K-Movie Review: Lucid Dream

Priyanka Padala, Hyderabad, Telangana

K-dramas and K-movies offer a diverse range of genres, from heartwarming rom-coms to exhilarating thrillers and suspense. There’s something for everyone to enjoy and discover in the world of Korean entertainment!

‘Lucid Dream’ is a 2017 South Korean mystery-thriller film. Kim Jun-sung made his directorial debut with this science fiction movie. His own experience with lucid dreaming and the 2010 films ‘Inception’ inspired him to write and direct this movie. As the name suggests, the entire movie revolves around the concept of lucid dreaming. A lucid dream is a type of dream where one is aware that they are dreaming and, to a certain extent, have control over their dreams.

The film begins with Go Soo portraying the role of Choi Dae-ho, who is in a tense discussion with his senior. He is a hard-working investigative journalist who exposes corrupt politicians and businessmen. This has earned him a lot of enemies who would wish for revenge. The movie gently turns onto a bright side with the visuals of a young child playing in his house.

Choi Dae-ho comes home to his adorable kid, Choi Min-ho, as he is the single father who takes care of him along with a nanny. The environment is quite cheerful as the father-son duo decide to spend their weekend at the amusement park. Things soon take an ugly turn as Dae-ho finds his son missing from his merry-go-round ride. Tensed, he looks around and tries to search for him when he is struck with a needle and loses consciousness. The last thing he sees before his vision turns hazy is the blurred image of his son being taken away by a man.

Plot

In the story, there is a three-year time jump where Choi Dae-ho is shown attacking an electoral candidate. This is because he is convinced that his enemies kidnapped his son as an act of revenge. The fact that no ransom was requested even after three years has passed since the kidnapping supports his belief. Choi Dae-ho remains determined to find his son, as he firmly believes that his son is still alive. He reaches out to the same detective who handled his son’s case years ago because he is desperate for any information that could lead to his son’s safe return. Together they pledge to find Choi Min-ho.

Meanwhile, Dae-ho stumbled upon an internet article about criminals being caught through lucid dreaming. He contacted his old friend So-hyeon, a physician who specializes in this therapy, to assist him in his search for his son. Despite the potential side effects, Choi Dae-ho was determined to undergo lucid dreaming to achieve his goal.

_{Picture Credits: HanCinema}

As he reminisced about the day his son was kidnapped, Choi Dae-ho discovered a vital clue about the perpetrator — a peculiar tattoo on his hand. With assistance from a hamburger vendor at the amusement park, Dae-ho was able to track down the tattooed man. However, his optimism was short-lived when he learned that the man was hospitalized and comatose. Despite the bleak outlook, Dae-ho resolved not to abandon his quest to find his son.

Hope returned to him when he encountered a man in real life whom he had previously only met in his lucid dreams. This man possessed the unique ability to enter into other people’s dreams, making him a miracle worker. With his assistance, Dae-ho was able to enter the dream of the tattooed man who had kidnapped his son. However, they soon realised that if the tattooed man died, Dae-ho would become trapped in his dreams. As a result, the tattooed man’s vital signs began to drop, causing concern for all involved.

Find out if Dae-ho solves his son’s case, escapes the grip of the tattooed man’s dream, and discovers the truth about the kidnapping of Choi Min-ho by watching ‘Lucid Dream’ on Netflix. This movie will answer all your burning questions.

Have you seen this movie? Tell us about your thoughts in the comments