3.5th Period (2021)

Overall review of the plot, characters, and editing of the film

- Part 1: Plot & Story:
The plot of the film is rather simple; high school boy gets trapped in a mid-dimension, after finding out his teachers are using some form of time magic, to ensure that students pass their exams. A few months later, a new transfer student finds out about this mid-dimension and takes it upon herself to save the trapped boy and stop her teachers from exploiting this magic ever again. This is a fantasy film, set in a high school setting, with seniors and their teachers. The central conflict in this story, is saving the boy, Dawon, and stopping the teachers. So truly, a very straight forward story through and through. The way this plot unfolds, telling the story, is by keeping the central conflict present at all times, and keeping the setting primarily at school, since that is where the Dawon resides in for the entirety of the film. Everything that happens, is because he finds out about the cheating happening in the special classes. And because he confronted his classmate about it, he was trapped in that 3.5th dimension. Since he is the central character in this story, the story can't really be set in any other place other than school. If this has been a long form series, then possibly it could be set anywhere else, but that would mean the character of Dawon, would have to travel to said other settings, effectively showing that the 3.5th world, is not just limited to the school, but it exists in the entire world. Of course, we don't know that, so this is only a theory. Going back to how the story unfolds, aside from keeping the setting present at all times, the conflict is as well. We barely go two minutes without being reminded that yes, Dawon is trapped, and yes, it is up to Ahjin to save him. Even Hanik, who is a central character, does not get as much time on screen, despite behind equally as promoted by the production company. By reminding us of the issue, there is a sense of urgency always present at all times in the film, and it is felt the very most when the climax hits. The climax of the film is undoubtedly when the head teacher, Mr. Han confronts Ahjin about the stolen rubber watch. It is then when everything begins to escalate, but before that escalation, the intensity of the scene, seeing her being dragged to her doom, it lets the viewers know that shits about to hit the fan. It is after this that we get the answers we have been waiting for; why and how Dawon got trapped. This is also when Dawon gains his freedom, and once again, the intensity builds and we reach the full climax that takes place from when Ahjin becomes trapped and ends with her returning without Dawon. Obviously, I have skipped over a lot in the film, but it's because those aspects pertain more to character, and less to plot & story. The story ends ambiguously, and it is unknown if it's done on purpose, or unintentionally, but the film ends with Ahjin somehow able to see Dawon in the 3.5th period, despite the clock being destroyed prior, and the 3.5th world collapsing in on itself. And it ends with showing the viewers, a fellow student walking past a remaining rubber clock & taking it with him. This ending can indicate that there is a sequel, and it is supported by the very 1st scene in the film, the scene of Ahjin standing in a dark hallway asking the person standing before her who they are. There is definite potential for a sequel thanks to the beginning scene, and the ending scene, but only time, and how much money they make, will tell if that is going to happen. As it stands, this is the plot, story, and how it was told.

- Part 2: Character Development:
I will be focusing mainly on 4 characters: Ahjin, Dawon, Hanik, and Ms. Choi, as they are the characters that have any real development. One thing I want to make clear before saying anything regarding the characters and actors, is that most of the actors in this film, are brand spanking new. They have yet to truly gain the experience of acting. This means that there is a lot to critique when it comes to the performance all four gave. As a writer myself, I can see what the writers had in mind for the development of the characters, but what was brought forth by the acting, and likely directing, is different from the intention of the writers. With that being said, I will talk about Ahjin 1st. Baek Ahjin, played by Weeekly's Zoa, is your average blank slate character. In storytelling, often times when creating a fantasy world, writers will make their main protagonist a somewhat of a blank slate, for the sake of the viewers. Through them we are learning about this fantasy world, which means what we learn, they are learning too, meaning they do not know anything, so all their reactions, will fall in line with the audience's reactions. Because of this, these types of characters also serve the purpose of acting as the viewers in these worlds. We are supposed to see ourselves in a blank slate, making it easier for us to immerse ourselves into the story. Being a "Blank Slate", does not mean the character has no personality, plenty do, but there is an element of unknowing that they all must possess, in order for them to qualify as one. Some well-known "Blank Slates" are Harry Potter from the "Harry Potter" book and film series. And Tori Vega from the hit Nickelodeon TV show 'Victorious'. Moving on to Ahjin's characteristics, aside from being a blank slate, she is someone who is caring, daring, smart, strong willed, unwavering, and brave. Right off the bat we get to learn how she's one not to let bullies get her down, that she does retaliate in non-confrontational ways, that are affective in shutting up her bullies. And we also learn that her and her family struggle financially, that her father is away on business all the time, in order to pay for her to attend such a high-end school. Right after meeting Dawon & learning about his situation, her caring and brave nature, makes her take on the challenge of saving him, despite him not asking her to. From there she becomes even more daring, stealing a watch to see if it will allow him to return. It's a risky move, as she could have gotten caught, and she did. But instead of crumbling down, she pushed back against Mr. Han for as long as she could, and had it not been for the 3.5th period beginning, she would have continued to fight against him until she physically could no longer. Towards the end, when it is her and Dawon trapped in the 3.5th world, she is willing to sacrifice herself, for Dawon to be free. She does so not knowing if she will ever be able to return but does not care. As long as Dawon is free and safe, she is content. This is who her character is on paper, and as the story progresses, she becomes more brave and more caring & sympathetic towards Dawon & his situation. When it comes to Zoa's ability to portray this character development, she did fairly well in showing us Ahjin's status as a blank slate, and she did perform all the actions asked of her, but there was a rather awkward and forced aspect to everything she did. And again, this is mostly because she's still learning, and that's just how it is when you're still learning. It is clear to me, that she understood what was being asked of her to do, but she did not fully understand her character in a deeper way. There was a lack of depth to the character. Most of her emotions were expressed through showing a slight variation of shock or confusion. Which granted, the entire situation is rather shocking and confusing, but it does make for limited emotion being displayed. And it's not easy to display emotions that might have never had, and then also apply them to a situation you have never been in, and then expect to have great results. I remember having trouble displaying any kind of sadness when I would act, because the situations these sad emotions were taking place in, where in events I had never experienced before. This is why being able to understand your characters motivations, inner thoughts, and the unsaid words, is important, because if you can't tap into any emotions to help you act, then at the very least, understanding your character in a personal way, will allow you to act out what they are thinking and feeling. With due time, and lots of practice, I am sure Zoa will have this down in no time. I hope she does have a passion for the art and does continue to pursue acting in the future. And now for Kang Dawon. As a character, he has far less depth, because he is used more as a plot device, than as a character. He is the one that creates the plot and central conflict, and assuming the creators want a sequel, this explains perfectly why he is yet again trapped in the 3.5th world. His purpose is to give the central protagonist, Ahjin, a reason to be the protagonist. Without him, there is no story. There is also the issue of his temporary amnesia, which causes him to be unsure of who he is. With the 3.5th world, he has no purpose, other than to be trapped, and you can sense that in his seemingly hopeless demeanor at first. Despite being the one that reaches out to Ahjin 1st for help, he ultimately doesn't ask for help, and when Ahjin says she will do whatever it takes to help him, he declines the help because he does not want to put her at risk. But he also just firmly believes no amount of her help, will change anything, and this is somewhat affirmed at the end, when he still remains stuck in the 3.5th world. He begins and ends in the same spot, the one major difference being that he knows he has a friend in Ahjin and Hanik, and they are more than willing to help him. Because Dawon is more of a plot device, than a character, the performance by the actor, is one that is less awkward, simply due to the fact that there is not much development going on. In order for development to occur, the character has to have had a change from the beginning to the end, but he remains the same, trapped once again. It is also clear that the actor himself, has had some adequate training, and has acted in something before, because despite his lack of character development, the actual technical aspects of his performance was well done. He was awkward here and there, he is still learning, so that's expected, but overall, he did a fine job. Still, there is still much to be desired about his acting during the imploding scene (when the 3.5th world is collapsing). Next up is Lee Hanik. Despite being promoted as a main character, Hanik is not on screen as much. Most of his screen time comes in the climax, as he is recruited by Ahjin to help her and Dawon out. Because of this, he also has little to no development. He starts of the movie as the cool baseball star that all the girls love. Right away we get that he is cool, as he takes a student's seat without any protest from the student, and he befriends Ahjin with no problem, after realizing she and him had attended the same elementary school. He has two scenes in the beginning that establish this, and then he is not seen again on screen for any substantial time, for 26 minutes or so, and even then, there isn't much to the scene, other than establishing that he is likely going to help Ahjin in her quest to save Dawon. The first real scene we get a sense of who Hanik is, is when he is protecting Ahjin from Sora, despite knowing that Sora is right in assuming Ahjin took her watch, as he did see Ahjin take something from Sora's locker, and she even said she did. It is a few minutes later that we get the line, "If I like someone, I trust them all," this implies that Hanik trusts Ahjin's judgement and reasoning for taking the watch, because he likes who she is. One can debate that he "likes" her romantically or platonically, as there is no real clear answer on which it is, since romance is not at the forefront of the movie, it's barely a subplot. But either way, he views her as a noteworthy person, and someone he can trust, likely because of their past as classmates in elementary school, but also because as he said earlier, he knows how Sora can be, so if she is antagonizing Ahjin, it is likely because she is doing so for petty reasons. Hanik later shows that he is someone that stands up for what's right, and as said before, helps Ahjin and Dawon free themselves, and also exposes the school's plans of using time magic to cheat on exams. His main character trait is that he fights for justice. I believe this is the reason why his performance is not as awkward as I expected it to be. Woojin has been a victim of false accusations, so he, more than anyone, knows what it's like to be accused, to be hurt by an unfair situation, & to not be able to get the justice one deserves. This is likely why he was able to tap into the emotions needed to play Hanik, relating to the characters moral compass and properly showing Hanik's natural incline to help others, especially those he cares about. There is still, just like everyone else, a lot of awkward moments, the most obvious one being his opening scene, as he clearly finds it hard to act cool, suave, and like the guy all the girls fall head over heels for. Still, Woojin did a good job, and I can't wait to see what else he has in store. And lastly, Ms. Choi. I will make this short and sweet because my back hurts. The reason I wanted to do this character, is because she is truly the one character that actually develops. She begins the movie distraught, stressed, and clearly showing regret for her actions, and she ends the movie, atoning for her actions, and trying her very best to save both Dawon and Ahjin, as well as helping them expose the school for what they were doing. The actress, Kang Byul, has been active in the industry since 2009, so it's no surprise that she was able to give the very best performance out of all of them. She expressed regret, self-hatred, and anger very well. I felt her shock at seeing the clock fix itself when she hit it with her fist. I felt her regret for her actions, and her relief at seeing Dawon again. This is what character development looks like when done right. I am unsure why she was the only one to get true development, but either way, it was greatly appreciated, and I enjoyed her performance the most out of everyone.

- Part 3: Technical Aspect of the Film:
This section is just me ranting about what editing aspects in the film did not sit well with me, and because I do love my back very much, I will keep this rant portion limited to one editing issue, that being the music. For starters, the music was poorly selected, placed, and edited throughout the film. A very huge example of what I mean, is the music in the 3.5th world. Music is incredibly important in any movie or show. It helps the audience understand the intensity of the scene, what emotions the characters feel, and subsequently, what the audience should be feeling as well. This is why the music is always very intense in any horror film, as its important to communicate to the audience, that the events taking place are a lot to handle emotionally, and they should feel suspense, frustration, and nervous the entire time. But one of the most important things when it comes to music in films and TV, is knowing when music is the appropriate editing tool to show the intensity and underlining emotions of the scene, and when music is NOT the right way to show this. One of the few things I distinctly remember from my music theory class, is that silence is just as effective as any sound. In the case of this film, the biggest sound mistakes the editors did, was play music each time the 3.5th period is entered, especially the very 1st time. There should have been no music, just the sounds of Ahjin realizing her world has stopped. Time moves slower, essentially not moving at all, unless said music is coming from the watch itself, there should be no sounds. This would have indicated to the audience that we have now entered a world within our world, that is similar in nature, but very different in every other way. And most importantly, it would have shown the confusion and shock Ahjin feels. On top of this, the songs were also just not that good, they felt like it was made by first year music majors that have yet to learn how to score properly for a scene, which is why the music for the 3.5th period, feels so childish and whimsical, like I'm at a circus and the show is just beginning. The fading in and out of sounds, was also poorly done, felt very choppy and ending suggests that they ran out of time to film and edit the movie, so they just left it at something open ended, so that they wouldn't have to think of a more concrete ending, and they could instead focus on editing and releasing the film. Rumor has it that filming began after Woojin's hair turned black, which means they had two months to shoot and edit the film. Most movies are filmed within a 3–4-month period, and are then edited for maybe 2-3 months, this means that '3.5th Period' as filmed and edited in about 1/3 of the time that most movies are filmed and edited. This is likely why we have so many plot holes, the ending being one of them. Why can Ahjin return to the 3.5th period without a watch at the end? How did Hanik steal the watch from Ahjin? Why did Han Jihoon pretend to not know who Dawon is? And then not inform his father, the head teacher & mastermind behind the test cheating plan, that Ahjin was asking about Dawon? How did both Sora and Jihoon not notice that Ahjin has a rubber watch, despite her having it out in the open in the same class that they share? Plot holes galore, and its likely because of the very short shooting and editing period. If they do plan to have a sequel, I suggest to SUNNY Ent. to spend more time filming and editing. Money is tight I'm sure, but the goal is to tell a good and compelling story, if the effort is put in, the results will come. Alright I am done, that is my review!

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