Review - A Normal Family
Directed by: Jin-ho Hur
Starring: Sol Kyung-gu, Jang Dong-Gun, Kim Hee-ae
Running Time: 116 minutes
Rating: 5/5
A Normal Family is a South Korean drama adapted from Herman Koch’s 2009 international bestselling novel The Dinner. It tells the story of two wealthy families brought together by a heinous crime committed by their children. The film is told over the course of three dinner courses where the two families meet. The story constantly shifts between past and present events which is crucial for maintaining the film’s many twists and turns up until its shocking conclusion.
I first found out about The Dinner after finishing Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. It was one of the recommended books if you liked the latter, and so I picked it up and was immediately drawn to it. The sharpness of the social commentary, the twisted morality of it all - I can say this adaptation successfully builds on the foundation set by the book and elevates the material with stand out performances.
The performances are a noteworthy highlight as the ensemble cast deliver a convincing performance - most notably the two patriarchs played by the talented Sol Kyung-gu and Jang Dong-Gun who carry and ground every scene they’re in. Their ability to effectively convey the full complexity of human emotions, as the twists and turns of the narrative slowly reveal themselves to its shocking conclusion really deliver a sense of gravitas to the picture. The characters attitudes morph and shift constantly forcing the viewer into moments of self-reflectivity and explore their inner moral compass. By the end of the film, you’d be hard pressed to locate the villain in this morally-grey tale.
As mentioned, the film’s razor sharp social commentary will no doubt draw comparisons to film’s like Gone Girl and Parasite - it’s a very interesting two hour character study about human relationships, morality, and the lengths that people go to protect the ones they love no matter the cost. A Normal Family is a very complex movie about human nature that warrants discussion - if you can stomach it.
