Unlocked (2023 film)

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Unlocked
Promotional poster
Hangul
스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데
Literal meaningI just dropped my smartphone
Revised RomanizationSeumateuponeul tteoreotteuryeosseul ppuninde
McCune–ReischauerSŭmat'ŭp'onŭl ttŏrŏttŭryŏssŭl ppuninde
Directed byKim Tae-joon
Written byKim Tae-joon
Starring
CinematographyKim Yong-seong
Edited bySin Min-gyeong
Music byDalpalan
Production
companies
Studio N
Mizifilm
Distributed byNetflix
CJ ENM
Release date
  • February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)
Running time
117 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Unlocked (Korean스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데) is a 2023 South Korean psychological thriller film directed by Kim Tae-joon in his directorial debut, starring Chun Woo-hee, Yim Si-wan and Kim Hee-won. It was released on Netflix for streaming on February 17, 2023.[1][2]

Plot

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Lee Na-Mi is a young woman who primarily works as a marketer at a start-up company that sells jelly drinks, with a part-time job at her father's cafe. One night Na-mi loses her smartphone on the bus and it's picked up by Oh Jun-yeong, who uses a fake voice app to arrange for Na-mi to pick up her phone at a repair shop the next day. At the repair shop, a masked Jun-yeong fixes Na-mi's broken phone screen and gets the password from her in order to install spyware on her phone and clone it.

Jun-yeong, who has done this before to eight victims, methodically follows Na-mi's daily activities to learn about her life. Using this information, he stages repeated meetings with Na-mi and befriends her. Na-mi's father, Lee Seung-woo, is suspicious of Jun-yeong, so Jun-yeong tricks his way into Seung-woo's house and keeps him prisoner so he cannot protect Na-mi.

Simultaneously, Detective Woo Ji-man investigates a murder case involving a dead body found on a remote mountain, and finds clues that implicate Jun-yeong, his son that he hasn't seen in ten years. Ji-man finds Jun-yeong's apartment with evidence of his activities, but Jun-yeong tricks him and is able to destroy the evidence. Seven additional bodies of Jun-Yeong's victims are found.

Jun-yeong uses Na-mi's social media to leak work information and badmouth her company, causing her to get fired. Na-mi and her best friend, Eun-joo, try to report the hacking to the police but are told to find evidence of the hack first. Jun-yeong intercepts Na-mi and Eun-joo's message to their friend who is a digital safety expert, and presents himself as the "expert" instead. Jun-yeong manipulates Na-mi to believe that Eun-joo is responsible for the hack; Na-mi and Eun-joo have a falling out, leaving Na-mi completely isolated.

Na-mi remembers going to the repair shop and returns there, where she meets Ji-man and his partner, Kim Jung-ho, who have also just tracked down the shop. Na-mi realizes that Jun-yeong was responsible for the spyware and suggests setting a trap for him at her apartment; she is unaware of the danger, as Ji-man doesn't tell her that Jun-yeong is a serial killer. Ji-man and Jung-ho see Jun-yeong approach Na-mi's building but do not recognise him and let him leave.

Believing the trap has failed, Ji-man and Jung-ho send Na-mi to her father's house. Jun-yeong is already there, and he taunts Na-mi, forcing her to drown her father in the bathtub. Unknown to Jun-yeong, Ji-man and Jung-ho have received a signal from Na-mi and return to the house, where they apprehend Jun-yeong. It is revealed that "Jun-yeong" stole the identity of Ji-man's son, the real Jun-yeong, who was his first hacking victim. Na-mi, believing her father is dead, shoots "Jun-yeong". However, Seung-woo is alive, and Ji-man accepts the blame for shooting "Jun-yeong", who is arrested.

In the aftermath, Na-mi returns to her life, continues working with her father, is reconciled with Eun-joo, and her social media reputation is restored.

Cast

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A marketer at a startup company.
A man approaches Nami after accidentally picking up her smartphone.
A detective chasing the culprit of a murder case.
Nami's father.
Nami's best friend.
The president of a startup company is Nami's senior.

Production

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The film is based on the Japanese novel of the same name by Akira Teshigawara, which was adapted in to 2018 film Stolen Identity. The principal photography began in March 2021 and ended on June 27, 2021.[7]

The film was originally scheduled for the theatrical release by CJ ENM, but later decided to be released on Netflix.[8]

Awards and nominations

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Award ceremony Category Nominee / Work Result
32nd Buil Film Awards[9] Best Actor Yim Si-wan Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "임시완·천우희 '스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데' 2월 17일 넷플릭스 공개" [Im Si-wan and Chun Woo-hee, 'I just dropped my smartphone' to be released on Crackle on February 17th] (in Korean). JTBC. January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Naver.
  2. ^ Kim Seon-woo (January 13, 2023). "Netflix to release Korean thriller 'Unlocked'. Check date, key details". The Economic Times. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Kim Hye-sun (January 19, 2023). "섬뜩 빌런 임시완 '스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데' 예고편 공개" [The creepy villain Im Si-wan's 'I Just Dropped My Smartphone' trailer released] (in Korean). Iplus. Retrieved January 20, 2023 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Jeong Jin-young (February 19, 2023). "[환승연예] '스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데' '어웨이크' 그러게 부모 말 좀 잘 듣지" (in Korean). Daily Sports. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Kwon Soo-bin (February 8, 2023). "'스마트폰' 박호산·김예원·오현경, 천우희 곁의 사람들" (in Korean). News Culture. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Kim Hyun-rok (March 22, 2023). "동은오적만 있나…'더 글로리' 전진오, 빌런 잡는 빌런 떴다" [Is there only Dong-Eun-Ojeok? 'The Glory' Jeon Jin-oh, a villain who catches the villain is on the rise] (in Korean). SpoTV News. Retrieved March 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  7. ^ Ko Seung-ah (June 30, 2021). "임시완·천우희 현실 스릴러…'스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데' 크랭크업" [Im Si-wan and Chun Woo-hee's reality thriller... 'I just dropped my smartphone' crank up]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Naver.
  8. ^ Lee Seung-mi (November 5, 2022). "다시 '넷플'로 향하는 신작 영화…왜?" [A new movie heading to 'Netflix' again... why?] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Naver.
  9. ^ Nam, Yoo-jeong (August 27, 2023). 누가 받아도 될 정도로 훌륭한 후보들, 그중 최고는 누구? [Who's so good that they deserve to be awarded, and who's the best of them?]. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved August 27, 2023.
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