Next Sohee

Featuring stellar performances from Kim Si-eun and Bae Doona, Next Sohee is an extremely low-key character study that’s quite well made, but maybe a bit too slow for its own good. About a young girl who starts a new job only to slowly realize that the conditions there aren’t ideal, the film features confident direction from July Jung, whose no-nonsense style suits the material quite well. And it’s generally compelling enough, with the aforementioned great performances being a key reason for this — but it’s hard to deny that the lengthy 135 minute running time combined with the very deliberate pacing can sometimes make it feel like a bit of a slog.

**1/2 out of ****