2024 was a good year for TV series. There were several productions, each of which could have monopolized all the Emmy Awards if it had been any other year.. But in this case they will have to compete for laurels. As if that weren’t enough, The Sympathizer, produced by HBO in collaboration with A24, directed by Park Chan-wook and featuring a fine cast of four Robert Downey Jr.s, also demands consideration in the race.
“Fawn” was a complete surprise, its creator bared his soul to the whole world, and the series became one of the most successful in Netflix history. Fallout has broken the frustrating curse that has doomed all video game adaptations to complete crap.. And The Three-Body Problem proved that adapting deep, thoughtful stories is still profitable.
Now we need to describe five reasons why The Sympathizer has enough artistic merit to stand up to these three television masterpieces.
The Vietnam War as you’ve never seen it before
The Sympathizer begins by making it clear that we will see the Vietnam War from the perspective of the people of the country that is being invaded. Because in Vietnam such a war is known as the American War. Hollywood’s superiority over every other cultural industry leads us to perceive this conflict as “a war that the United States lost.”. In doing so, we completely ignore the Vietnamese experience, reducing them to mere villains who enjoy tormenting American soldiers.
The best part of The Sympathizer revolves around this conflict. For a couple of episodes, he concentrates on producing a film about the Vietnam War. Although the director (played by Robert Downey Jr.) seems to be trying to be as detailed and accurate as possible, hiring a cultural consultant and demanding that authentic Vietnamese extras be found, in the end his film shows that all it takes is one good American soldier. save the day, unlike the bad apple soldier, the exception who gets out of control. In this way, you will avoid a deeper confrontation with this shameful war without asking what the Americans were doing there in the first place..
This is one of the best spy stories ever made.
The plot tells the story of the Captain, a communist spy who enjoys the full trust of the most important general in South Vietnam, the capitalist side of the conflict. He is forced to flee the country after the defeat of the United States to continue his espionage work in the service of the new leaders of a united Vietnam. Through the main character, we can appreciate the essence of the conflict: the contrast between the values of Western culture and the values of Eastern culture.. Because he is half Vietnamese and half Western, he both understands and tolerates the pros and cons of each side.
“The Sympathizer” illustrates the world of espionage as a brutal space in which there is no room for morality or compassion. As a double agent, he is forced to commit terrible crimes to avoid detection. Technically, he works for both the Vietnamese intelligence services and the CIA, personifying himself as an effective but brutal agent (played by Robert Downey Jr.). These types of organizations are not afraid to get their hands dirty as they specialize in covert warfare and special operations. In many cases, the captain will have to participate in atrocities committed against his communist allies, and then avenge crimes in which he himself participated.. You wonder if all your efforts really serve any purpose, since your role in this huge conflict is secondary.
The four faces of Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. has proven that he is one of the best actors in history. Not content with becoming the highest paid actor in history while leading the Marvel franchise for over a decade, The New Yorker wanted to show the public that his talents don’t stop at pretending to be the coolest man in the world in blockbuster movies.. That’s why, after playing Doctor Dolittle (he was paid twenty million for it, so we forgive him), he decided to play Christopher Nolan. Lewis Strauss’s performance in Oppenheimer earned him a well-deserved Oscar.
Robert Downey Jr.’s work on The Sympathizer is simply on another level. This reminds us of Peter Sellers playing three roles in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. Obviously, only a superb actor would be able to pull off such a feat. In this case, Downey Jr. is responsible for the lives of four characters, each of whom represents different pillars of American society.. CIA agent, politician, university professor and film director. Each has a different accent, complexion, and narrative function. This was clearly the best creative decision of the series, especially during the scene where the four characters are talking to each other while sitting at the same table. Thus, they also became a symbol of the stereotype that Westerners have difficulty telling Easterners apart since the same thing happens the other way around.
Warns of the dangers of ideologies
In an interview with Salon magazine, series creator Park Chan Wook said, “I want viewers to understand that all political ideologies, systems, revolutions or ideals arose with the goal of creating individual happiness. But they ended up going in the opposite direction, and these efforts actually resulted in the suppression of individuals.“
The Sympathizer holds a nihilistic view of political ideologies. Both capitalists and communists do not hesitate to commit atrocities in the name of their values.. Both decide to ignore moral considerations in order to achieve their goals. Thus, as has happened many times in history, in pursuit of heaven they end up creating hell. This series asks us to think about how susceptible we all are to falling into mental traps that can destroy our character.
This is the best thing Park Chan Wook has done in years.
Knowing that Park Chan Wook is involved in the production of the film should be enough reason for any movie buff to want to watch it. The Korean revolutionized his country’s cinema, putting this small nation on the world map with films such as Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Thirst and many other gems. His style is all about blood and adrenaline (Thirst is about a priest who becomes a vampire) as he often explores the darkest sides of human existence.. In The Sympathizer, for example, he spends a lot of time on the topic of torture.
It’s a real luxury to enjoy seven hours of film directed by Park Chan Wook. After his last film, The Decision to Quit, turned out to be completely lackluster compared to the rest of his masterpieces. It’s great to see that he hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to crafting a compelling story. which manages to stay with you long after you’ve finished watching it.
Source: Hiper Textual
