The case of Sun-woo’s class abduction was particularly cruel, because not all the bodies were recovered (obviously), due to the killer’s disposal method, dumping them into a collapsing mineshaft. To ease the parents’ grief, a kind-hearted tech company (there must be some out there, right?), created digital AI programs based on their children. The AI programs reside in an online world called “Paradise,” which is a terrible name, but it lends itself to the ironically dramatic title. Through special glasses, parents could summon holograms of their digitized children to interact with.
As the years passed, many parents stopped visiting and even had their child’s program deleted, but not Ryu. She cannot give up the idealized version of her son. Then the real one shows up. It is immediately clear the flesh and blood Ryu has engaged in some serious criminal behavior. Nevertheless, the confused mother tries to make the best of it, until the real Sun-woo’s makes it impossible to ignore his cruelty.
Paradise Lost might be the darkest, most pessimistic thriller ever produced that still remains compulsively watchable. Adapting Oh Seong-eun’s novel, Yeon and co-screenwriter Ryu Yong-jae find a new way to caution against over-dependence on AI. Yet, that is not the source of peril in this film. Arguably, Yeon presents a new and fresh take on the subject, which is really something, considering how many films are trying to cash-in on AIphobia.
And yet Yeon and company still manage to find a way to leave viewers utterly chilled. Paradise Lost will get under your skin, but you cannot look away once you start watching. Very highly recommended for fans of domestic family thrillers and those fascinated by the hot-button subject-matter, Paradise Lost opens in theaters this Friday (11/6).
