Gina Kim's blunt, disturbing drama features a wonderful performance by Vera Farmiga, who plays Sophie, wife of successful Korean-American lawyer Andrew (David L. McInnis), whose marriage is troubled by their inability to conceive. After multiple failures, Andrew attempts suicide, and Sophie—trying to save her marriage—makes an arrangement with a Korean blue-collar immigrant named Jihah (Jung-Woo Ha) to impregnate her, so she can pass off the baby as being her husband's. Sophie initially views this strictly as a business transaction--paying out $300 per tryst--which ultimately irritates Jihah, and the situation becomes even more complicated as the story progresses. Farmiga, who was lost in the stellar shuffle in The Departed, shines here with a bold and striking performance that runs the full gamut of emotions. Her Sophie is a memorable character—while manipulating the men who surround her, she's surprised to find herself becoming deeply entangled in her own plotting. Farmiga, who was lost in the stellar shuffle in The Departed, shines here with a bold and striking performance that runs the full gamut of emotions. Be aware that the film is fairly frank in depicting Sophie and Jihah's “transactions,” but for anyone seeking a dark and challenging work, this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Never Forever
Arts Alliance America, 102 min., in English & Korean w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $27.99, July 15 Volume 23, Issue 5
Never Forever
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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