Best Friend (2020)

Best Friend is the kind of drama-comedy that sneaks up on you: it starts with the sly mechanics of a surveillance operation in 1980s South Korea, then gradually reveals a warmer, more human story about conscience, loyalty, and the uncomfortable ways politics seeps into everyday life. Director Lee Hwan-kyung finds a nimble tone—often funny in its awkward, neighborly espionage, but never flippant about the era’s tension—and the performances (especially Jung Woo and Oh Dal-su) make even small moments feel lived-in and quietly affecting. It’s less a twisty thriller than a character-driven film that lets empathy do the heavy lifting, rewarding patience with emotional payoff. If you prefer sharp-edged satire or nonstop suspense, it may feel gentle at times, but if you like films that balance humor with heart and historical weight, this one is easy to recommend.

Best Friend is trying to balance a tense, politically charged 1980s surveillance setup with broad, crowd-pleasing comedy and a warm “found family” arc, and you can see the intent to humanize both sides of a grim system. The problem is the tonal juggling act can feel messy: the humor sometimes undercuts the stakes, and the story leans into familiar sentiment and easy turns rather than digging as sharply into the real political terror it’s hinting at. If you’re expecting a hard-edged political thriller or a historically rigorous portrait, this may come off a bit too safe and sitcom-adjacent. That said, the cast is likable, the period atmosphere is solid, and it can work if you want a gentle, bittersweet dramedy with a political backdrop rather than a punchy takedown.