Audrey Hepburn`s Holly, from Breakfast At Tiffany’s, said once: “I am like a cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don`t even belong to each other.” But was that saying related to a cat? And what about those characters in Albert Shin’s film who have no names? Does it really matter what they are called when their stories are much bigger and more important than their names? You may say I am overreacting a little, but that is because you have not seen In Her Place… And once you do, you will certainly agree with me that the story is excellent and heartbreaking and will make your heart stop the entire time. This film is just what we need right now in cinema, rather than having characters whose names we may forget soon after watching them on the screen.
A woman tries to get pregnant, but is unsuccessful. Her chance arrives, however, when a young girl, who presumably does not want to have her unborn child, makes a deal with her. The rich woman, who is from a big city, will live in a remote pharm, unbeknownst to her family. But too late she will realize that making this deal was just the beginning, and what happens next is a nightmare slowly comes true…
To review this film is a hard thing to do, as I am not sure where, or how, to begin without giving away the spoiler. This is one of the fascinating things about this film; it actually surprises the audience in a very dark way, and some who are sensitive might turn their faces away from the screen, since what happens in this film certainly has the power to leave anyone speechless.
The main story of the film evolves around three women: one, who wants to adopt a child, another one who is the mother of a young girl who insists on giving her child away for good, and the third, a young girl, who seems to have no intentions of declining her baby, but still agrees on a deal, that not every rationally thinking person would think to do. Albert Shin, who masterfully directed the film, holds back information, but gives a hint to the audience every ten minutes, and with a frequency that creates an atmosphere in the film that not everyone will be able to handle. But let’s be clear here: In Her Place is not a horror film; it’s a drama full of emotions and unthinkable moments; where one person fights in her own way so as not to give up what she thinks is hers…
In conclusion, In Her Place is a truly magnificent story, with fully developed characters, and actors who did exactly what they were instructed to do by the director which makes us think in the end: What would we have done if we were in her place? How would we react, being so young and immature, but having to make a decision that would change people lives forever and not necessarily in a good way. But I will leave it up to you to answer this question, as I have no right answer to give.