You Call It Passion ~ Fabricated Story Versus True Story
“You Call It Passion” is a 2015 Korean film based on a novel, categorized as an Office, Workplace, Dramedy (Comedy and Drama); streaming on Viki.
SUMMARY: Being a journalist, you have to constantly make ethical decisions about what you write and reveal to the public. You can write about corruption OR just lie to people even though you know it’s not the truth. OR … you can do nothing at all. But you have to decide!
♦ The Story is Fabricated. What Should I Do?
In “You Call It Passion”, Do Ra-Hee is a probationary employee and if she does her job well she can become permanent reporter. If not, at least she’ll earn $900. Whoopee! It wasn’t easy for her to find a job, so she better make this work! Her mom expects her to start paying rent. On the plus side, she’s not the only one. Do Ra-Hee walked into work the same day as several other probationary employees, and as soon as they walked in, they were assigned. She was assigned to Entertainment.
Is that good? Not sure. As soon as she walked into the office, even before assignments were given out, she heard a man screaming at the top of his lungs. The guy who was yelling, Ha Jae-Gwan, is her new boss. But he doesn’t call it yelling or screaming. He calls it “passion,” and that’s how he expects her to do her work. With PASSION! Get it??!!!
Ha Jae-Gwan teams up the newbie, Do Ra-Hee, with a seasoned and experienced journalist, Sun-Woo. To everyone’s amazement, the newbie turns out to be an ace reporter. She managed to get exclusive stories when none of the other reporters could, even though they had years of work experience.
Getting juicy TRUTHFUL exclusive stories about celebrities, while separating gossip and intentionally malicious and false rumors from facts, is not easy. Then there is also the challenge to the integrity of the journalist. Do you write the truth OR do you publish a lie OR do you bury the story and act like you know nothing? What if the higher-ups tell you to publish the lie? Do you do what they say to keep your job OR QUIT?
Do Ra-Hee became a permanent employee, and one day a story that could make or break her career fell into her lap. It didn’t fall. Her boss, Ha Jae-Gwan, gave her an envelope filled with documents, photos, etc., and told her to write an article using the contents. He got the envelope from CEO Jang, the manager of an extremely popular celebrity who had been accused of sexual assault. The CEO said the information provided can PROVE the celebrity’s guilt.
Do Ra-Hee is not the type to do as she’s told, no questions asked. After carefully examining the envelope’s contents, she believed the story had been fabricated. In other words, the celebrity being accused was innocent. But why would CEO Jang provide false information about a celebrity she’s managing and destroy his reputation? That’s not the only question.
The more important question is, should Do Ra-Hee write an article about the celebrity using that information, or expose the truth about the CEO, or just pretend she knows nothing? CEO Jang has a lot of “connections”. Suppose Do Ra-Hee’s boss, her co-workers, and her higher-ups ALL know the story is false. What should they do? Don’t journalists and reporters have guidelines and a code of ethics they follow? Or do they bow to the whims of people like CEO Jang?
Main Characters:
- Ha Jae-Gwan (played by Jung Jae-Young, “The Fatal Encounter”, “Assembly”, “Partners for Justice 1 and 2”, “Castaway on the Moon”)
- Do Ra-Hee (played by Park Bo-Young, “Concrete Utopia”, “Melo Movie”, “Light Shop”, “Daily Dose of Sunshine”, “Doom at Your Service”, “Abyss”, “Strong Girl Bong-Soon”)
- Sun-Woo (played by Bae Sung-Woo, “Road to Boston”, “Beasts Clawing At Straws”, “The Swindlers”)
- CEO Jang (played by Jin Kyung, “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations”, “The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract”, “Dr. Romantic 1, 2, and 3”, “L.U.C.A.: The Beginning”, “Pinocchio”)
Viewership and Rating:
My personal rating is 8.2 out of 10 stars.
This film deserved a higher rating than My Drama List, but not as high as the Viki viewers.
My rating for “You Call It Passion” is because of its entertainment and educational value. I learned a lot about the world of entertainment/investigative journalism.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
You Call it Passion (South Korea, 2015) – Review | AsianMovieWeb
‘You Call It Passion’ promises plenty of laughs | The Korea Times
Interview: Jung Jae-young – Let’s first talk about “You Call it Passion.” | Korea JoongAng Daily
[Herald Review] ‘Passion’ loses its way | The Korea Herald
TRAILER/TEASER:
KoreanFilmBiz KoBiz. “YOU CALL IT PASSION (2015).” YouTube, 18 Nov. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2eZP6rjtZQ.
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K-Dramas That Involve Journalists:
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