I recently watched a new Korean mystery-crime movie titled Unlocked based on a novel (Sumaho o Otoshita dake) by Akira Shiga, a Japanese novelist. It was freshly released on February 17, 2023, and directed by Tae-joon Kim, the director of famous films like Peninsula (2020) and Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018). It starred Si-wan Yim, Woo-hee Chun, and Tim Dang.
Lee Na-Mi (Chun Woo-Hee) is a new company marketer. She is a typical office worker who works long hours every day. Lee Na-Mi misplaces her phone on a fateful day, but she eventually finds it. Since then, her normally peaceful day has been jeopardized. Oh Jun-Yeong (Im Si-Wan) discovers Lee Na-Mi’s smartphone. Oh Jun-Yeong, who approaches Lee Na-Mi with her smartphone, uses it to commit crimes. -AsianWiki
In the current times, technology flourishes and blooms at a very significant rate. I cannot imagine how my life would turn out if my current smartphone was taken away from me. It’s like a new extension of my body that I cannot live without. The movie shows a whole different way of thinking about how we should use our smartphones and how important it is to secure our privacy. I’m still shocked and have realized a few things from the movie Unlocked.
How likely could it be for you to let your phone be fixed in a mobile phone repair shop when it has damage? Well, I can say that I will technically handle it for them and let them do their job as technicians. But what if, after your phone is restored, another life-threatening situation knocks on your door without you knowing? When did they install a hidden camera and tracker inside your smartphone? It will become a total nightmare for any of us.
Lee Na-Mi lost her phone on the bus and got it back from the person who saw it. She didn’t have any clue that Oh Jun-Yeong was setting up an inescapable trap and slowly turning her life into misery. If you lose your phone in public, do you expect that it will return to you? In my case, I lost my phone twice and never retrieved it. I could say that Lee Na-Mi was quite lucky in that part of the movie.
I’m very fascinated by how enthusiastic Na-Mi was because she worked really well for a start-up company. Her boss trusted her as a true companion, but when Na-Mi’s account exposed her company’s secret on social media, her boss didn’t hesitate to fire her. I think that part of the movie made me lose my patience because she didn’t give Na-Mi a chance to explain and talk about how it happened. If only her boss had listened, then a big accident will not happen.
One major lesson that the movie wants to relay to the viewers is the acknowledgment that we must protect our data and private information away from our phones. Although there are applications that can help us detect system hacking, will it be enough when the hacker already tracks your phone the moment you open it, input passwords, and continuously observe your activities on it? The movie’s situation shows how harmful the possible effects of phone hacking and stalking will be.
I couldn’t stop watching the film because I felt so connected to it. I had to observe what the hacker would do and how he would execute his plans to take down Na-Mi’s life. Surely, it wasn’t good or ethical. But as a person who has a high interest in that kind of activity, it hypes me even more. In all honesty, the movie portrayed stalking on a higher level and how dangerous it was when you were the next victim. However, Jun-Yeong was not an ordinary hacker. He was a psychopath who enjoyed his victims' misery, especially when they started to break down.
I felt so sad for Na-Mi because whatever she did on her phone, Jun-Yeong watched her as if feasting before he killed her. He also loves to have a physical encounters with his victim so they wouldn’t suspect anything from him. He will disguise himself as a kind, friendly young man and will catch their interest with his good looks. a perfect disguise, if you will ask me.
The movie has such good cinematography from the very start. The camera angles give you a scope of what the actor is looking at. At some point, it makes me nervous because of the camera shot. That’s splendid, though. I’m very impressed with its introduction because it shows what normal, pretty ordinary people will do when they wake up in the morning. Like, they’ll start by reaching out for their smartphone, reading messages, scrolling through their social media accounts endless feeds, playing music, and setting up new to-do lists.
A good movie color was applied as well. It heightens the actors' and scenes' thrill. I like the sound effects, especially when the actors are gasping for air. I do not know the actors in the movie, but their acting skills are top-notch and superb. Certainly, Korean actors are giving 100 percent in every role they are asked to play. So, if you are looking for a mystery-suspense movie that involves technological aspects such as hacking, stalking, and data privacy, Then, I would definitely recommend that you watch this.
All images are screenshots from the film I downloaded.