When watching school teacher-turned-director Su Won Shin's 'Pluto', you feel like you have to account for some cultural differences. Watching it as a days of black and white British person, the film can feel a little too extreme and almost unbelievable at moments. But written and directed by a former school teacher, the high school drama serves as a social comment on school systems in South Korea whether accepting the way the plot unfolds or not.

Jun has transferred from a humble background to an elite school, where competition for school grades is of utmost importance in gaining both acceptance, respect and future prospects. If enough of a nerd to reach the school's top ten students, you get to sit in a 'special class' with additional privileges that come with it. In his jealousy of school top boy, the American-raised (though not fat) Yujin, June starts to take steps into the violent and dangerous world of achieving good grades at school.

To start the film is relatively black and white: with the murder of his classmate, of whom he is known to be jealous, Jun is questioned by the police as to his involvement in between flashbacks of his arrival and subsequent outcast status within the school. But as the film progresses, the motivations of the characters become more and more difficult to empathise with, being from a country where discussing your most recent hangover seems to dominate academic achievement in school.

The life and death nature of being part of the school's elite seems very alien, and the lengths that people will go to achieve and maintain it require some level of faith from the audience that this is the case, and not just shock tactics forming part of lazy film-making. But, with extracts form teenage student suicide notes and home videos of students featured, along with Su Won Shin's own admission that things can get much more severe, it's clear that 'Pluto' is borne out of a different society to my own.

More bombastic elements aside, 'Pluto' is a very solid work from a rather novice writer-director, exploring some interesting themes running throughout everyday life for students, the titular 'outsider' status one of them. In 'Pluto', pain and obsession reign, feeling 4.67 billion miles from Luton Sixth Form College.

From an asianwiki description plus its trailer, I was intrigued by this movie. I am a fan of Korean movies, and this for me is one of those that are exceptional. I could compare it to a movie called Bleak Night (2010), All About Lily Chou Chou (2001) and also Confessions (2010). I read from some other reviews out there that, as shown in the movie, "the pressure for entrance exams and the film's opening scenes of people praying and lining the streets to cheer exam takers are real, with Korea having high student suicide rates in reality." The movie ultimately shows how "the stress and expectations of society pushed these students to do horrible things. How bleak their world seemed even though they were only 17 (19 in Korean age); no loyalty, friendship driven by fear." The plot to me means a lot, it's very strong. I needed a second viewing in order to fully get what the movie gives. I agree that this film has more potential than how it's delivered, but a different direction could actually make the movie turn over-dramatic or feel unreal. It had a really nice atmosphere. There is also an added creepy thing, the torture chamber (before) within the school building that actually existed, which was one of the most important setting in Pluto. Plus, pretty Kim Kkot-bi is added as a minor character but stands out as well, like Lee Da-wit and Sung Joon. Yes, acting is really good.

Don't miss this one. I also recommend to re-watch the film as one may not fully understand it. I did not get at first what the metaphors in the movie meant, like the thing about Pluto being demoted, but after a re-watch, it became more clear. If you like the titles mentioned above, give this one a try.