I-ut saram

THE NEIGHBOURS is another engaging murder mystery/crime thriller from South Korea, this time based on a popular web cartoon. As usual for this country, it's layered with social commentary like many others in this genre, looking at people's willingness to turn a blind eye to conflict in order to lead a quiet life. The film is quite unusual in that we don't get one lead but rather a small community of different characters, all of whom have very different and intriguing back stories. It takes a while to get going and is slow at times, and there are some annoying stylistic choices, like having one actress playing multiple roles. But it all comes together for a highly satisfying climax, and Ma Dong-seok shines in a star-making role.