The Truth Beneath (2016) User Reviews (12)

Dark and disturbing Korean thriller which manages to shock and tell a good story

[mrrcott · 7/10 · 4 November 2016]

The Truth Beneath Directed by Lee Kyoung Mi Lee got her start in films working with Park Chan-wook and from watching this film it seems she has taken his lead when it comes to violent revenge. When a Politician's daughter goes missing the scandal threatens to upset his ambitions for an important election. We soon learn that relationships between mother and daughter are not so great when Min-jin lies about who she is doing her homework with.

Rather than begin an investigation, Jong-chan is more concerned with winning the election. It's left to her mother Yeon-cheong to look for her daughter. Things take a tragic turn when her daughter's body is discovered dumped in woodlands. How much more can I tell you without spoiling it? Getting to the truth of the events takes the mother on a nightmarish journey where she must distinguish the truth from lies. After the first twenty minutes, in which the political candidates were introduced by way of flashing subtitles on the screen, I was totally absorbed by this film.

In flash-backs, we see how the relationship between Min-jin and Mi-OK. What was interesting was the way the girls' relationship was affected by the corrupt adult world. For example, Min-OK's noticeably poorer father works as a driver for Min-jin's father, and we were given a sense of how much poorer her family was when we saw she was living in a one room building, stepping over her sleeping family when she needed to leave in the middle of the night.

I didn't count a shot lasting longer than twenty seconds; truly a feverishly edited film. Indeed, it was so intense that I watched rooted to my seat, sometimes hardly believing what I was watching.

It showed as well that for all its recent modern developments, there are still many traces of the Chung-hee dictatorship in present-day Korea. Witness the schoolgirls who stay behind to clean the classrooms every day, and the name badges that every pupil must wear. Then, there is the cruelty and violence of relationships, where love can be used as a weapon. It's a thoroughly unsentimental film with many scenes of terrible violence. It's not a film that casts a good light on Korean society, but I'm glad I watched it nevertheless.

And I thought Noomi Rapace was badass!

[silvanet-308-669505 · 8/10 · 20 February 2019]

Female director Lee Kyoung Mi Lee is badass, and superb actress Ye-jin Son shows why she is one of the best in the world. You really must check out all of her work. The review by mrrcott is pretty much spot on, but I think rated the film low at 7/10. This is really a great movie, riveting, well edited, well paced, anchored by one of the best actresses on screen today. I'd give it a solid 8/10!

Slow But Solid

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 19 November 2018]

This seemed to unfold really slow but that didn't take away from the drama. I would categorize this as a dark drama more than a thriller. It is filmed well. The acting is on point and the story is solid by the end of the film. The pace is my only complaint. If you ride out those slow moments it pays off in the end.

great acting by son ye jin

[jindann · 7/10 · 1 May 2021]

Fairly boring at the beginning, but turns out to be quite fascinating afterwards with unexpected twists. Great acting by son.

Great actress so so story

[phd_travel · 6/10 · 13 March 2020]

Son Ye Jin shows her dramatic talents here to full effect. The story about a missing daughter of a political candidate is convoluted and improbable. It just felt fake. Not worth watching.

Excellent mystery thriller

[majgotra · 10/10 · 11 April 2019]

Very engaging storytelling with little bit of mystery revealing every few minutes.Its not a nail biting thriller that'll keep you on edge of your seat but strong enough you keep you awake. The actress delivered excellent performance as expected and single handedly made the movie great.Adding this review because this movie deserves more viewers. Available in Amazon prime video for free.

just not entertaining

[backnblack-06123 · 6/10 · 29 April 2021]

Good acting and the film is done well but who wants to watch a depressing story like this, leave the killing to adults.

One of the best Korean movie I've seen! Maybe the best of all.

[frenchdownunder · 10/10 · 25 December 2017]

I have seen many Korean movies but that one was incredible. The twist is a killer, and as usual direction, cinematography, acting ... were all top notch. I don't understand why this movie was not talked about as much as The Wailing or Train To Busan. I saw The Devil and The Truth Beneath are now the best Korean movies ever. A MUST WATCH!

Superb, fantastic acting, ridiculous IMDB rating

[imdb3-3 · 9/10 · 7 September 2020]

This is a terrific film, never boring. The female lead gave an absolutely terrific performance. She is the mother of this child and has the strength and determination that is riveting to watch. If this wasn't a foreign film I could see her nominated for a best actress.

Without ruining the film, you've read the premise and much of the film is about the mother's indomitable will and spirit to find her daughter and who was responsible for her sudden disappearance. Her determination is unwavering and while there are disturbing truths, she prods on where the police unfortunately have not bothered to pursue for a variety of reasons. If there is a weaker point, i didn't quite grasp the entire reason why that would be the case. But these things do happen.

This is an excellent movie and I highly recommend it to all. As to the tale, it might be just a little bit of a stretch but it's all very reasonably credible and nowhere near what Hollywood tries to pull off and fails. It's not your usual tale you'd expect from Hollywood and Korean films can be a bit dark and often have a bit of a twist, which is what makes them interesting. I cannot even fathom why there is such a low IMDB rating for this film. I can only guess that some don't like subtitles and who are not at all familiar with Korean culture might not appreciate that this is more eastern mentality and that people can actually act like this.

Excellent crime thriller..!!

[kamalbeeee · 10/10 · 1 October 2021]

A mother try to find her daughter after missing and soon she find out that her daughter killed by someone.

So she started to investigate herself and find the killer... Really mind blowing script... Benchmark for the crime thriller movies.. Excellent dark tone photography looks more interesting to watch.. All castings are acted soo well.. Must must watch movie..!!

We never know what's ahead of us, especially when we have blinded ourselves

[ridi-arahan · 8/10 · 11 February 2021]

What worked: The overall watch was pleasantly surprised. The movie had it's moments. It's not a fast paced thriller , it's articulated slowly but softly making the experience satisfying. At times, the movie is overwhelming and sometimes it's a plain movie based on politics. Once the stage is set, the movie keeps its momentum and thrills us with an engaging and surprising series of events. We can say it's a well written and executed piece of cinema

What did not work: The though that I had while watching the first half of the movie is why is the movie running low on its intensity and the needed boost. If it was me, I would have expected the first half an thrilling and suspenseful ride in much bigger and overwhelming fashion. Although we have other agenda in the plate during this time, but it would have been much better if it was handled as equally as the second half in terms of the mood and the climate Final verdict: recommended

Remarkable Story

[rpico5 · 8/10 · 9 November 2020]

Love the plot, storytelling, character developement and the climax was so shocking. Love how lee kyoung mi built the story from the beginning, besides the great cinematography. And Love Son ye jin n Kim joo hyuk chemistry, specially Kim so hee acting. Great movie, although its not as popular as Train to busan and The Wailing but its worth to watch indeed!!.