The Sympathizer

The story from an unreliable narrator, a double agent, full of deceit and uncertainty. Hoa Xuande is the discovery of the year, an utterly convincing performance from a chameleon you root for despite his moral failings. He's overshadowed only by the multi-role Robert Downey Jr. and he's a little different every time, though as the oddball CIA agent, he's clearly the best. Cynical humour, apt similes and the wrongs of life in both a democratic and communist country. The absolutely superb immersive opening is replaced by slightly erratic passages, but the whole is still a powerful experience thanks to Park Chan-wook's precise direction. P.S: The best episode, though, is the one of the war film where the Vietnamese refugees have to say communist lines like the Viet Cong. (29.05.2024)