Aloners – Honja saneun saramdeul (2021)

Directed by: Hong Seong-eun | 91 minutes | drama | Actors: Jeong Da-eun, Seo Hyun-woo, Jeong-hak Park, Gong Seung-yeon

Jina (Gong Seung-yeon) is the top employee at a calling desk of a credit card company. After a usual working day, she returns to her apartment, where she leads a solitary and monotonous existence. Jina prefers to avoid any form of human contact. Her father tries to call her regularly, but she always ignores his calls. One day, however, her routine is interrupted when her neighbor is found dead. Jina is deeply shocked. She hardly spoke to her neighbour, whom she normally only experienced as an obstacle. Still, his death prompts Jina to reflect, especially about her own life.

‘Aloners’, a South Korean feature film by debut director Hong Seong-eun, can best be described as a character drama about the increasing number of people who prefer to lead isolated lives. We experience this phenomenon through the eyes of Jina, excellently played by actress Gong Seung-yeon. Jina prefers to spend her time online or watching TV shows. She has no friends. The only form of contact comes from her work, but these relationships are also only sparse. As a top employee, she should enjoy a measure of renown in the office. Yet that is not so. Jina really pushes people away. She’s not an evil person, but she simply doesn’t have the cognitive skills to be social.

During the running time of ‘Aloners’ we learn several things about Jina. For example, she lost her mother some time ago, an event that she has never been able to process properly. Her father is constantly trying to contact her, but to no avail. Jina has a cool, but understanding bond with her boss; they often share a cigarette during lunch breaks, whether or not in complete silence. Jina doesn’t seem to have any boyfriends. The only form of direct contact comes from a new intern, to whom Jina is forced to teach the tricks of the trade. The conversations between these two characters are difficult, but touching.

With ‘Aloners’ Hong Seong-eun has made a subtle and mature film. The theme is not exactly groundbreaking, but the atmosphere and characters are certainly well designed. Also in terms of budget constraints (this remains a feature film debut) ‘Aloners’ deserves praise. Good use is made of the small locations and the camera work is also very good. It’s a little too early to predict whether Hong Seong-eun can be added to South Korea’s now long line of high-profile and successful directors (think Bong Joon-Ho, Park Chan-Wook or Lee Chang-Dong), but this is definitely a step in the right direction. A debut to be proud of.