An
unemployed family of con artists takes advantage of any opportunity including
free Wi-Fi and more. One day, the son’s friend offers him a job to tutor a girl
whose family lives in an upper class home complete with chauffeur and
housekeeper. The son then exploits his relationship with the wealthy family particularly
its trusting mother to benefit his own family members. One
family assimilates and becomes ensconced in another family’s lifestyle, but
despite this golden opportunity, can something or someone trip them up and
expose their illicit scheme? And what secrets might this house have that is
unbeknownst to both families? It all culminates at a lavish party where tension
and truth come to a head.
Essentially
a methodical con game that gets flipped upside down, the film is a fascinating contrast in social classes and explores the
facades that people display. Ironically,
this family with its larcenous vocation, watch over each other and has its own hopes and dreams amid hopeless
surroundings. Part of the fun is watching how these opportunists manipulate the
wealthy household, and you almost root for and care about these would be
criminals to succeed. This moral
ambiguity smacks thematically of Alfred Hitchcock.
Well
directed and acted, the film is beautifully shot and well-paced with a narrative that goes in unexpected
directions while maintaining your attention. Audacious in spirit and remarkable in its simplicity, it is one of the
most daring pieces of cinema in recent years. Don’t let the Korean with English subtitles dissuade
you. This captivating sleeper of the
year will make noise come Oscar time.
****
of **** stars
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