My First Client (2019)

Heartbreaking film based on a true story- prepare your tissues!

This film was definitely worth the long wait for decent English subs! I don't even know where to begin...

It was so well written and it absolutely breaks my heart to read that this plot is based on a true story. Watchers can see the growth of Lawyer Jung Yup who didn't agree that bystanders were guilty of the crime in the beginning of the film become someone who was first to stand up and protect Da Bin.

The actors all did an amazing job, especially the child actress who played Da Bin and the actress who played the evil stepmother. It must have been extremely difficult to act in either position (the victim or perpetrator) so I applaud them both for embodying their roles. I read an article saying that several actresses even rejected to play the role of the stepmother but the actress who accepted, Yoo Sun, did it to spread awareness. I truly hated the stepmother ever since she came onto screen and still hate the real person who committed this crime in the real case. How can the law punish these criminals so lightly?

Additionally, the music in this film was very good. The dramatic ominous BGM matches the hard-to-watch child abuse scenes and the sad string instrument BGM makes you immediately absorbed into the tear-jerking scene. Those sad scenes made me cry multiple times throughout the movie so definitely prepare yourself! I was practically bawling by the time the trial ended.

Most importantly, this film brings awareness to the problematic issue of the law regarding child abuse (in Korean) and how people don't report the abuse when they see it and ignore it. Da Bin grew to distrust adults since they failed to help her and her brother leave her dangerous home on many occasions. This is a very meaningful message behind this film and I hope that those who watch can learn and gain the strength to help others when they see they need it. Well, at least I will do my best if the situation arises. We need more people like Jung Yup and the young boy, Jang Ho, who helped Da Bin in this film.

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Jung Yup is unlike the usual "heroes" in a story like this, he was sloppy, he was worried about his own life, at 1st he didn't think about the kids but just his job, so that kinda gave it a nice approach. he wasn't a hotshot smart capable lawyer everyone listened to.
he was so sloppy he was the easiest adult the kids could approach ;(

everyone thinks "it's non of my business" or "someone else will interfere" and honestly that's the most heartbreaking part ;(
I thought if child services got involved they'd have the full authority to take the kids away from abusive parents.. if neighbors don't talk, if cops can't arrest abusers, if there's no punishment by law, then who protects those kids!
at the end of the movie they wrote "usually they get off with a warning or a fine", so unless kids DIE, NO ONE helps them!

and honestly only 16 years.. how was that ruled accidental death? it wasn't planned murder, but an adult hitting a 6 year old that severely is a murderer!

if dabinie was younger she'd have died too, her parents were worst than serial killers.. I'm glad they didn't charge Jung Yup with kidnapping ;(
it makes you wonder though, they found evidence, they got lucky, but what if they couldn't prove it? "she's lying", "there's no eyewitnesses", or even worse if the parents were rich or with a psychopathic lawyer, they'd have walked free..

I wish they showed the neighbors stepping in, or anything to say those people were responsible too. sure cops wouldn't do anything, but atleast just call...

what a cruel world we live in.. even if we see parents spanking their kids in public or yell at them we think "it's their kid, we can't do anything"



when I read the synopsis, and saw how her brother was supposedly a "ill-mannered" kid, I thought the sister was going to kill him so the step mom stops getting angry, tbh that'd have been scarier/more heartbreaking.
so even if this was based on a true story, it has been done before but it still made me cry. the directing though felt off.

I wonder what happened though, was she adopted by the lawyer? by his sister? or was she in an orphanage?

oh yeah, Jang Ho was such a charming little boy and a total scene stealer. he looked like any other happy kid but he was really caring, he worried for dabin and he was a big help in everything! such a precious baby!

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“Are kids born from parents who don’t love each other undeserving of love…?”

is a movie that really hits you in the feels. Prior to watching the film, I thought the movie would be a semi-thriller drama that offers some thought-provoking ideas. I mean, after all it is based on true events. Yes, the movie had these elements; but it also offered so much more.

☆The Good☆
Right off the bat, the acting by the two child actors was amazing. It was almost unbelievable how great they were. Their ability to emotional connect with the audience, making the viewers laugh and cry, was skilled not only for child actors, but was on the level of some elite actors. Also, Lee Dong-Hwi was amazing as always. The potential he has as an actor is truly incredible, with his own, original style that I don’t think anyone else can copy. The type of humor that he emanates is something only he possesses with his expressions and mannerism. I loved him in the the 2016 K-drama , loved him in this, and appreciate all of this other works as well.

Furthermore, another great aspect of the film was its ability to ride the fine line between drama, thriller, and comedy. The occasional humor scattered throughout the duration kept it from being too dark, and the balance it had between the different elements gave it a great mood and good shifts in tone when it transitioned from one to another. It had a similar vibe to that of ; it was less gruesome in its depictions, but the messages it conveyed were very significant. It definitely had more humor than , which I believe is what kept it from being an extremely dark film..

As briefly mentioned above, the movie conveys some crucial messages, more specifically societal messages on child abuse and the broken law system that’s currently implemented. It showed what the law can’t protect, how it needs to improve, and how easily it can be manipulated. One of the key messages I took away from the movie was the significance of adults and the role that adults need to play in children’s lives.

And the last piece of comment I would like to make in this portion of the review is that the cinematography was extraordinary. The movie was beautifully shot.

☆The Bad☆

The biggest negative of was its slow progression. It took an hour for the real plot to begin. I’m not necessarily saying that the story wasn’t good, but it did take a little too long in its early development. In addition to its slow progression, the film’s progression was also rather predictable. If you’ve seen the trailer, you basically know the overall story, and it doesn’t really move out of your thought bubble.

As I said in my review of  and , these types of movies aren’t for everyone. The film goes over some serious issues and pressing matters, which inevitably leads the movie to be relatively dark. I understand and acknowledge that this won’t suit everyone’s preferences, and so if you are not interested in/prefer darker movies, I wouldn’t recommend this film.

☆Verdict☆

It’s very heartbreaking to think that the story of was based on a true story, and that this is the reality we live in. The movie does a great time showing how really messed up the system is.. It truly shows the dark side of humans and how ugly we can be.

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