A Professor Addicted to Writing, Sinking into Desire [Limelight]

Netflix’s "The Last Row Boy"

Choi Min-sik Dissects the Defeat and Ruin of Heo Mun-oh

And His Compassion for Pathetic Humanity

Still cut of the Netflix film "The Last Row Boy".

There is a professor of Korean literature who becomes captivated by the writings of a student sitting in the last row of the classroom. Once he starts reading, he can't stop. Instantly recognizing the student's talent, he proposes a secret literature class. There is a reason behind his special affection: he is a failed writer who hasn't produced a follow-up work for 20 years. He has lived in the shadow of his successful peer, Kim Suhun (played by Heo Jun-ho). His work was dismissed, and even his first love was taken from him. Lee Kang (played by Choi Hyun-wook) frequents Kim Suhun's house, observing his daily life and writing intimate stories about it. Heo Mun-oh (played by Choi Min-sik) becomes completely absorbed in these writings.

This is the portrait of defeat depicted by Netflix’s "The Last Row Boy." Choi Min-sik did not interpret it as a mere personality flaw. Instead, he regarded it as a problem stemming from the wrong attitude as a creator. "Obsession with outward success is the root of the tragedy. He has spent his life tormented by Kim Suhun's biting remark in the past: 'If you have nothing you want to write about, isn’t it better not to write at all?' If his self-esteem had been high and his inner self strong, he would have just brushed it off, thinking, 'I've seen all kinds of crazy people.'"

The sense of lack felt by those who go unrecognized manifests itself in other ways. The German philosopher Hegel believed that human self-consciousness cannot be affirmed without recognition from others. Without being acknowledged, one constantly struggles to fill that void. Heo Mun-oh's urge to discover and possess Lee Kang's talent comes from the same context. Choi Min-sik interpreted this as an ever-present desire for recognition. "The longing for storytelling never dies. The only breakthrough is Lee Kang's writing, and he becomes completely immersed in it."

Netflix's Man Geutjul Sonyeon still cut.

Lee Kang's writing also accelerates the cracks. At first, he simply sympathizes with the voyeuristic gaze. However, when he realizes the dual father in the story is actually Kim Suhun, he loses his objectivity. Not only does he lose his ethical consciousness as a writer, but even his reason disappears. In the end, all of Lee Kang’s stories are revealed to be fabrications born out of revenge. What drowns Heo Mun-oh is not Lee Kang’s writing, but himself, as he projects his own desire for recognition.

Compared to "In the House" by director François Ozon, which is also based on the original work, Heo Mun-oh’s literary color is much lighter. There are no scenes of him teaching Dostoevsky’s writing techniques or correcting tense and narrative style. Rather than a literary mentor, he is closer to an authoritarian character consumed by inferiority. Choi Min-sik did not deny this. "The existing structure has been infused with many elements of Korean suspense. I wanted to explore the causality that a single careless remark can trigger catastrophe."

Choi Min-sik also believes that Lee Kang’s desire for revenge is not unrealistic. This conviction comes from his own experience. "When I was in third grade, I suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis. I went to the hospital with my mother, and the doctor said right in front of me that there was no hope. Even now, those words remain in my heart. There is nothing in the world that cannot be understood."

Netflix's Last Row Boy still cut.

However, he did not put himself and Heo Mun-oh on the same footing. "I have almost never felt inferior to others. I have simply suffered countless times from hitting my own limits."

Choi Min-sik said he feels pity for Heo Mun-oh, who is trapped in his pain. Even after losing his family, being expelled from school, and having his face all over the media, he cannot let go of storytelling. He writes as he drinks soju with canned tuna as a snack. "How painful must it be, the weight of that suffering. It should not be carelessly judged. He may be pathetic, but I want to embrace him."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.