Turning Point of the Youngsters: A Rough Night Out in Seoul

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a cold splash of water, maybe. It’s definitely not a polished popcorn flick. If you have zero patience for slow-burn character studies or messy, non-linear motivations, you’re probably gonna hate this. But, if you’re into that raw, slightly desperate vibe where nobody makes the 'right' choice, you might get sucked in like I did.

The whole thing feels like it was filmed in a rush. There’s this one sequence in an alleyway near the start where the lighting is just… aggressive. It’s almost blinding. You can tell they were working with what they had, and honestly? It adds to the feeling that these people are trapped.

Won-yong Lee is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. He has this way of looking at the camera where he seems both totally lost and strangely arrogant. It’s a weird mix, but it works. Sometimes he stares for just a beat too long, and you start wondering if he forgot his lines or if he’s just waiting for the world to end. I kind of loved it.

The small stuff

I couldn't help but think about how different the pacing is compared to something like Headlines. Where that movie moves like a freight train, Turning Point just sort of wanders around until it finds something tragic to do. It’s not better or worse, just… exhausting. In a good way?

• The sound mixing is a bit of a nightmare. Sometimes the city noise just drowns out the dialogue.
• There’s a scene in a café that feels like it lasts for an entire eternity.
• The betrayal? You see it coming from a mile away, but it still feels like a punch to the gut when it finally lands. 🤕

There’s a strange moment where two characters are arguing about money, and the camera just fixates on a dripping faucet in the background. I don't know if that was intentional symbolism or just a lucky catch by the DP. Either way, I spent more time looking at the faucet than listening to the plot. Maybe that’s the point?

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not going to change your life. But there’s a distinct, jagged edge to the performances that makes it feel realer than most high-budget stuff you see these days. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it doesn’t care if you like it or not. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

I’m still not sure if the ending was profound or just rushed. It feels like the director just decided, 'Okay, that's enough,' and cut to black. I sat there for a second after the screen went blank, just thinking about that stupid faucet again. 🤷‍♂️