What do these Koreans eat? I want the same. I've said this only a few occasions, every time I see an exceptionally written and performed Korean film or series. The six-episode "Notes from the Last Row", streaming on Netflix, is one that elicited this reaction after a long time. The fact that

What do these Koreans eat? I want the same. I've said this only a few occasions, every time I see an exceptionally written and performed Korean film or series. The six-episode "Notes from the Last Row", streaming on Netflix, is one that elicited this reaction after a long time. The fact that

What do these Koreans eat? I want the same. I've said this only a few occasions, every time I see an exceptionally written and performed Korean film or series. The six-episode "Notes from the Last Row", streaming on Netflix, is one that elicited this reaction after a long time. The fact that

What do these Koreans eat? I want the same. I've said this only on a few occasions, every time I see an exceptionally written and performed Korean film or series. The six-episode "Notes from the Last Row", streaming on Netflix, is one that elicited this reaction after a long time. The fact that "Oldboy", "I Saw the Devil", and "Exhuma" actor Choi Min-sik is playing one of the main characters is enticing enough. He is born to be part of these twisted psychological thrillers, be it a negative or positive character. I'm not going to tell you which category his character in "Notes from the Last Row" belongs to. Without spoilers, I'm just going to give you a basic impression of what the show is about.

The first line is most important, says Heo Mun-oh, the literature professor played by Min-sik, in one of his classes. He is talking about written stories. But this applies to even cinema and television shows, doesn't it? How you open matters, especially in this age of dwindling attention spans (something I mentioned in my review of "I Will Find You" as well). I don't know how "Notes from the Last Row" will be perceived by those who prefer their shows to move at a certain pace — the fans of rapid editing, chases, shootouts, a twist every minute...

A slow-burning (of the best kind) psychological thriller, “Notes from the Last Row” opens with a most ordinary image: Mun-oh correcting a student's paper and putting a large red 'X' on it. But those who have seen the actor's previous work know how much he can convey through mannerisms and gestures alone. He doesn't have to speak. His face is like a book. We cannot say that for all actors, can we? And whenever he speaks, he doesn't need a bassy delivery to create the intended effect.

There are times when he raises his voice. One example is a scene in which he tells a student her assignment reeks of plagiarism. “It has no heart and soul,” he says. She threatens him, telling him she is an "influencer" with 30k subscribers, for giving a harsh review. But this only adds more fuel to the fire. Her colleague attributes his reaction to his deep-seated insecurity stemming from his frustrating inability to write his second novel. Was that the real reason, or was it because the student really stole from other people's work?

The influencer can wait. It's another classroom moment when he gets really angry — instantly recalling a moment from "I Saw the Devil", the way he says one thing and immediately follows it up with a response to his trigger — that becomes this show's most pivotal moment, the entry of the other lead character: a brilliant student named Lee Kang (Choi Hyun-wook).

Without giving anything away, Kang brings out a side of Mun-oh which he himself didn't believe he had. This is where the show finds enough opportunities to mine humour, dark and otherwise —  and we know how great Koreans are with dark humour. There is a heist-like situation that generates as much tension as it does laughs. In terms of thriller tropes, "Notes from the Last Row" shares, to an exent, a few qualities with Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite", Christopher Nolan's "Following" and "Memento", and the 1972 film "Sleuth" (with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier) — especially the last three films, because in spite of other characters’ presence, a larger share of the tension comes from the principal leads’ interactions.

This is a show with an admirable sense of restraint; it isn't in a hurry. It sits closely with its characters, immerses us in their thought-provoking interactions, and asks us to reflect on what that line or this gesture meant. It shows that you can create a mind-bending situation merely by having two characters sit opposite each other and indulge in long conversations. "Notes from the Last Row" touches on multiple topics: the artist's relationship with his/her art, a creation bearing traits of the creator, the realisation of one's fantasies through one's creations (a book, film…), and much, much more... This show is a gem that lets you marinate in its flavour just enough to leave its scent on you for quite a long time.

Series: Notes from the Last Row

Director: Kim Kyu-tae

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Choi Hyun-wook, Huh Joon-ho, Yunjin Kim, Jin Kyung

Rating: 5/5

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