“I’m…not human. I’m trash”

Jang Mun Ho (Lee Sun Kyun) and his fiancée Kang Seon Yeong (Kim Min Hee) are in love. He is a veterinarian with his own practice and after a fateful encounter the two of them fall madly in love. Everything seems to be going well for this picture perfect couple. Until one day, when Seon Yeong receives a phone call, and disappears without a trace. They were on their way to meet his parents for the first time, and without warning, we find his world turned upside down.

The film thankfully spends very little time in providing the audience with too many protracted red herrings. The idea she was perhaps kidnapped is quickly thrown out, and the plot logically starts focusing on the dark and mysterious past of the vanished woman. Mun Ho enlists the help of his cousin Kim Jong Geun (Jo Sung Ha) who happens to be an ex-detective, fired for taking bribes in the past.

It is not just a simple case of a woman with financial problems looking for a better life. It digs deeper into her complicated past, and despite how implausible certain plot elements may be it never ceases to be fascinating. There is also a sense that the people investigating, only one of whom being at all affiliated with the police force (and even he at a reduced capacity) discover evidence and piece things together all too smoothly. In order to keep up with the brisk pace, certain shortcuts are taken. It would be difficult not to notice the film’s reliance on coincidental events, but in the overall grand scheme of things, it is an easily forgivable decision, given the final product.

But as the plot takes wilder and darker turns, the entertainment value goes up with it. Along with the two men in search for the truth, we go deeper and deeper into Seon Yeong’s web of lies. Lee is a solid leading man, and his intermittent breakdowns successfully capture the character’s internal turmoil – he only wants to think of and hold onto the best memories of his fiancée, but as the unfavourable evidence starts stacking up against her, he clearly does not have a choice but to look at the facts. Jo provides excellent support for the double act, with some light-hearted comic relief to go with it. It is evident that he is not the most upstanding character, and it is his curiosity surrounding this strange case that spurs him on to investigate more.

Long-plagued by controversies surrounding her inability to act (as is often the case for young actresses starting out in the Korean entertainment industry), “Helpless” marks a real turning point for actress Kim Min Hee, and it is a worthy performance that puts all the criticisms against her at bay. She gives absolutely nothing away in the beginning, but with additional flashbacks, Kim is given plenty of opportunities to stretch her skills. For a supporting character with limited screen time, she makes the biggest impact as the audience is immediately drawn into her backstory. Her fragile vulnerability combined with bursts of her desperate acts in the past, are without doubt a major highlight. We see the many traumatic events of her past that shaped her present, and why she was only destined to become this mysterious figure. Her blank stares are genuinely haunting, a testament to her incredibly skilled performance.

Without giving away too many plot points, there is a surprising level of emotional impact. With complex emotions running high from all those involved in the mystery from the start, the finale is a beautifully poetic one. Everything comes to a head with just the right level of dramatic intensity, wrapping up an unforgettable thrilling experience.