Applicants turn to psychological warfare in film Final Interview

Six applicants competing for a single job opening at IT company Spiralinks face a survival struggle after documents regarding Baek Seung-bin's past school violence are discovered during their final interview.

In South Korea, the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is more than just an exam; it is a national event. The weight of the CSAT is evidenced by scenes where airplane landings are postponed or police forces are deployed to ensure listening evaluations for examinees are not disturbed. The film 'The Secret Behind the CSAT Questions,' introduced by YouTuber Omar, is set within the closed environment of the CSAT question development headquarters.

A teacher with the same name becomes a committee member? Details shown in 'The Secret Behind the CSAT Questions'

The film 'The Secret Behind the CSAT Questions' tells the story of committee members who create CSAT questions while being isolated from the outside world for 40 days. In this location, where strict control is maintained by the National Intelligence Service to ensure security, an unexpected incident occurs. Maeng Bo-ram (played by Lee Sun-bin), an ordinary new Korean language teacher at a rural school, joins the development headquarters after her documents are accidentally swapped with those of a highly experienced committee member with the same name.

Professor Mun Ju-yeol (played by Yoo Jae-myung) serves as the chairperson of the committee, working alongside his right-hand man Gi Jun-su (played by Jeon Seok-ho) and Professor Go Jae-bong (played by Kim Gyeong-min), who is in charge of the philosophy section. Although Professor Mun is flustered upon seeing the young Maeng Bo-ram, whom he has never met, he decides to exploit the situation. Professor Mun recruits the misplaced Maeng Bo-ram to serve his own plans, which leads to a flow of entrance exam corruption. The film increases immersion by detailing the question-making process, where the chairperson's rival, review committee chair Park Gyeong-tae (played by Kim Yeong-min), verifies the questions. The cast includes Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Yeong-min, Jeon Seok-ho, and Kim Gyeong-min, with special appearances by Super Junior's Choi Siwon and Jeong I-rang.

Regarding this film, Omar commented, "While the title and poster are somewhat disappointing, feeling like an advertisement for a workbook, the film itself is interesting." He added that the portrayal of Lee Sun-bin appearing in a natural look with almost no makeup and the subject matter touching upon South Korean sentiments regarding the CSAT were particularly impressive. However, he noted that the protagonist's method of resisting corruption is somewhat lightly resolved compared to the black comedy genre's characteristics. Omar referenced the Thai film 'Bad Genius' to describe the tension of this film.

An interview room with only one person left: "The culprit is in here"

The film 'Final Interview,' introduced next, is based on the novel 'Six Lying College Students' by Akinari Asakura. Six applicants (played by Cho Yi-hyun, Kim Jae-won, Shin Seung-ho, Kang You-seok, Park Dong-hyeon, and Bae Gang-hee) who have reached the final interview for 'Spiralinks,' an IT company described as a dream workplace, build camaraderie through a one-month residential training period. However, as the number of hires is reduced to just one person due to the COVID-19 situation, their friendship instantly turns into a psychological battle for survival.

The interview method is unique. In the absence of judges, the six applicants must gather and decide on the final successful candidate through debate. They attempt to persuade one another by conducting votes every 30 minutes. However, the situation changes abruptly during the interview when documents are discovered revealing that one participant, Baek Seung-bin (played by Shin Seung-ho), had engaged in school violence in the past that led to a student's death. The documents included Baek Seung-bin's past whistleblowing contents along with related newspaper articles.

Upon confirming the existence of the documents, the applicants fall into confusion. Questions arise as to whether the company conducted a background check or if one of the applicants intentionally placed the documents. As the question "Are we people of that much value to this company?" is posed, the film takes on the aspect of a survival thriller as they search for who did this and why. The film 'Final Interview' was directed by Kim Jeong-hun and written by Kwon Oh-kwang.

The energy of young actors and a simple narrative

The actors appearing in 'Final Interview' consist of young talent, including Cho Yi-hyun, who played Jang Yun-bok in 'Hospital Playlist'; Kim Jae-won from 'You and Everything Else'; Shin Seung-ho from 'D.P.' and 'Weak Hero'; Kang You-seok from 'When Life Gives You Tangerines'; Park Dong-hyeon from 'Vincenzo'; and Bae Gang-hee from 'The Glory.'

Omar stated that the title of 'Final Interview' is simple, and while it is not as catchy as 'The Secret Behind the CSAT Questions' mentioned earlier, it gives a clean impression.

New challenges and attempts in Korean cinema

Both films deal with realistic keywords of South Korean society: competition, entrance exams, and employment. Omar applauded 'The Secret Behind the CSAT Questions' for its attempt to properly handle the subject of the CSAT by breaking away from conventional stories, and evaluated 'Final Interview' as a work where the energy of young actors can be felt. He emphasized that such approaches and challenges dealing with close-to-home keywords like the CSAT should continue to be accepted.

Source: original video (YouTube)