in France. When Daniel comes home after walking with his guide dog and discovers Samuel’s lifeless body, the once self-contained snow scene turns into a crime scene. An autopsy adds weight to plausible “hypothesis” that it’s not a suicide. At the same time, Sandra, the murder suspect, has to be in a verbal battle in court with her old friend and lawyer, Vincent (Swann Arlaud), and fight for her innocence before the jury. As you follow along the dense dialogues unfolding over the 152-minute runtime, you might think you’re nearing a point of revelation, but “finding the culprit” isn’t what really matters. As Sandra mentioned, she, who valued “intellectual stimulation,” and Samuel began as propellants pushing each other forward but eventually ended up at the opposite end—a “storm.” Sandra, a renowned writer; and Samuel, an aspiring writer. Or more precisely, a professional who skillfully incorporates “an idea that his husband gave up on” into her work and an amateur whose submissions face countless rejections. The father who accidentally caused permanent visual damage to his four-year-old son Daniel, and the mother who places her son’s room on the second floor, making him climb the stairs as she “didn’t want to stigmatize them”. A bisexual woman who has had an extramarital affair and is fervently chasing success, and a man who’s busy juggling his professorship, dreams of writing, and homeschooling his child. Sandra, who possesses the captivating ability to create a peculiar atmosphere with anyone, notices that Samuel is using passive attack during an interview with his “female” graduate student by repeatedly playing 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” full of misogynic lyrics at a high volume. Samuel is lost in a realm of Sandra where he can’t belong, entangled in the intricate skein of novels. Sandra weaves each thread, crafting a diagram that reveals her desired patterns. “Anatomy” of “a fall” dissects and exposes the rift within a married couple whose so-called “traditional gender roles” have been overturned. This creates a moral dilemma for Daniel, who’s at another point on the diagram, prompting him to choose between his father who committed suicide and his mother who committed murder in this challenging situation. Can we make judgements on the truth, entangled with various circumstances and desires, using law and science? If you find yourself wondering what the final scalpel is, you’ll exit the movie theater with the snowscape unfolding before you, devoid of blood or footprints, a pure white yet tainted maze. Only you will know the dissected section, intersected by disclosure and silence.