Movie Digest
‘The Cursed Lesson’ is a thriller and horror movie with suspense. Hyo Jung is a commercial model who fears losing her job due to the upcoming generation coming after her. Her old high school classmate Ga Yeong informs her about a yoga class with exceptional results. She joins the class with Mi Yeon, Ye Na, and Ji Won. They are not allowed to use their mobile phones, and therefore no communication or surfing on the internet. Outside the yoga class, there is an investigation of a murder committed by a former yoga student Bo Ra. On the other hand, suspicious supernatural things begin in the yoga class. What would happen to the students? What is the story behind the murder? To find the answers, watch the movie.
The Feel-Good Part
The movie attempts to show the pressure of Korean beauty standards. It also portrays the difficulties faced due to insecurity, senescence, and drugs. Even though the movie’s genre is horror, too much blood and gore are refrained from being shown; just the right amount. The psychological horror aspect enthralls one to want to watch what happens next. The visual facets are impressive and fascinating to the eye.
The Disappointing Factor
Despite the movie’s attempts to show the adverse effects of societal standards for appearance, it fails to do so. The scenes are artistic instead of horrific, which is the genre of the movie and hence do not serve the purpose. The plot is unclear and lacks depth, and one has to use too much logic to understand the story. The pacing seems slow. The ending often confuses the viewers. Too many plot holes make it difficult to connect the dots. A few scenes look as if they are missing a crucial puzzle piece. The reasoning is lacking. The students could have been more interactive, and the plot could have proceeded in a different dimension altogether.
In-Depth Analysis
The movie mainly focuses on how societal expectations make a person reach it by any means available, be it good or bad. One can feel what Hyo Jung, the protagonist feels while going through it. The urge to be perfect in society’s definition provokes her to enroll in the yoga class, where suspicious things seem to be happening. The price of the desire to reshape oneself with the help of that yoga studio is unimaginable. Hyo Jung and her classmates begin to hallucinate about snakes and ill friends. These hallucinations later become a part of psychological horror. The supernatural element plays a huge role in the plot. There is no particular theme of horror. The explicit content limits the audience to 18+. A sudden plot twist at the end of the movie confuses the viewers as to whether whatever happened was real or just an imagination. A few scenes imply that it was real, while others prove otherwise. Ultimately, the plot is not powerful enough to fulfill the original motive.
Star Power
Lee Chae Young plays the role of Hyo Jung, the protagonist. The supporting actors, along with Lee Chae Young, portray their characters to their best.
Overall Opinion
The movie has a combination of supernatural and psychological horror themes. Those who are interested in such a plot could try this movie once.
