Fragment Review
Fragment (2025) Film Review from the 29th Annual Fantasia Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Kim Sung-yoon and starring Oh Ja-hun, Moon Sung-hyun and Kim Gyuna.
Korean filmmaker Kim Sung-yoon hits a solid double with an emotionally relevant and riveting look at grief titled, Fragment. Oh Ja-hun is featured in the film as a young man named Jun-gang who has an unfortunate link to another boy named Gi-su (Moon Sung-hyun)’s personal tragedy.
Early on, Jun-gang’s little sister, Jun-hui (the terrific Kim Gyuna) looks to get her brother to buy her stuff, but that’s because she’s sort of naive as to what’s going on around her. Bills aren’t being paid and the rent is way behind. Jun-gang and his sister’s dad is in jail for complicated reasons which drive the essentials of the plot in such a way that audiences will be captivated by the material thanks to the way director Sung-yoon makes the characters not only relatable, for the most part, but emotionally unpredictable as well.
Gi-su’s parents were killed and this is a devastating reality for this particular young man. Some kind of confrontation is expected to happen between Gi-su and Jun-gang, but the movie doesn’t spell out where the plot is headed through distinct foreshadowing. The story, instead, takes twists and turns that sometimes don’t directly lead to any expected actions whatsoever. However, when there is action, the film makes it meaningful in such a way that it develops the characters and drives home the film’s points about loss, heartbreak and financial despair.
One of our characters so desperately searches for a job, but the shopkeeper insists on meeting his teacher to secure the position which is easier said than done. This film could have easily fallen into a predictable routine where kids in opposite positions battle for vengeance. This picture is so much deeper than that thanks to the performances. Ja-hun, in an admirable turn, is clearly the movie’s standout as this character tries so hard to keep his composure in difficult times.
We see the past due bills and overdue rent as a sign of hopelessness, but the movie doesn’t offer all doom and gloom. There are glimmers of hope and keen possibilities that could change the circumstances that would lead to better situations. There are abysses from which the characters could rise in order to confront the occasions for potential self improvement and for better futures.
As Gi-su has been hospitalized, there are very deep issues that the movie takes on head-first and it almost bites off more than it can chew. Fragment is ultimately rescued by its powerful closing scenes which offer temporary closure to situations which would take years to resolve themselves. In addition, Gyuna is a superb young actress who transforms a lot during the course of the movie. Jun-hui starts out unaware and seemingly a bit spoiled despite her unfortunate situation. By the film’s end, she has come to learn so much and the actress captures the transformation seamlessly.
The complex characters in Fragment have many layers that give the lives presented here inner meaning. Both of the young men are perfectly cast in their central roles and neither character is played to be simply a hero or a villain. They are both tragic and flawed people who must come to terms with the delicate situations which have unfolded and both young men try to make sense out of things that would never have happened in the first place in a perfect world.
Oh Ja-hun has a delicate side to his work that makes his fragility particularly hard to predict. Moon Sung-Hyun more than holds his own beside Ja-hun. As the characters grapple with tragedy and financial difficulties arise, the tests that these characters endure are expertly detailed by the film’s director who doesn’t miss a beat when considering the surprising places the film goes. Just when you think that you’ve figured it out, Sung-yoon pulls the rug out from underneath with another intriguing plot development that will keep viewers from feeling they knew where this story was heading all along. It’s impossible to predict where these intersecting lives will end up, but we do know there are unspeakable tragedies which are heart-wrenching in their excesses and must be dealt with accordingly.
Fragment is about growing up without a clue as to what the next step will be in a world where the characters are isolated, but have surprising strength within themselves whether they realize it or not. This film’s presentation of the financial struggles that its characters tackle is one of its biggest strengths. In the end, bonds are formed, for better or worse, and characters grow through tragedy, much like what happens in the drama of everyday life. This movie is heavy, but very rewarding for those who stay with it all the way through.
Rating: 7.5/10
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