Richa Singh, New Delhi

If it’s your wish to be able to return and alter the decisions you have made, the movie, ‘The Call’ will make you think again. If alternate realities or connection between people from two different timelines is your thing then ‘The Call’ could be a must-watch. The storyline itself is a complete package of things one can imagine and also the things that transcend our imagination, which makes it the proper thriller to watch.

Cast

Directed by Lee Chung-hyun, the movie was released on 27th November 2020. It is The based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican film ‘The Caller,’ where the characters are connected from the timelines that are twenty years apart. The movie features several talented actors like Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee El, Oh Jung-se, Uhm Chae-young, Park Ho-san in key roles.

Plot

The story begins with Kim Seo-yeon’s played by Park Shin-hye, calling to seek out her lost phone while returning to her home. The story takes an unusual turn which ends up in a connection between her and an abused girl who lives twenty years apart. The girl in 2020, who has already lost her father and her mother is diagnosed with a tumour and is admitted at a hospital. She is grieving over her father’s death and believed that her mother was liable for it.

The girl in 1999 was just like any other child living a happy life. The situation takes a turn when you see her mother performing inhumane rituals and later becomes an abuser. Her mother always fed her with inedible food which made her angry and disappointed. Why would a mother do that to her own child is one of the scenes that you can look forward to.

The connection becomes stronger when Kim Seo-yeon stumbles upon a secret room when she was trying to hold the fallen family picture on the wall. The place shows signs of something terrible that happened there in the past. On entering the room Seo-yeon discovers a toy, a chair and a diary of a lady who was a fan of Seo Taiji and a picture taken on 26 November 1999. The diary belonged to Oh Young-sook played by Jeon Jong-seo who wrote something that said, “A new life was born, and mother’s oppression continue.” What was common between the two was the house she now lives in, the store owner Sun-hee and also the instrument that connects it all ‘The Cordless.’

The first half of the movie begins with an innocent friendship between Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) and Oh Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo) that build up while Seo-yeon discusses the advancements within the technology and Young-sook telling her the technologies of the past and sharing their life stories. This turns into a serial murder spree as Seo-yeon starts to take a longer time to pick the call and reveals the plan that Young-sook’s mother has for her.

As the story moves forward and events are revealed one by one, the changes within the past become an alternate reality for Seo-yeon. This realization makes her life being manipulated by Young-sook and uncertainty in every scene of the movie will keep you glued till the end. Seo-yeon plans to take on Young-sook, when the people from her present start to go missing. She was helpless as she could not go into the past as per her plan and protect the present. What she does to safeguard her present is something that one can look forward to.

Why you should watch?

At every step of the movie, there is something unimaginable. Though most of us may have watched a similar genre, what makes it unique is the way Oh Young-sook was presented by Jeon Jong-seo. The more you see, the more you are in awe of the character. From an innocent and helpless child to being a manslayer, every shade of Young-sook makes you want to observe more. Kim Seo-yeon, played by Park Shin-hye is a simple character that was perfectly portrayed. Likewise, Park Shin-Hye never fails to impress, and she again stuns with an incredibly emotive and tender performance, needing to cry often, scream, and also somehow get revenge.

The movie cast delivers such a performance making this movie a highly recommended one and worth your time. The intensity and thrill with every passing scene could send chills down your spine. The ending of the movie leaves you wondering if this could ever end. If yes, then how? Of which you would possibly never have a solution.

Watch the trailer here: