intro:
The movie's native title, "화란," is an old-fashioned transliteration of the word "Dutch". Yet, in the movie, the Netherlands symbolizes Yeon-gyu's hope for a better life, alongside his mother. At first, it seemed almost paradoxical that the English title of this film should be "Hopeless," when the original title came closer to "Hope". Perhaps this is because Yeon-gyu's utopic version of the Netherlands is in and of itself a form of false hope: the Netherlands is not the idyllic, free of economic inequalities, country Yeon-gyu makes it out to be.

"Hopeless" follows Yeon-gyu, who still has hope, and Chi Geon, who has hope only for Yeon-gyu. It is a story of tragic kinship between a boy and a man who never got to be children.

acting:
The acting from all cast members was stellar. This is especially true for the lead actors, Hong Xa Bin, Song Joong Ki and BIBI. They played their characters so well, their emotions were so raw and genuine, that I couldn't peel my eyes away from the screen. When they cried, I cried. Their performances, both subtle and loud, were award-worthy.

plot:
A story following the descent into darkness and moral corruption of a protagonist has been done a thousand times. Similarly, there are a library's worth of gangster flicks. What makes "Hopeless" different? In terms of plot, nothing really. Instead, what "Hopeless" brings to the table is something intrinsically human. The focus here isn't flashy action but the characters themselves. Perhaps I'm just imagining it, but I found the camera's focus to be more often than not on the characters' faces. With limited dialogue, it is these faces that tell much of the story. And tell a gut-wrenching story they certainly did. "Hopeless" offers a story you've certainly heard before, in a way you'll likely never hear it quite like again.

I'd been looking forward to this movie ever since I learned of its existence, and for the past couple months had been eagerly checking this page in the hopes of news of its release. With the trailer's release, I knew this movie would be amazing. Safe to say, my intuition was correct. In fact, I was so immersed in this movie that I can't even comment on its cinematography. I guess a re-watch is likely in store for me. I highly recommend this movie to any viewer able to withstand graphic violence. Please have a box of tissues at your disposal.