Viewers around the world are reacting enthusiastically to director Park Chan-wook's new film 'The Sympathizer'.
According to FlixPatrol, an online video service (OTT) ranking site, on the 22nd, director Park Chan-wook's new series 'Sympathy' ranked first in 20 countries around the world.
'Sympathizer' is a story about the struggle of a mixed-race Vietnamese youth who defected to the United States between two civilizations and two ideologies in the 1970s after the fall of free Vietnam. It is based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
In episode 2, 'Model Asian', which was released on the 22nd, the full-scale double spy activities of 'Captain (Joan Xuande)', who settled in the United States, began. He stayed as a confidant of 'General' (Toan Le) and at the same time continued his tense espionage activities, such as conveying 'General''s movements through coded letters to communist forces in Vietnam.
The newly introduced Asian American 'Sophia Mori (Sandra Oh)' forms a romantic relationship with 'Captain', foreshadowing unpredictable developments. Here, Robert Downey Jr., who once again made an extraordinary appearance as the character of 'Hammer', an Oriental studies professor, left a strong impression by shaking the inner self of 'Captain', who is confused between two ideologies.
Meanwhile, 'The General' is convinced that there is a spy in the refugee community, and works together with CIA agent 'Claude (Robert Downey Jr.)' to hunt down the so-called 'mole'. 'Captain', who found out that his name was also on the list, left a meaningful comment to escape the crisis, “Should I kill the major?”, foreshadowing the next story that would become even more exciting.
'Sympathy' received favorable reviews from domestic viewers after the release of episode 2, as evidenced by the enthusiastic response from overseas media, such as “It will open your eyes and make you take action” (IndieWire) and “A bold, ambitious and dazzling series” (TIME Magazine). Baptism continues. Word of mouth is pouring in from viewers who are thoroughly enjoying director Park Chan-wook's new work, such as “Park Chan-wook's beautiful mise-en-scène” and “Park Chan-wook
In addition, regarding the acting of Robert Downey Jr., who is becoming a hot topic for playing multiple roles, people said, “I was surprised once by the visuals, and twice by the acting that made me look like a different person,” and “I'm so curious about what kind of character he will play in the future.” The response to this is also hot.
‘Sympathizer’ is being released exclusively through Coupang Play in Korea. Episode 3 will be released on the 29th.
(SBS Entertainment News Reporter Kim Ji-hye)
