Parallel Life (2010) is a South Korean thriller movie.Synopsis: Kim Seok-hyeon (Ji Jin-hee) lives a perfect life. He has a stellar career after being appointed Korea's youngest judge. However, his life crumbles when his lovely wife, Bae Yun-kyung (Yoon Se-ah) is brutally murdered.
A reporter approaches the grief-stricken Kim and tells him that 30 years ago, a man named Han Sang-joon was appointed judge on the same day Kim is appointed judge. Han's wife was also murdered and their bodies were found on the same mountain on the same day, 30 years apart.
Initially, Kim is skeptical about the theory of parallel life but he soon discovers that his life may exactly replicate Han's, with an interval of 30 years.
This movie is based on the idea of history repeating itself, particularly that of former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Their life mirrored each other with an interval of a century. Both were elected to the senate in 1846 and 1946 respectively, then presidency in 1860 and 1960. They were assassinated on a Friday and the assassins were born in 1839 and 1939, respectively.
This is a very well-scripted movie with a provocative opening scene and a well-maintained pace of high-strung tension and suspense scenes. To leverage the existence of parallel life, there are quite a number of scene switches between the life of Han (past) and Kim (present).
Another factor is the solid, realistic, and effective performance from the cast. Blood and gore are quite minimal because sadism is not this movie's main theme. Thankfully, there are no comedic relief moments, which some Korean movies like to include, and of which I find degrading. One more thing, if you put aside logic, you will find this movie truly enthralling.
I do recommend this movie to all South Korean thriller movie fans.
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