Series Review Persona: Sulli (2023)

 

Persona: Sulli | 2023 | 2 episodes
Genre: Documentary | Country: South Korea
IMDB: 7.9/10
My Rate: 10/10

Sulli's final work before her passing, consisting of an imaginative short film and a heartwarming documentary interview, giving a glimpse into the other side of celebrity life.

Synopsis:

Persona: Sulli is the second season after the Persona series starring IU. The series was originally planned to consist of 5 short films. However, Sulli's sudden passing in the middle of filming the second episode led the production company to change its plans. Persona: Sulli consists of 2 episodes and is her final work before her passing in 2019.

 

Episode 1: Four: Clean Island

A little girl has to lose the woman she calls 'mother' in an accident. In critical condition, she gets her name, which is 4. From then on, she is called by the name 4.

Growing up, 4 works at a pig slaughterhouse. Until one day, 4 meets a special pig who is also named 4. They become friends and spend their days together like two people who are the same. Until the girl 4 sees an advertisement about Clean Island.

She decides to take her pig friend to Clean Island. She believes that by going to that place, she will be able to start a new life. However, 4 doesn't know the real hidden secret.

 

Episode 2: Dear Jinri

A documentary about the life of Jinri a.k.a Sulli's real name. The use of her real name in this documentary allows viewers to understand Sulli as a private person, not as a celebrity. This documentary consists of 5 chapters inspired by L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is also related to Sulli's last song, Dorothy. 

In this documentary, Sulli tells about her early life, her successful times as a Kpop Idol and actress. In addition, Sulli also tells about the dark side of her life from mental illness, feelings where she feels like a commodity, to negative comments she receives.

 

Review:

“I might be stronger once I accept my vulnerability”

Persona: Sulli is a very important work in Sulli's life, considering this is her final work before she decided to end her life. Even though the production team must have experienced difficulties when their planned project had to be changed suddenly. However, the decision to still present the work to the public is the best choice. Considering all the effort and totality that Sulli has poured into the work.

The first episode has a unique story. There are many implicit messages using various similes used to depict conditions in society. How celebrities are often seen as commodities like the pigs at the slaughterhouse. The character development and storytelling are done very well. Even the plot twist at the end of the story is truly unexpected and makes this film very interesting.

Sulli's acting is also very good. Where she has to act as two different characters. The makeup and style used also look very stunning.

The memorable scene is when the girl 4 seems to be talking and joking with the pig 4. Where both sometimes look like 2 girls chatting, sometimes look like 2 pigs playing. This scene has a very deep meaning for the audience. We can feel the happiness enveloped by the loneliness that both feel.

The second episode, which is the result of a documentary interview with Jinri, is presented realistically. There are several parts where we can see silence and also real expressions from Jinri. We can see the real Sulli who is rarely shown on television, namely Jinri as a human being.

What is touching and may cause sadness is the fact that Jinri decided to end her life after this interview was conducted. Fans who love Jinri will surely feel a connection with their idol by watching the interview. Viewers may also understand the reason behind Jinri's decision.

The presentation is done well, coupled with glimpses of video clips from Sulli, her interaction with fans, and also clips of her work. The documentary is also presented very artistically. It can be said that the production team has successfully created a good tribute work to Sulli.

The memorable scene is when Sulli tries to hold back tears when asked how she deals with the pressure she receives. In this scene, we can understand all the feelings that are raging in Sulli's heart and mind that may be difficult to express to the public. Through this scene, we learn that what we do to others can have an impact that we never imagined before. Therefore, it is important for us to always be kind to others.

 

(Aluna)