A Single Rider

Lee Zoo-young's 2017 Korean film follows Jae-hoon, a fund manager who loses everything when his firm collapses, travelling to Australia where his wife and son live. But he does not knock on the door; he watches from a distance and sees the life his family has built without him. The structure rests on a secret revealed not in the middle but at the end, after which every scene takes on another meaning. Lee Byung-hun's performance is almost entirely silent. A second line follows a young Korean woman being defrauded in Australia, and joining the two lines is the film's weakest point. The pace is very slow. Who it's for: viewers who like Korean drama and stories with a structural surprise. Who it's not for: anyone wanting pace, or avoiding content involving suicide and sexual violence.