Mask Girl review: Netflix’s addictive new Korean series is an edgy alternative to sappy K-dramas

The seven-episode mini-series begins as a darkly comic social satire, and then transforms into a revenge saga, before turning to melodramatic violence in its third act. Spanning decades — flashbacks take us to the 1970s, while flash forwards are set in the present day — the series tells the tragic story of Kim Mo-mi, a young woman (played by three different actors) who always dreamed of becoming a famous star, but was held back because of her looks. Nobody let her forget how ugly she is, even as a child, and this turned Mo-mi into something of a timid recluse in her mid-20s.

The first episode is set primarily in the year 2009, when Mo-mi is working at a comically drab corporate office, estranged from her mother and silently pining after her married boss. But in the evenings, she moonlights as a cam model on the internet, having adopted a sensuous persona that she calls ‘Mask Girl’. As Mask Girl, Mo-mi entertains lonely men online in exchange for money, clandestinely living her dream of being a star and also avoiding unsolicited comments about her appearance. But an unpleasant encounter with a ‘fan’ sends her down an rough path marked by murder, incarceration and vengeance.

It would be unfair to reveal more details about what happens, because the show itself is structured in the sort of non-linear, mystery box manner that demands its secrets be kept. But it wouldn’t be rude to reveal that, while Mo-mi is the protagonist of the show, entire episodes are told from the perspectives of different characters. Episode two, for instance, is presented entirely from the point-of-view of a creepy man, while episode three is centred on his mother (!). Briefly, the show transforms into a high school drama, complete with an emo teen and young love, while a later episode is like a mixture of Hansal Mehta’s Scoop and The Shawshank Redemption.

Redemption, funnily enough, is a key theme of the show, based on the ‘webtoon’ by Mae-mi and Hee-se. Written and directed by Kim Yong-hoon, Mask Girl pushes the boundaries of credulity on several occasions. A running gag involving plastic surgeries is particularly funny, but director Yong-hoon is a steady hand behind the camera, maintaining a firm grip over the story’s singular tone. One false move can send shows like this over the edge and into a pool of ridiculousness. But the filmmaking is consistently elegant, and Yong-hoon has a deep empathy for his complex protagonist, which goes a long way in getting us to care about her.

The show could’ve very easily turned Mo-mi into a victim, or worse, a part of the problem. But a handful of key decisions makes a world of difference in how we, as an audience, perceive her. With an almost feline grace, Mask Girl side-steps the criticisms that are often hurled at ‘rape-revenge’ movies. Why, people rightly ask, must women first be brutalised before being allowed to blossom? Why do they seem to enjoy torturing their adversaries when all they wanted was cold, hard retribution? These are valid concerns, and we’re seeing in real-time how filmmakers are acknowledging and addressing them.

But above everything else — the social commentary, the sharp satire — Mask Girl is entertaining. Unlike the recent second season of Made in Heaven, which appeared to be going through a checklist of societal problems that it was determined to solve, Mask Girl never forgets that it’s a piece of genre filmmaking first. And for that, it should be at the top of every watchlist.

Mask Girl
Director – Kim Yong-hoon
Cast – Lee Han-byeol, Go Hyun-jung, Nana, Yeom Hye-ran
Rating – 4/5