Yoon-soo (played by Lim Soo-jung) is a mathematics teacher who has been lauded for her excellent results in terms of improving math scores with her students in Cheongju. Jeong-ah (played by Jin Kyung) is the chairwoman of a prestigious school in Seoul that’s trying to rebrand, and so hires Yoon-soo. In 2017, a disgusted Yoon-soo confronts Jeong-ah at an official event where Jeong-ah brags about her school’s innovative pedagogical approach. Flash backwards four months, and “Melancholia” begins to unravel the backstory of this hostile encounter.
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The main immediate outstanding question is about Seung-yoo (played by Lee Do-hyun), a teenage math genius who adamantly tells Yoon-soo following her arrest that he will find proof. It’s unclear what Seung-yoo is attempting to prove. What we do know is that Yoon-soo has been accused of molesting Seung-yoo. This seems unlikely, not just because Yoon-soo seems like a good person, but because an unwelcome flashback suggests that Seung-yoo is no stranger to abusive behavior.
That’s a bit far ahead though. In the immediate sense, “Melancholia” is mostly just about math. Yoon-soo’s approach is to ask questions with nonintuitive or even nonexistent answers to try and provoke students into engaging with lateral thinking. For screenwriter Kim Ji-woon-II there’s a clear labor of love as far it goes to arcane mathematical theories. I tend to think of myself as good at math but could barely follow half the explanations.
This is to help emphasize that Seung-yoo truly is a math genius, but “Melancholia” is far from inaccessible. We’re introduced to Ye-rin (played by Woo Da-vi) in short order. The teenage girl, a former childhood friend of Seung-yoo, is genuinely curious about the logic behind the math. Yet Ye-rin is apprehensive because she’s not a genius. Ye-rin is being bullied into prioritizing clear measured performance above all else- despite the fact that Yoon-soo’s entire teaching style is to deemphasize the notion of right and wrong answers to focus on more creative mathematics.
The clash between Yoon-soo and Jeong-ah is already easy enough to explain. Jeong-ah hired Yoon-soo for her strong performance in regards to mentoring students with high test scores. Jeong-ah doesn’t know or care what Yoon-soo’s pedagogical technique actually is, and is perfectly happy to promote the exact same toxic academic culture she claims to be wanting to solve. “Melancholia” features a lot of intense social commentary along these lines about education- yet possesses a sharp storytelling knack even bearing this arcane premise in mind.
Review by William Schwartz
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“Melancholia” is directed by Kim Sang-hyeob, written by Kim Ji-woon-II, and features Lee Do-hyun, Lim Soo-jung, Choi Dae-hoon, Oh Kwang-rok, Jeon Guk-hyang, Han Ki-joong. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/11/10~Now airing, Wed, Thu 22:30 on tvN.
William Schwartz
Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea since 2011. Started out in Gyeongju, then to Daegu, then to Ansan, then to Yeongju, then to Seoul, lived on the road for HanCinema’s travel diaries series in the summer of 2016, and is currently settled in Anyang. Has good tips for utilizing South Korea’s public bus system. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net. He also has a substack at williamschwartz.substack.com where he discusses the South Korean film industry in broader terms and takes suggestions for future movies to review.
[HanCinema’s Drama Review] “Melancholia” Episode 1 (2021/11/11)
Source: Laban Lang Philippines
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