▲ Joo Min-hyeong plays Yong-gi in the film "Funky Freaky Freaks," in this photo provided by At Nine Film. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Baek Ji-hye plays Ji-sook in the film "Funky Freaky Freaks," in this photo provided by At Nine Film. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Shin Jun-hang plays Dum-bo in the film "Funky Freaky Freaks," in this photo provided by At Nine Film. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(Movie Review) Funky Freaky Freaks

(Movie Review) Funky Freaky Freaks: raw, stylish portrait of teens on the edge

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- Yong-gi (Joo Min-hyeong) is a high school student in a small, no-name town who bursts with energy but aimlessly wanders, clueless about what he wants to do in life.

The young boy who wanted to make his single mother laugh after a tedious day of work, now goes all the way to make his childhood friend and secret (but evident to others) crush Ji-sook (Baek Ji-hye) happy.

The third wheel who hangs out with them is Dum-bo (Shin Jun-hang) -- a former victim of school bullying who now takes his own version of revenge on the world, pretending to be a woman online and tricking men into sending him gifts.

Their friendship is never conspicuous or polished but the trio -- who are labeled as oddballs at school -- know each others' scars, from eating disorders to neglectful or violent parents.

In fact, the presence of adult beings, whether it be school teachers or parents, is nearly absent or depicted as being helpless throughout the movie, prompting the three lonely teens to only rely on one another.

Their seemingly dull but peaceful life takes a turn when Woo-joo (Jeong Soo-hyun), a handsome judoka with 100,000 followers on Instagram, comes to their school.

Amid a flurry of mixed emotions, such as envy, admiration and self-contempt, the trio's relationship with the new student is thrown into a deeper and darker spiral as the film proceeds.

In such aspect, Director Han Chang-lok's debut feature is far from the typical plot of a coming-of-age film.

Yet Han succeeds in capturing a unique portrait of modern-day teens on the edge, who are consistently judged by the world, their peers and by themselves, for popularity and looks in an era heavily embedded in social media.

Han actively incorporates social media into the film by using it as not only a key tool in driving the story but also as a visual factor.

Alongside snippets of social media, the film's frantic and fragmented editing, imbued with neon colors and experimental visuals, overall conjure up an aesthetic akin to the late 1990s, early 2000s MTV style.

The Korean title for the movie, "Chung, Chung, Chung" comes from the first letters of the three chapters that comprise the film: impulse, collision and shock.

"Chung" also refers to the derogatory suffix meaning "bugs," used to criticize certain social groups or generations.

"Funky Freaky Freaks" is set for release Wednesday.

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]