Son Suk-ku is the kind of actor who doesn’t rest on his laurels -- from melancholic stranger Mr. Gu in a remote town in “My Liberation Notes” to psychopathic kidnapper Kang Hae-sang who perfectly fits the slasher cinematic universe in “The Roundup,” he is one of the busiest, hottest stars in the Korean entertainment scene.
This time, his versatility has landed him in another experimental and unprecedented story – documentary-style crime flick “Troll Factory,” skillfully crafted by emerging filmmaker Ahn Gooc-jin.
In “Troll Factory,” adapted from the eponymous 2015 novel by Chang Kang-myoung, Son portrays passionate yet unlucky investigative reporter Yim Sang-jin. He breaks news on the wrongdoings of the country’s biggest conglomerate, Manjin Group, but the firm soon manipulates public opinion with larger, captivating headline news, as well as plausible gossip that quickly spreads online. On top of that, a swarm of online commenters flock to leave malicious comments on Yim’s article. Left in despair, Yim is sent home for six months following a suspension at work. But he soon finds himself motivated once again when a strange man approaches him and asks if he wants to discover the truth behind the "internet trolls."
But the more Yim digs into the facts surrounding Manjin and how they fabricate online consensus, the more the audience becomes wrapped up in the story, confused whether this is real or not.
It is not the reporter being pranked in this game of truth or dare, but the audience who is being fooled as to whether the conglomerate’s involvement in manipulation of public sentiment through internet commenters is true or mere hearsay.
The director has cleverly unspooled a distinctively Korean story, including how society views “giregi” -- a derogatory combination of the Korean words for “reporter” and “garbage” to express anger and frustration over reporters writing toxic, fake or clickbait stories.
Besides the well-established storyline, novel scene structure and proper use of internet memes that pique the audience’s interest, “Troll Factory” is firmly anchored by the terrific performances of three young, rising actors -- Kim Sung-cheol, Hong Kyung and Kim Dong-hwi -- who appear as the formidable team behind the mission to fabricate online posts and comments.
Their relationship as longtime friends is conveyed through their natural and realistic dialogue. Their conflict perfectly aligns in timing as the movie reaches its climax, showing a stark contrast to Yim’s smooth cruising in securing another scoop story.
But the movie ends without answering the clearly fundamental question that runs throughout the movie: Is this all true?
“From the moment I first approached this movie and after completing the movie, I think it’s difficult to say that it is not true because there is no evidence, or it is true because it just feels like it exists,” Ahn told reporters following a press screening on March 15.
“Troll Factory” opens Wednesday.
