4PM (2024)

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4PM (2024)

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A darkly comic Korean thriller about an older couple moving into the countryside hoping for a peaceful life, only for their idyll to be interrupted by a nosy neighbor who shows up at 4PM every day…

An interesting take on the "weird neighbor" trope, this modest but solidly made film takes its time to properly get going. There's an emphasis on subtle humor once the neighbor shows up for the first few times; the couple find him curious but harmless, while low-key hoping for him not to show up the next day. But he does, inexplicably doing so by coming and going at the exact same times. This unpleasant situation starts taking its toll on the couple, leading to increasingly violent outbursts.

Throughout this film, I was reminded of a Danish horror called Speak No Evil, which also explored how being mannered and passive in the face of an unwanted element leads to an unpleasant outcome. While the neighbor character in this film isn't a simple villain, his refusal to engage in any conversation, while rudely refusing to leave, turns him into a serious nuisance. The situation changes a bit as the film reaches its conclusion, but the plot also loses steam and becomes something less remarkable than initially promised. Not so much as to ruin the peculiar mood, but there remains a nagging sense of expectations not being fulfilled.

Despite the runtime being a bit overlong, this is still an intriguing slow-burn that blends thriller and comedy in an effective way, and deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

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4PM (2024)

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