bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

James Marsh

3/5 stars
Dear Jinri, directed by acclaimed documentarian Jung Yoon-suk (Non-Fiction Diary), is constructed around the final interview given by Korean celebrity Choi Jinri, better known by her stage name, Sulli.
As the film states in its opening credits, this lengthy sit-down conversation was recorded “shortly before her passing” – the only reference made to Sulli’s untimely death by suicide on October 14, 2019.
Born in Busan, South Korea, where the film had its world premiere last week, Sulli rose to fame as a child actress before being selected as a member of the five-piece K-pop girl band f(x).


Sulli continued to pursue a film career, landing prominent roles in The Pirates and Fashion King, both released in 2014. Citing mental and physical exhaustion, she took a hiatus from f(x) around this time and would never rejoin the band.
Sulli became the target of sustained cyberbullying, receiving criticism for her relationship with Dynamic Duo rapper Choiza, her appearance and wardrobe choices .
Because I Hate Korea: low-energy take on the Korean diasporic experience
Despite all of this, she became an outspoken feminist advocate on social media, showing her support for Comfort Women Day – observed in remembrance of the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the second world war – the no-bra movement and other notable causes championing women’s rights in Korea.
Tragically, Sulli’s battle against depression came to a horrifying end when she hanged herself in her home.
Frustratingly, Jung’s documentary covers none of this information, assuming that the audience already has a complete understanding of who Sulli was, the controversies and scandals in which she became embroiled, as well as the unspeakable pressures of the Korean music industry and its fan base that ultimately consumed her.

While the film does include snippets of footage from television appearances, social media vlogs, and a short film she was in the process of shooting, Jung tiptoes cautiously around the real story.
He also employs elements from L. Frank Baum’s fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a framing device – supposedly prompted by Sulli’s 2019 single “Dorothy” – to limited effect.
Instead, what Dear Jinri delivers is a snapshot of a young starlet clearly uncomfortable in her own skin. Turned out in an immaculate white button-down shirt and blue jeans, she struggles to answer the director’s questions about beauty, celebrity and herself.

During the frequent, sustained pauses we watch Sulli struggle desperately for something substantive to say. Soon, it becomes painfully clear that she is a victim of her own success, an object of beauty thrust into the limelight by an industry that subsequently failed to adequately protect her from the attention it engendered.
The results are admittedly heartbreaking, but perhaps not in the way the filmmaker intended.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.
In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


AI-driven K-dramas, movies ring in new era of freedom for creators, but challenges remain

Who is Jung Yu-mi, popular Korean film actress from coming K-drama Love Your Enemy?

Gladiator II, The Last Dance, Love in the Big City, Cesium Fallout: our latest film reviews

Love in the Big City movie review: Kim Go-eun leads mould-breaking Korean romantic comedy

Asian cinema: Korean films

Busan 2023: Dear Jinri movie review – K-pop star Sulli interviewed shortly before her suicide for heartbreaking documentary

K-pop singer Sulli in a still from “Dear Jinri”. Jung Yoon-suk’s heartbreaking documentary is built around the final interview given by the f(x) group member.

K-pop singer Sulli in immaculate white button-down shirt in a still from “Dear Jinri”.

K-pop singer Sulli in a still from “Dear Jinri”. The film is punctuated by frequent pauses as she struggles to answer the interviewer’s questions.

Busan 2023: Believer 2 movie review – new Netflix sequel to the 2018 Korean remake of Johnnie To’s Drug War is a bloodthirsty, nonsensical mess

Han Hyo-joo as Big knife in a still from “Believer 2”. Photo: Jung Jaegu/Netflix.

Cho Jin-woong in a still from new Netflix Korean action movie “Believer 2” (category TBC), directed by Baek Jong-yeol. Cha Seung-won and Han Hyo-joo co-star. Photo: Netflix

Cha Seung-won in a still from “Believer 2”. Photo: Jung Jaegu/Netflix

Han Hyo-joo in a still from “Believer 2”. Photo: Jung Jaegu/Netflix

Busan 2023: Because I Hate Korea movie review – muddled addition to trend of films about Korean diasporic experience sees Ko A-sung play a free spirit

Ko A-sung in a still from “Because I Hate Korea”.

Ko A-sung as Gye-na in a still from “Because I Hate Korea”, shown at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival.

A still from “Because I Hate Korea”.

Ko A-sung as Gye-na in a still from “Because I Hate Korea”.

Netflix movie review: Ballerina – Korean actress Jeon Jong-seo reunites with The Call director to play an assassin in slick and gory thriller

Jeon Jong-seo as Jang Ok-ju in a still from “Ballerina”. Photo: Yoo Eun Mi/Netflix

Jeon Jong-seo as Jang Ok-ju in a still from “Ballerina”, a slickly executed Korean thriller  on Netflix directed by Lee Chung-hyun. Photo: Yoo Eun Mi/Netflix

Park Yu-rim (front) in a still from “Ballerina”. Photo: Yoo Eun Mi/Netflix

Kim Ji-hoon in a still from “Ballerina”. Photo: Yoo Eun Mi/Netflix

The Moon movie review: simply awful Korean riff on sci-fi blockbuster The Martian, directed by Along with the Gods’ Kim Yong-hwa

Doh Kyung-soo as rookie astronaut Sun-woo in a still from “The Moon” (category IIA, Korean), directed by Kim Yong-hwa. Sol Kyung-gu co-stars.

A still from “The Moon”.

Sol Kyung-gu as the reinstated flight director in a still from “The Moon”.

Ransomed movie review: Korean comedy thriller starring Ha Jung-woo as a diplomat in action is gripping entertainment

Ha Jung-woo (left) and Ju Ji-hoon in a still from “Ransomed”.

Ha Jung-woo (top) and Ju Ji-hoon in a still from “Ransomed”, directed by Kim Seong-hun (category: IIB, Korean).       

Ju Ji-hoon in a still from “Ransomed”.

Ha Jung-woo in a still from “Ransomed”. 

Lifestyle

K-Pop

K-movies

 Artists & celebrities

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Music

Artists & celebrities

Jung Yoon-suk’s Dear Jinri is built around the final interview given by K-pop star Sulli, which was recorded ‘shortly before her passing’ in 2019
The film tiptoes around the facts of her suicide, the controversies and the nature of the industry, choosing to assume the audience already knows who she is


Jung Yoon-suk’s Dear Jinri is a heartbreaking documentary built around the final interview given by K-pop star Sulli of girl group f(x) – recorded ‘shortly before her passing’ in 2019.


Asian cinema

Film reviews

Cinema

What's hot in Korea

South Korean celebrities

Fame and celebrity

K-pop idols

K-pop scandals

K-pop, Mandopop and other Asian pop

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | Busan 2023: Dear Jinri movie review – K-pop star Sulli interviewed shortly before her suicide for heartbreaking documentary