“Just sitting down guarantees passing?”
It cheerfully unravels the bitter reality of civil service exam takers with brilliant imagination. ‘Operation 815’ (directed by Son Byeong-jo and Jo Hyun-sang) deals with the humorous yet painful reality war surrounding the coveted seat in the library.
The film is a black comedy about two long-term civil service exam takers, ‘Young-soo’ and ‘Kyung-seok’, who are fighting for the library's 815th seat, which supposedly guarantees passing just by sitting there.
Living in desperation day by day, these two long-term exam takers find that the only glimmer of hope for their precarious love lives, families, and futures is ‘passing’. One day, they hear that sitting in the library's 815th seat guarantees passing, and they begin to struggle to secure that spot. The battle for seats is more intense than the exam itself, with laughter and reality intersecting without a break.
Equipped with a unique and vivid setting and humor closely tied to everyday life, it also offers subtle emotional depth. In particular, actors Kim In-kwon, Jang Hee-woong, and Noh Young-hak, who have solid acting skills, portray their distinct characters in a more three-dimensional way, creating synergy.
Kim In-kwon plays ‘Kyung-seok’, a long-term civil service exam taker who is shaken in front of the wall of reality while facing his wife, who is exhausted from their financial struggles after three years of preparing for the civil service exam, showcasing his unique everyday acting and human warmth.
Jang Hee-woong, who plays ‘Young-soo’, a character who has failed the civil service exam for five years, has previously made a mark as a distinctive supporting actor in dramas like ‘Cross’ (2018) and films like ‘Split’ (2016), and he takes on his first leading role in this work. He humorously and delicately expresses the inner turmoil of a character who lies about passing due to his partner's ultimatum that they can no longer wait for him.
The two actors, who are polar opposites, create a colorful and vivid ensemble of characters within the limited space of the library. With Noh Young-hak joining in, they portray the exhausting and fierce reality of preparing for civil service exams in a delightful manner that anyone can relate to at least once.
This is the latest work by director Son Byeong-jo, who has made a name for himself in the web content and independent film scene, having been nominated for Best Drama and Best Screenplay with the opening film ‘Gukbap’ at the 3rd Seoul Web Fest, and leaving a deep impression on audiences with his warm and meticulous direction in the OBSW special two-part drama ‘Family Love Birth’ (2022), ‘The Great Sports Day of Lee Tae-baek’ (2019), and ‘Ryeon-hee and Yeon-hee’ (2017).
Released on August 14. Rated for ages 12 and up. Running time 74 minutes.
