As a mystery-thriller movie, Recalled reflects on how far humans could go in the name of love.
*Spoiler Alert
Waking up from an accident with no memories, Kim Soo-jin (Seo Yea Ji) is assisted by a man who claims to be Ji-hoon, her husband (Kim Kang Woo). Her kind husband helps her recall her memories through a notebook and guides her on how to deal with her acquaintances whom she doesn’t remember.
Soo-jin bumps into residents from her apartment, and she seemingly sees what will happen to them in the future. Worried for them, she goes out of her way to stop the foreseen events. After all that, Ji-hoon brings her to the hospital and makes sure that she takes her medicine.
With the recent conversation with her old workmate and the police visit to her house, Soo-jin’s suspicions towards her husband begin to increase. She sneaks out of her house at night to check on a resident from her apartment.
A man carrying a heavy suitcase comes out of the unit she’s investigating, and she sees the dropped necklace of the man. Her suspicions lead her to report her husband to the police with the necklace she found in her husband’s things. However, checking on the apartment unit, her suspicions are dismissed as a false alarm.
Uncovering Perplexing Memories
Once again, Soo-jin bumps into a resident, but now it turns out the man she met at the elevator, Ji-hoon (Sung Hyuk), recognizes her as his wife. She is horrified after realizing that the husband she’s living with at present is not her real husband.
Foreseeing her real husband’s murder, she rushes to her husband’s old worksite and alarms the police. Arriving at the site, the police save Soo-jin from falling, and discover a fatally wounded body.
During Kim Sun-woo’s interrogation, it is revealed that he is Soo Jin’s adoptive older brother, not her husband. She goes back to her apartment and sees the young residents she tried to save, and they suddenly disappear.
She realizes that truly they were her hallucinations, and the future events that she visioned are actually her memories. She visits the address the police gave her and is shocked to see Ji-hoon alive.
Overhearing that Soo-jin is in danger, Sun-woo escapes the police station to rescue her. Waking after the traumatic event, the police inform Soo-jin that Sun-woo has died while protecting her from the explosion, and hands a box from the embassy. Viewing the video recorded, she recalls how caring Sun-woo was all throughout her life.
Marcie Line watched Recalled on Vivamax
Movie Rating: 
Recalled Movie Peak Points
Dark Memories Masked as Illusions
Beginning the story at the present time, the plot of Recalled tricks its viewers into believing that it has an element of fantasy.
However, it turns out that the foreseen future events are actually Soo-jin’s memories.
Even though she is convinced that her visions are real, all those are constantly dismissed as hallucinations by the hospital.
Truly, the residents she has seen at present were hallucinations, nonetheless, they are true to some part of her life as those are her memories.
Following an uncommon way to narrate a story, viewers may connect the events in the film at its ending.
Throughout the earlier part of the movie, the residents are unnamed, yet Soo-jin is concerned and empathizes deeply with them despite their first meeting.
The events may be somehow confusing, but in the end, it will all make sense like puzzle pieces that fit together.
Unpredictable Tricky Plot Twists
A lot of parts in the movie are quite unpredictable, and one’s guesses on what will happen next might be wrong.
Observing the gaze of Soo-jin’s husband in the first part of the movie, there are already hints that he is hiding something despite his affectionate image.
The movie makes the viewers feel convinced that Soo Jin’s caring husband is suspicious and abusive from the past.
However, just when we believe that her present husband should be punished, it is revealed that her husband at present is not the real one.
Sun-woo, who pretends to be Ji-hoon, is Soo-jin’s adoptive older brother. He has never been an abuser in her life, but instead was a savior.
Ji-hoon coming back alive after bleeding and being soaked in cement is unbelievable, but understandable for the plot’s direction.
Throughout the movie, viewers may experience the same feeling as Soo-jin’s. The turn of events and the memories recalled may be as shocking to the viewers.
Recalled Movie Musings
For the first parts of the movie, the turn of events may be confusing, but all questions in mind can be answered at the end.
The part where Ji-hoon survives alive even after all he has been through can make viewers rethink if such is actually possible in real life.
Still, the movie is successful in producing a thriller that boggles the minds of its viewers.
Seo Yea Ji portraying Soo Jin reminds me of her character in Save Me as they have similarities. Soo-jin is constantly gaslighted, and her medications have an effect on her recall of memories.
Given that, a lot of topics including abuse are touched in the movie. It somehow educates viewers about the possible signs of abuse and presents various decisions humans make in order to stop it.
Sun-woo accidentally becomes a murderer while trying to save Soo-jin in her teenage years. He also covers up for Soo-jin once more by dragging and covering unconscious Ji-hoon in cement.
Soo-jin’s Disturbing Love Scenario
At the near end of the movie, Ji-hoon mentions that he and Sun-woo both love Soo-jin. The difference is that Ji-hoon wants to kill Soo-jin out of love while Sun-woo saves her.
Such poses the question of how far can someone go in the name of love.
For Ji-hoon, his actions can never be considered as love for Soo Jin. Hurting someone physically or mentally can never and will never be accepted as an act of love.
Moreover, it exposes the sad reality orphans may experience growing up. Soo-jin has experienced maltreatment even in her married life.
She forgets all of these after her accident, and her life with no memories represents a possible answer to the question of whether life would be better when all is forgotten.
It is clear with Sun-woo’s efforts and death, recalling bad memories is inevitable, but there is hope in finding peace.
Digging deeper into the plot, viewers may consider the movie as a mystery thriller with substance.
People unfamiliar with this genre and way of storytelling may feel confused in the first half of the movie.
Nevertheless, they may be entertained and enjoy playing detective finding the characters’ motives along the way.
Recalled is now available on Vivamax and iQiyi for selected regions.
Photos: CJ CGV | Finecut Co., Ltd.
