THE TRUTH BENEATH
Korea, 2016, 102 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Kyoung-mi Lee.
The Truth Beneath is a rather ominous title, indicating truth of the of the surface and the deceits which might underlie this.
This is a Korean drama, with a political setting as well is a story that involves a domestic situation. It moves very rapidly, involving the audience in the election and campaigning, the abduction of the daughter of the new candidate, the mother’s search for her daughter – and the revelation of the true truths which lie under the surface of what seems to be apparent truth.
The situation shows a Conservative leader, in power for years, who is now being challenged. The new candidate campaign steadily, has good support, but needs to keep his reputation. With the abduction of his daughter, he fears that this might be used by his opposition to discredit him.
His wife, has a different opinion, and wants the campaign stopped, with the parents to concentrate on finding their daughter again. The candidate is wary of social media which might want to exploit the situation against him and so he does not want the disappearance of his daughter immediately revealed.
In the meantime, the wife begins her own search, collaborating with the police, searching her daughters computer, getting lists of people that she was in contact with, discovering the identity of a close friend, from a poor family whom the daughter was trying to help. They also played in a band together with songs about the family and touches of rebellion.
Further investigations take the wife to the school and discussions with the homeroom teacher who indicates that the reports on the daughter had improved over the years.
Then the girl’s body is discovered. In further investigations, the friend gradually reveals more and more of the truth, especially the two girls setting up a camera which spied on the teacher and her relationship with a lover – who turns out to be the father, stating disparaging words about his rigid wife. The teacher was sending exam questions to help the girls who were blackmailing her and eventually demanding money which was to be for the poor family.
Any mergers that a hitman was hired by the teacher and by the politician – and the girl had run him over, a hit run on the night of the abduction.
The wife is angry with her husband – for many reasons. After she attacks him, she decides that he should live and bear the burden of his responsibility even though he has just won the election.
Quite an interesting drama.
1. The title? Truth, falsity, fraud? In families? In society? In politics?
2. The setting, the city, the political region? Homes? School? Political gatherings? The countryside? The musical score?
3. The political situation, the Conservative member, long service, the challenge? Political Mac nations? The new candidate, his endorsement, his campaigning? The support of his wife?
4. The daughter, her age, relationship with her parents, previous trouble, running away, the mother and her concern? The father with less concern? The campaigning day, her promise to behave, giving a false phone number, disappearing?
5. The concern of the mother, the phone calls, the false phone number? Making contact with friends? The issue of the campaign, suspicions about opposite candidate? The role of the media? The disappearance looking bad for the new candidate?
6. The mother and her investigating, the father and his seeming to consent?
7. The friend, the relationship with the daughter, their music together, lyrics of rebellion? The tape? The bond between the two? The girl gradually giving more information?
8. The teacher, her concern, the revelation that she sent the exam questions to the girls? Her proclaiming her innocence?
9. The role of the police, their investigations, interrogations?
10. The information about the hit run, the man killed? Seemingly no connection with the abduction?
11. The gradual revelation of the truth, the girl and her story, the photographing of the teacher and her sexual encounter, blackmailing her, the exam questions, the teachers comment about the daughter’s improvement, the blackmailing for money?
12. The finding of the daughter’s body? The mother’s dismay?
13. The revelation that the father was sleeping with the teacher? The hiring of a hitman to kill the daughter? The responsibility of the teacher? The responsibility of the Father? The potential scandal for his campaign?
14. Social media, the comments, the criticisms of the Conservative candidate? Affirmation of the new candidate?
15. The election, husband-and-wife together, the victory?
16. The wife, trapping her husband, beating him, her discussed, the tape and his comments about his wife’s frigidity? Her allowing him to leave and to carry the burden of what he had
done?
17. The final comment about the daughter and her mother, her seeming to despise her mother – then the declaration that she was acting to protect her weak mother?
