Many of us have worked in high stress and high pressure work environments. If you have not, allow me to tell you that it can be tough. In 2014, a Comcast customer in the USA recorded a conversation with one of their call center representatives to cancel service - a reasonable and simple request that this representative apparently felt personally responsible for preventing. Thus, the behavior that was caught on record demonstrates an “embarrassing” glimpse into the pressure that a customer service call center can put on its employees, even in parts of the world that are supposed to offer safe and supportive work environments.

Next Sohee, writer and director July Jung’s sophomore film 8 years after the debut of her critically acclaimed film A Girl At My Door, is a disturbing tale about abhorrent work conditions for people too young and vulnerable to effectively protest them and the sprawling endorsement of this unacceptable system. The story is infuriating, intentionally so, as it depicts the despair one can experience when they feel stuck in a toxic situation with no options or resources, and the amoral reasons that allow this to happen. Jung's film, presented in two halfs, cuts deep as the hearts and minds of audiences grow heavy under the scenario that unfolds on screen and its aftermath.

The first half of Next Sohee follows Young Sohee (Kim Si-eun), a pop dancer and student lined up to participate in what is referred to as an externship - although by North American standards, the role functions more like an internship. Sold to her by her teacher as a hard to get opportunity, Sohee shows up to find that the job is merely call center customer service work for an internet service provider. She quickly finds that this is more than a high-demand job - it’s a center for exploitation of workers with unfair compensation and unethical business practices. The experience - toxic and psychologically traumatizing - leads her to take her own life.

This event incites the second half of the film, where Detective Yoo-jin (Bae Doona) steps in to investigate the tragedy. As the company, the school, and every organization involved passes blame to avoid liability, Yoo-jin beings to see the full scope of the disturbing system that systematically farms students off to unsuitable work environments - everything in a greed-centric effort to uphold metrics to earn incentives with no one holding accountability for the health and wellbeing of the people being subjected to these heinous conditions.

With cell phones, mobile video recording, and live streaming being active parts of these young people’s lives and crucial components to Yoo-jin investigation, the story is unmistakably placed in the present day - a constant reminder of how egregious the failures of common sense laws and worker protections are. Yet, the exploitation of system loopholes is rampant, and watching these failures in the system play out through Sohee's experience, then exposed through Yoo-jin's investigation, is disheartening to witness. The film - perfectly paced to not rush its two stories, nor linger too long to belabor the point - is written in a way that allows that frustration to well up inside audiences much like the way it festers in Sohee: gradual discontentment with every injustice that's rationalized and every traumatic event that's sidestepped, headed towards an inevitable fever pitch.

It's a compelling story that is anchored by incredible performances from the film's two leading actors. Sohee’s descent from an optimistic and bubbly young girl to a distressed and hopeless corporate slave worker is an engrossing display of character transformation by Si-eun, even as an undeseriable one. And then like a baton is handed off from one half to the next, Doona enters the story wearing a mostly stoic and subdued personality; a quality about her character that makes her moments of reaction - and she is given impeccably timed moments to react - even more meaningful. 

After all, Next Sohee knows when and how to throw a punch - both leads get their chance to take highly satisfying swings at aggravating behavior. But the biggest swing is from the film as a whole; a strong, prolonged gut punch to the empathy and moral sensibilities of the audience. Leaving the experience of watching Next Sohee can imbue a new sense of mindfulness about work culture and humanity. Caring about the welfare of people over profit is important, and if you care about people, then you'll care a lot about this film.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 1 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 2 | What does this mean?