Jin Xia is a customs agent, a Chinese immigrant working her way to financial freedom. One day while working at Incheon Airport, she encounters a green-haired woman with suspicious cargo. Despite her suspicions, her boss tells her to let the woman go, and they part. Left without a ride when she misses her bus after work, Xia shares a taxi with the green-haired woman and even invites her into her apartment.
There, Xia finds proof of her involvement with a drug smuggling ring, but when the woman’s boss sends thugs to find her, she changes her tune, helping the young woman to evade both justice and gang members. With nowhere else to turn, Xia seeks out the help of her abusive husband. While this gives them a place to stay for the night, it’s far from safe. Xia’s husband rapes her in the night, spurring the green-haired woman to come to Xia’s defense. Having killed Xia’s husband, the duo attempts to run, but their lack of finances and connections makes this difficult.
I’ve been mulling this title over for almost a week now, and I’ve concluded that I was disappointed. Perhaps it was the comparison with Thelma and Louise, a film I’ve loved since childhood. Perhaps my own bar is too high, as I often compare lesbian crime dramas to Bound, the gold standard in the genre. More likely, I think, Green Night was just poorly conceived and over-hyped.
My chief complaints are as follows: The green-haired girl is never named (despite being around Xia for days on end), her issues with the gangsters are underexplored and poorly explained, and the main characters never really go on the lam in the way one would expect those wanted for murder, and the ending seems almost slapped on.
These failures to deliver on promises made by promotional materials will also bother many viewers. Consider this when recommending this film: It isn’t exactly what it proposes to be. Strangely, Green Night will appeal more to lovers of general Korean drama than it will to those seeking lesbian crime or romance films. Strong Optional Purchase.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
Despite promotional claims of queer drama, Green Night would do better among general Korean dramas.