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Once the mildly terrifying fake soap commercial is out of the way, the first word we hear in Savon is a monotoned "bloodstains", suggesting we might be in for The Evil Dead reimagined by the Mo Brothers. There is indeed blood, murder, and after-the-deed mopping up in this debut by Korean director Lee Jun Sup, but the Hitchcockian thriller shoots for more than shock value.
The sad facade of celebrity, class divisions, and the corporatization of well, everything, are just some of the themes explored as aspiring actress Jae-in (Jung Yi Ju) is thrust into a world where bars of soap make everything disappear. As a director, Lee understands less is more, and not just when the blood flows; from the travel-porn bars to the rain-slicked paths winding through lush parks, the vibe is a low-key and meditative midnight-black. Mood is everything. And morals matter for nothing when actions have no consequences.