“The story is weak compared to the style.” This criticism, attached to the film “Ballerina,” is too broad. The problem is not that viewers don’t understand why Okyu is fighting; it’s a different issue.
Former bodyguard Ok-joo loses her close friend, Min-hee. Min-hee, who was a ballerina, leaves a request for Ok-joo to seek revenge on the perpetrator who had tormented her with sexual exploitation and illegal recordings. It is clear who Ok-joo needs to find and why she cannot stop.
I followed the movement of Okju’s body, my anger rising with it. The neon lights and music of the night amplified the emotions, pushing them forward instead of being expressed by the taciturn protagonist. However, knowing the reason for the fight is different from knowing the friend who died.
The questions this film left me with are also related to that. Ok-joo risks everything for her friend, but I wanted to know more about what Min-hee was like. “Ballerina” successfully conveys the anger directed towards a friend, but it doesn’t fully portray the friend’s life.
The problem is not that there is no story, but that the friend’s place is limited
What I find regrettable is not the lack of explanation, but the fact that Minhee’s life is portrayed as a series of limited choices driven by multiple reasons. What is lacking is not information to understand the events, but time to get to know the deceased friend.
The reason Ok-joo is skilled in fighting is conveyed through her background as a former bodyguard. Min-hee’s final request also determines where she will use those skills. At least, this is not a film where the protagonist’s actions are so random that the viewer cannot follow the story.
This brevity is an advantage. If Okju had explained the past every time she moved, her momentum would have been lost. I don’t want to demand a lengthy self-introduction from someone acting in the face of a friend’s death.
However, the choice not to explain Okju is different from the choice to show Minhee briefly. Okju continues to reveal who she is through her current actions. For Minhee, there is no present to define her, so the past she shared becomes more important.
The shared memories between the two convey to Okju that there were also warm times in her past. Therefore, Minhee’s death does not simply end as a signal to begin a mission. It is clear that Okju has lost something she can never regain.
However, I perceived that time more as a loss for Ok-joo. While I knew that Min-hee valued Ok-joo, I learned less about what was valuable to Min-hee herself. I needed to remember more people, beyond just the profession of ballerina and the victim’s circumstances.
The reasons for revenge are clear. However, the face of the friend who was the cause of the revenge is less clear.
Of course, this does not mean that Min-hee has completely disappeared from the screen. The flashbacks and her final request continue to affect Ok-joo. The problem is that every time Min-hee appears, her presence seems to be driving Ok-joo’s desire for revenge.
The grief of losing a friend leaves more than just anger. We should regret the ordinary moments we can no longer share. Therefore, Min-hee should not only be remembered as the person who asked for revenge.
What I want is not a more complex event, nor a lengthy dialogue that clarifies the relationship between the two people. It is a space to feel Min-hee, the person, a little more closely, beyond why she was precious to Ok-joo. The film briefly provides that space and then moves Ok-joo forward.
Then, how much emotion does the body and music convey, which are presented instead of explanation?
Multiple reasons come to life when the body moves
When the body’s movements, colors, and music come together, Okju’s anger is conveyed more quickly than words. I do not view this film as a spectacle where action sequences are inserted between scenes.
Okjoo does not elaborate on her feelings extensively. Instead, she moves towards the perpetrator, revealing what she cannot tolerate at that moment. A fight is not a time to stop expressing emotions, but rather a time when those expressions become most vivid.
The neon lights and darkness that fill the city also contribute to its dynamism. The bright colors do not make the city feel comfortable, and the darkness sharpens Okju’s attacks. Despite the vibrant visuals, one does not feel at ease within it.
Simply saying the color is beautiful doesn’t fully explain this choice. The important thing is what Okjoo does within that color. When you look at this image, having experienced the time spent with her friend, you can sense the difference: that she is someone who has lost her place to return to.
GRAY’s music also conveys emotions that Okju doesn’t explicitly express in words. When the body moves and the sound follows, the audience understands the direction of the emotion, even without hearing the story again. Here, the music doesn’t simply tell you it’s sad; it makes it difficult to remain still.
When my body moved, I followed Okju’s anger. Regardless of the regret that I didn’t know Minhee well enough, I understood Okju’s feelings that she couldn’t stop. If we connect these two characters with the same failure, we risk missing out on what the film did well.
In particular, the final action sequence prompts the reader to re-examine the title. The ballerina, while representing the deceased friend, also serves as a key to understanding the movements of the body seeking revenge. Ok-joo appears as someone who continues the performance using her own body, in place of Min-hee.
Therefore, the fight does not end simply with defeating the enemy. It also evokes the feeling that someone is acting on behalf of a friend who is no longer able to take the stage. I highly appreciate this choice of connecting the title with the action in this way.
However, just because the body conveys anger does not mean it conveys all of the sadness. The strength of the attack and the warmth felt when with a friend must be experienced together for the sense of loss to deepen. Do the actors who portray that anger also convey the lost friendship?
Jeon Jong-seon suppresses his anger, while Park Yu-rim creates a capability gap
Jeon Jong-seo moves towards the perpetrator, and Park Yoo-rim portrays a moment from which there is no return. The two actresses convey the difference between the time they spent with their friend and the present, without that friend.
Ok-joo, played by Jeon Jong-seo, uses action rather than words when tracking Choi Pro. Because she doesn’t express her emotions overtly, but her actions are decisive, she never misses what motivates a person. I believe this decisiveness supports the film’s fast-paced narrative.
When reminiscing with my friend Minhee, the same Okju is perceived differently. The present self, seeking connection with others, and the past self, remaining by my friend’s side, have different objectives. Because there were times when I didn’t have to attack anyone, the current actions feel even more lonely.
Jeon Jong-seon highlights this difference, portraying Ok-joo not just as someone skilled in fighting, but also as a complex character. However, her unwavering determination leaves little room for other emotions to surface. While her anger is evident, the story would have benefited from exploring Ok-joo’s character when that anger subsided.
In the drama, Choi, played by Kim Ji-hoon, is a perpetrator who controls victims through sexual exploitation and illegal filming. The situation changes when the person who was threatening the victim becomes the one being threatened, thanks to Ok-joo’s investigation. Kim Ji-hoon clearly portrays the threats that Ok-joo must overcome, and he embodies that change.
Does Choi Professor need a grand past or a tearful story? No, he does not.
I do not intend to criticize Kim Ji-hoon’s acting because the character’s story is simple. What this character needs is not a reason to be understood, but the oppressive weight of controlling others. A detailed explanation of the perpetrator does not necessarily reveal the victim in depth.
Park Yu-rim brings warmth to Min-hee in her memories, making Ok-joo realize that what she lost was not just a reason for revenge. Min-hee primarily appears in flashbacks. Park Yu-rim has few opportunities to show Min-hee’s life apart from Ok-joo’s revenge. Even in those brief moments, she highlights the capability gap left by those who were with Min-hee.
The unnamed high school student played by Shin Se-hui reveals that the hurt did not end with Min Hee alone.
I don’t want to say that the actors were lacking in their portrayal of emotions. Ok Ju’s anger and the warmth within her memories were definitely conveyed. So, to what extent is the criticism that the story is shallow justified?
I disagree with the statement that failures occurred due to insufficient explanations
There is no need to go into great detail about Okju’s past. However, time was needed to help Minhee understand more about her.
The two situations are different. How Ok-joo learned to fight is a matter of ability. What Min-hee and she lost together is a matter of grief.
Director Lee Chung-hyun said, “I focused on a straightforward approach, aiming to break through and destroy.” This explains why the film moves at such a pace. However, this doesn’t mean that empty spaces are automatically filled.
I support half of those choices. If Okju’s career had been explained in more detail, the audience might have more easily accepted her fighting skills. However, there is no guarantee that they would have felt her grief over losing a friend more deeply.
It is not possible to understand a friend simply by obtaining more security guard certifications.
When viewed under the same criteria, the differences between the two films are clear. “The Villainess” weaves together past and present, building relationships and stories of revenge. It allows the viewer to understand why the protagonist resorts to violence by following her life’s journey.
“Ballerina” condenses the timeline and strengthens the relationship between Ok-joo and Min-hee. I don’t think the fact that it’s presented in a concise way makes it any less serious. There are always stories that don’t resonate, no matter how much they are explained.
The important thing is not the quantity of scenes from the past. What matters is what new information viewers gain about the deceased person from those scenes. If viewers repeatedly feel that Okjoo cherished Minhee, the relationship is confirmed, but Minhee’s character is less developed.
It is not necessary to choose one of the two approaches as the correct one. Simply adding more backstory, as in the film “The Villainess,” does not immediately resolve the shortcomings of a film. I am not suggesting that the film “Ballerina” should abandon its fast pace.
Instead, I would like to ask whether Min-hee was even able to maintain her position, given the circumstances. If the audience is to grieve for the person that Ok-joo lost, there must be more to remember than just the reasons for revenge. The word “friend” cannot fully explain the situation.
Minhee’s final request is enough to move Okju. However, even after understanding that request, a desire to know more about Minhee remains. What is needed is not a longer past. It is Minhee’s image, which is worth remembering, regardless of Okju’s revenge.
Punishments are increasing, but the time to understand Minhee is not
Even as Okju’s desire for revenge grows into a larger organization, the grief over losing Minhee does not deepen. This is because, while the number of targets for her revenge increases, the time she has to truly understand Minhee does not.
Behind Choi Pro, there is a criminal organization. The existence of another victim, a high school student, reveals that what happened to Min-hee was not the tragedy of a single person. The violence that Ok-joo faces is broader and more persistent than initially thought.
This expansion is necessary. If the explanation ended with only Choi Professor being exceptionally cruel, the reality of repeated harm would remain outside the film. The film broadens the scope of Okju’s actions and does not ignore this issue.
However, there is a difference between having more reason to be angry and feeling closer to a deceased friend. The fact that there are other victims highlights the severity of the crime. However, this alone does not make Min-hee’s loss feel more concrete.
Min-hee primarily influences Ok-ju through recollections and final requests. Even while Ok-ju continues her actions, the friend’s presence remains indelible. However, that presence remains tethered to the starting point of revenge.
I am not asking that Minhee’s status as a victim be downplayed here. I want people to feel more that she was a person who lived before she was hurt. Only then will there be a sense that a lost friend remains, even in the place where Okjoo’s attacks stopped.
The friendship recalled already hints at its potential. As moments shared between the two people emerge within the cold narrative, a past that cannot be returned to is created for Ok-joo. At that time, I felt closer to the magnitude of the loss than to the reasons for the attack.
However, the film does not linger on those emotions. The priority is the speed at which it moves towards the next opponent. As a result, the action sequences become more powerful, but the time dedicated to remembering Min-hee is once again shortened.
Ultimately, the expansion of the conflict into a larger organization only amplified Okju’s actions. It didn’t fully portray Minhee’s character. I felt a sense of satisfaction from Okju’s attacks. However, it didn’t make me feel like I had lost Minhee as well.
I do not believe that the conflict in Okju caused her to forget her friend. On the contrary, I believe that she remained focused on her friend until the very end. What is regrettable is the curiosity that arises about Minhee even after following that faith.
Therefore, my assessment is clear. I recommend it to those who want to see action, but it may be disappointing to those who want to deeply explore the theme of friendship.
Anger followed. The friend wanted to know more
“Ballerina” is an action film that is worth watching. However, if you ask whether Ok-joo’s revenge fully conveyed the sadness of losing Min-hee, my answer is no. While the feelings of fighting for a friend are conveyed, the time that friend lived feels too short.
The combination of the character’s movements, the colors of the night, and GRAY’s music effectively conveys a sense of anger, earning it a score of 3.5 out of 5. The score was lowered because there was insufficient time to understand Min-hee as a person, beyond the reasons for revenge. While the retribution was significant, the resulting sense of loss was not as profound.
If you are an audience member who feels emotions through action rather than dialogue, you will appreciate the pace of this film. If you want a revenge story that runs straight for 93 minutes, I recommend it. On the other hand, if you want to follow the lives and relationships of the characters for a longer time, you may feel that the film moves too quickly to the next conflict.
The film’s focus is not on finding the perpetrator, gathering evidence, or pursuing legal solutions. Instead, it is more effective to compare the memories of Min-hee before and after her time with Ok-joo. The contrast between the body that remained by her friend’s side and the body that attacked someone reveals emotions that are conveyed without words.
The title can also be read in that way. “Ballerina” is both Min-hee’s profession and the key to understanding Ok-joo’s final movement. The film makes its best choice when the performance, which was originally intended as revenge, transforms into a performance in place of a friend.
Following this, watching “The Villainess” provides a good comparison of how the reasons for revenge are built upon personal stories. “The Setup” allows you to see side-by-side who is the target of Jeon Jong-seo’s threatening power. I empathized with Ok-joo’s anger and wanted to know more about Min-hee.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
“Ballerina” (2023): Is it based on a true story?
While inspired by real-life events, the film is not a direct adaptation of any specific incident. It incorporates the horror of digital sexual exploitation into a revenge story centered around a group of friends.
Is this movie based on an original work?
This is a work written by director Lee Chung-hyun, without a separate original work. Rather than focusing on the differences from any potential original work, it is better to consider how the title, “Ballerina,” connects to the action sequences.
Where can it be seen, and what is its running time?
The film, released on Netflix on October 6, 2023, has a runtime of 93 minutes. It is a film that conveys emotions through colors and music, so it is recommended to watch it in an environment where you can focus on the visuals and sound.
Does it contain violent scenes or sensitive content?
The film depicts violent revenge, sexual exploitation, illegal filming, and the suicide of a character. It is better to approach the film with the understanding that the heavy themes of victimhood are the starting point of the story, rather than simply expecting flashy action sequences.
If you prefer action over story, would you recommend it?
I recommend it. It is a short and fast revenge drama driven by Jeon Jong-seo’s actions, colors, and music. However, if you are looking for a drama that meticulously follows the lives and relationships of the characters, Min Hee’s role may feel insufficient.
