Beyond the Mystery: ‘Toxic Parents’ Review
There’s an intricate dance of familial relationships; parents often become a weighty presence, burdened with expectations and legacies. These expectations can be exhausting and, at times, suffocating. Children have an innate need to fulfill their parents' expectations; however, sometimes it is too much to bear. The struggle to meet these demands, coupled with the dread of failure, can make the love of well-intentioned parents feel daunting. Kim Su-in's heartbreaking drama, Toxic Parents (2023), ventures into this emotional terrain through the lens of a classic South Korean murder mystery.
The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a seemingly innocent riverside picnic that takes a tragic turn, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. The police conclude the deaths to be part of a group suicide; however, Kang Hye-young (Jang Seo-hee), the mother of one of the victims, Yoo-ri, (Kang Anna) a model student, claims otherwise. Mystery shrouds Yoo-ri's unfortunate demise and only raises perplexing questions. What forced Yoo-ri to seemingly take her own life? The film takes an intriguing and captivating turn as detectives try to piece together the bewildering puzzle.
Toxic Parents is a subversion of the murder mystery genre. Although the initial tragedy sets the stage for a standard detective case involving the complex death of a teenager, the film’s attention to detail and structure elevates it into a more empathetic light. Kim Su-in's writing skillfully delves into the intricate interior lives of the characters, revealing layers that, while not entirely unexpected, resonate authentically. The film transcends its murder mystery facade, transforming into an affecting and disarming drama with its tragic conclusion.
The film navigates under uncertainties by casting suspicions on various characters, including Yoo-ri's ex-best friend Ju Ye-na (Choi So-yoon), her homeroom teacher Kim Gi-beom (Yoon Jun-won), and her overbearing mother. The exploration of these characters uncovers the events that led up to Yoo-ri's demise. There is a connection between all these characters – an invisible string attached to one another, a familiar grief unknowingly shared by one another. As the mystery unravels, so does the connection between the four, and the truth of their pain becomes impossibly clear.
One of the main themes of the film is the overbearing love of a parent. This is the type of love that pushes the boundary between tough love and toxicity. It portrays how extreme a mother’s love can become – suffocating and unbearable. As pieces of the mystery of Yoo-ri's death are pieced together, glimpses of Yoo-ri's relationship with her mother unravel, revealing the horrific truth of her death. It was the endless expectations that led to her demise. Although many of the immoral actions Hye-young takes are well-intentioned, they cross Yoo-ri's boundaries, leading Yoo-ri to rebel and ultimately take her own life.
Throughout the film, the audience is subjected to several types of toxicity from parental figures. For Ye-na, it is the lack of relationships. Ye-na's mother is dead, and Ye-na craves a motherly relationship. She feels it is better to have that relationship than go without. This mindset disillusions herself when she learns of the type of relationship Yoo-ri has with her mother. She wholeheartedly believed that Yoo-ri was well-loved and cared for; however, that was far from the truth, and Ye-na only realized that when she learned of Yoo-ri's death. She feels guilty for not helping Yoo-ri when she needed it.
The relationship Gi-beom and his father have is rocky. His father constantly frowns at his career choice and takes every opportunity to ridicule him. There is one specific scene where his brother’s fiance asks if Gi-beom wants anything on their marriage gift list. His father immediately shoots her down and insists that she should not allow Gi-beom to leech off of her. From the expressions of Gi-beom's mother and brother, this outburst appears to be a regular occurrence. They don’t make much effort to put a stop to it. In a few lines of dialogue, the audience learns the reason for their strained relationship: Gi-beom went against the wishes of his family to pursue a career that would make him happy rather than what would make his father happy. Gi-beom is a reflection of Yoo-ri's possible future had she defied her mother's expectations.
There is one familial relationship that isn’t explored as much as the others. Hye-young's relationship with her mother is not as extensively explored as the others. Its purpose is to transform Hye-young into a more dimensional character. Although not as explored as the others, it still serves an important purpose in understanding the film. Hye-young's relationship with her mother is similar to her relationship with Yoo-ri. The only difference was that Hye-young's actions were born out of love–misguided love–while Hye-young's mother was not.
The English title “Toxic Parents” is the only item that seems to be a misstep. The Korean title “독친” (dok-chin) translates to ‘single parent’ in English. The English title eliminates the mystery behind Yoo-ri's death and the layer of ambiguity that the Korean title establishes. This oversight oversimplifies the profound exploration of the difficult subject matter within the film. Despite this, Toxic Parents even-handed treatment of the complex familial dynamics was carried out extremely well.
In the emotional exploration of familial complexities within Toxic Parents, Kim Su-in crafts a narrative that delves deep into the burdens of expectations and the intricate dance of love and toxicity. As the film unfolds, it skillfully peels back layers, unraveling the interconnected lives of its characters and exposing the shared grief that binds them. The nuanced portrayal of overbearing parental love, the strains in familial relationships, and the haunting repercussions of unmet expectations resonate profoundly. While the English title does take away the film’s subtlety, the storytelling triumphs in its examination of its complex subject matter. Toxic Parents leaves an indelible impression, inviting reflection on the delicate threads that weave through the tapestry of family dynamics, making it a compelling and thought-provoking experience.
