Aloners is a profoundly relatable and subtle study of voluntary isolation. Much of the world suffered from a lack of face-to-face contact due to the pandemic. As a result, interpersonal interactions became more difficult once allowed. Aloners may not take place during the pandemic, but the effects of being denied personal contact for 18 months has had a lasting psychological effect on so many. First time writer/director Hong Sung-eun, gives us a personal tale relating to her loneliness, which existed well before Covid.
Aloners focuses on Jina (an amazing Gong Seung-yeon), a young woman living on her own, with purposefully limited contact with others. Jina is the top producer at the credit card call center where she works. She excels at a job where her contact with people is over the phone, and distant. Whenever she leaves home, her headphones are in and her eyes are glued to her phone.
Jina has a comfortable relationship with her boss, and constantly, but politely, ignores her neighbor’s pleas for friendship. She also continually ignores calls and texts from her father, who wants to discuss her (recently) late mother’s will. However, all three of those situations are about to change and make Jina rethink her decision.
The neighbor that had tried befriending Jina is found dead and alone in his apartment, after a week of no one noticing. Jina’s boss (much to Jina’s dismay) asks Jina to train a new, spunky employee, and Jina has to reluctantly visit her father to go over her late mother’s will.
Aloners is a character study in loneliness. One that would be much less effective without the incredible performance of Gong Seung-yeon. Despite limited dialogue, she perfectly conveys the combination of apprehension and dread of an introvert having to come out of their comfort zone. And once forced, Jina decides that perhaps uncomfortable company is better than the loneliness of isolation.
Aloners is a remarkable film about the reasons why people purposefully disengage with interpersonal communication, and what may trigger them to re-examine that decision. Centered by a near-perfect performance by Gong Seung-yeon, this is an emotionally relatable movie that speaks to both introverts, and the people trying to break through their walls.
Score
Aloners is a remarkable film about the reasons why people purposefully disengage with interpersonal communication, and what may trigger them to re-examine that decision. Centered by a near-perfect performance by Gong Seung-yeon, this is an emotionally relatable movie that speaks to both introverts, and the people trying to break through their walls.
