Project V

A woman assumes her brother’s identity to compete in a violent reality show in this straightforward near-future adventure from Park (Capitalists Must Starve). Kim Wooram, a gifted engineer-pilot, is locked out of the competition to pilot South Korea’s largest mech, or giant robot suit, because of her gender. After she disguises herself as her twin brother, Kim Boram, and enters the competition, her experience and skill means her victory is all but assured. Instead, the drama comes from concealing her secret while her every move is being recorded and discovering what’s really going on with the national mech, the eponymous Project V. The competition proves just as much about popular favor as mechanical know-how, feeding into Park’s light satire of the entertainment industry and the reality show format as Wooram’s single-minded focus and refusal to cater to fans set her apart from her competitors. While her hyper-competency and clever solutions can be entertaining, Wooram rarely struggles and undergoes little development. This, combined with the sometimes stilted translation, makes it difficult to fully invest in Wooram’s progress. Still, lovers of mech sci-fi looking for a breezy feminist power fantasy will find something to enjoy. Agent: Ivan Mulcahy, International Creative Agency. (Apr.)