NR | 1h 38m | Drama | 2021
South Korean cinema has brought its unique voice to this conversation with “Go Back,” a gripping crime drama by director Eun-young Seo that explores child abuse, systemic failures, and moral ambiguity through a suspenseful and layered narrative.
The film revolves around the disappearance of Yoon Bo-ra (Gam So-hyun), a young girl who vanishes on the same day a high-profile kidnapping grips the nation. The kidnapper’s chilling ultimatum, that the public must raise an exorbitant sum of money within seven days or the child will be killed, intensifies the investigation.
At the heart of the story are two women, Kim Ji-won (Ha Yoon-kyung) and O-soon (Park Ha-seon), whose lives intersect in unexpected and complex ways. Ji-won is an ambitious rookie police officer navigating a precinct with a mainly male workforce; her fiery temper marks her as a liability despite her potential.
O-soon, a dedicated social worker, shares similar anger issues. She’s committed to protecting abused children at all costs, sometimes to questionable extremes. Her fervor blurs the line between justice and recklessness, setting her on a collision course with Ji-won.
The investigation takes a sharp turn when O-soon becomes a suspect. Her physical altercation with Bo-ra’s abusive father raises alarms, especially when he is found dead shortly after Bo-ra’s disappearance. As Ji-won delves deeper, her initial suspicions about O-soon give way to a more profound struggle. She must balance her drive for justice with a growing awareness of the societal failures that create such desperation.
Broken System
The film also conveys the emotional toll of working within a broken system. Both Ji-won and O-soon are deeply affected by the failures around them. Their increasingly desperate actions underscore the immense pressure placed on individuals tasked with protecting the most vulnerable.Ji-won’s determination to find Bo-ra, and O-soon’s obsessive drive to protect children reflect the personal sacrifices made in the face of systemic inadequacies. The film emphasizes how the emotional and psychological burdens of these roles often go unaddressed, leading to questionable and difficult choices, which ultimately shape the characters’ fates.
Ha delivers an effective performance as Ji-won, balancing inner determination with quiet strength. Park is equally captivating as O-soon, capturing the character’s deep emotional scars and relentless drive with an unsettling intensity. Gam’s portrayal of Bo-ra brings a heartfelt presence to the narrative, emphasizing her resilience. She’s a great child actor all around.
The technical elements strengthen the storytelling. Jung Ki-wook’s cinematography paints a hauntingly immersive backdrop, with dimly lit interiors and shadowed alleys mirroring the film’s moral and emotional complexities. Strategic flashbacks and unexpected twists maintain suspense, although the non-linear structure occasionally muddles the narrative flow. Also, some scenes are so dimly lit that key emotional beats are obscured, slightly detracting from their impact.
Despite these minor flaws, “Go Back” mostly succeeds as both a crime thriller and a social commentary. Seo crafts a film that challenges audiences to grapple with the complexities of justice, the burden of systemic failures, and the moral compromises that are sometimes made in the name of protecting the vulnerable.
