Glitch is Netflix’s latest Korean drama, and it embodies all of the strangest and finest aspects of science fiction based in reality, while also utilizing other genres to explore a weaving narrative of loneliness, faith, and discovery. “Aliens stole my lover” is a fantastic premise, and Glitch takes it as far as it can to explore adulthood, life choices, and the search for something larger than a mundane existence.
Glitch is a film directed by Roh Deok and written by Jin Han-Sae about Ji-Hyo (Jeon Yeo-bin), a lady who can see aliens, and Bo-ra (Im Jin-Ah), who has been hunting them.
Two sides of the same coin, the two meet while they’re young, drift away as adults, and are brought back together when Ji-lover hyo’s goes without a trace, leaving only a faulty smartwatch behind.
Jihyo’s life is rather simple. She has an office job thanks to her connections, and a boyfriend who wants to move in with her, and even if it’s dull, it’s complete and typical. Bo-ra, on the other hand, is a content producer who is tattooed, doesn’t brush her hair, and gets by with her other alien otaku buddies. As the two continue to collaborate, they discover a cult, a mystery, and secrets that go deeper than they imagined.
Glitch’s biggest trick is to keep you guessing about the reality in which the characters live. Is there something to the cult? Are the aliens genuine? Is everyone insane and obsessed? While our main characters, Ji-Hyo and Bo-ra, appear to have the most solid foundation of all the characters, it shakes as new developments emerge. Furthermore, their shared history continues to shape their trust and chemistry as the series develops from episode one to episode ten.
Regardless of what is going on, actresses Jeon and Im give outstanding performances as ladies who are rarely seen in Korean dramas. Bo-ra is a braggart. She smokes, does whatever she wants, and isn’t scared to play chicken with a bull. She has the tenacity and resolves that does not shy away from violence and views regulations as guidelines. She is fearless while being vulnerable enough to be grounded by her past.
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Ji-Hyo is sympathetic, yet she lives in her own world, unconcerned with maintaining appearances. To top it all off, she is completely uninterested in her years-long romance with her partner, even down to a comical sex scene that portrays her amorous apathy. In fact, the lack of any significant romance in Glitch helps keep the series’ focus on the goal at hand: recover the missing lover while also proving that a mad cult is abducting people or determining whether it’s indeed aliens. As Ji-Hyo and the others seek larger solutions, the boyfriend of it all becomes a formality.
Glitch brilliantly blends science fiction and mystery, with twists and turns that take the story beyond your expectations. It takes abrupt genre shifts, switching between sci-fi, action, mystery, and humor on the go. However, the series does an excellent job of demonstrating how simple it is to persuade people after they have gained their trust. You can make people see UFOs, make them give up their lives for a religion based on greed, and even distort their memories of past events.
The series also criticizes religious experiences and pastors, as well as personality cults that readily control their adherents. Glitch succeeds because it demonstrates how delicate individuals are and how, in times of loneliness and desperation, we can grasp at any ray of hope.
Having said that, Glitch’s tempo can be glacial at times. With stories being extended and drawn out even when they appear to be reaching their natural crescendo, there are instances when the narrative begins to drift around the core ideas rather than aggressively engaging them as if there needs to be more time to fill an episode. However, this is rare and only mildly dampens the experience.
Glitch, on the other hand, is a success. It’s funny and intelligent, with two intriguing and well-rounded leads. Glitch manages to find its feet and never slips despite moving between so many distinct genres. Glitch isn’t quite sci-fi, but its innovative storytelling and genre-merging make it endearing regardless.
Glitch is exclusively accessible on Netflix.
