The Audience Completes the Story with Their Imagination

'THE GUILTY' is an 88-minute drama that unfolds entirely within a single situation. The only main character seen is a man named Asger, an emergency dispatch operator. He's a police officer sidelined due to an incident he caused, but it seems he's been cleared of wrongdoing and will be allowed to return to duty tomorrow.

Just then, he receives a call. A frightened woman's voice claims she's being kidnapped by her ex-husband and forced into his car. She's pretending to be on the phone with her child, whom she left at home, to contact the police. The narrative progresses solely through Asger's interactions with the people on the phone: a gruff male voice demanding, "Who are you talking to?", the sound of a car engine, and his exchanges with the police officers dispatched to help her.


Asger is by no means a likable character. He's insolent, sometimes dismisses the caller with a scoff, and tells her it's her own fault. His conversation with a former colleague suggests the incident that led to his suspension was also quite shady. With the protagonist, the only one we see, being so unappealing, it's extremely difficult to empathize. Just as you think this, the story takes a sudden turn. Upon hearing the woman's call, Asger's demeanor completely changes. Tension creeps into his voice, and before you know it, you're drawn into the narrative.

Before long, the audience finds themselves increasingly aligning with Asger. What we witness becomes the good in Asger, desperately trying to solve the case unfolding on the other end of the line. His sense of justice, befitting a police officer, begins to surface rapidly.


The unseen kidnapping case he desperately tries to solve is certainly a powerful hook. This visual, which shows almost exclusively Asger's face for 88 minutes, provides strong stimulation and keeps the audience from getting bored. A major factor is the viewer's own imagination, creating their unique world from the audio. Humans reportedly only process about 11% of information through hearing. This means the audience, in their effort to grasp the full scope of the case, unconsciously engages their imagination to the fullest, becoming deeply involved in the story. They do this to compensate for the remaining 89% amidst extreme tension. And what awaits at the end is a stunning conclusion.

You'll exclaim, "They thought of that?!" while being completely captivated by the power of the storytelling that draws the audience in. While you might be misled during the film, this is not the kind of twist that can be described with a "cheap" word like "plot twist." It is a sad truth unfolding within a profound human drama. It is a life so poignant that it could happen in the real world.

The audience experiences the entire ordeal, placed in the same situation as Asger. You will feel the ultimate sense of presence. Anyone who has seen it will surely agree that it deserves the label of "new sensation suspense."

However, the film's brilliance lies in its refusal to end there. What the audience ultimately learns is that this drama isn't just about the case unfolding on the other end of the phone, but about the transformation of one man through it. Indeed, the kidnapping case, told only through voices, is shocking. And its ending is equally stunning. But Asger's truth, revealed through the case, his confession, and his awakening, pierces the heart with painful intensity. This is the meaning behind the directorial choice to show only Asger.

The drama depicted here is so profound that it even evokes Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment.' Come to think of it, I'm convinced that this is the underlying thought behind the title 'THE GUILTY.'

At the 34th Sundance Film Festival, it won the Audience Award (World Cinema Dramatic Competition) alongside 'Searching' (NEXT category). In addition to awards such as the Audience Award and Youth Jury Award at the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Director's Award at the 44th Seattle International Film Festival, it has swept audience awards at film festivals worldwide. What will you gain from this meticulously scrutinized information? A Hollywood remake by Jake Gyllenhaal has also been decided, and this film, which has impressed filmmakers around the globe, is something you should definitely experience.



★★★★★ Hats off to the superb plot that stimulates the viewer's imagination.