Good News: When Reality Beats Fiction, What’s the Truth?

Byun Sung-hyun’s latest endeavour, the black comedy Good News, starts with a line you might recognise — at least partially: “Inspired by real events but all characters and events portrayed are fictional.” After a beat, the film offers us a question: “What’s the truth then?“

The answer to that might never come, but the mad journey it invites us on is worth every second.

Good News, which arrived on Netflix on October 17th, can be so ludicrous that you might struggle to believe that any of it is true. Perhaps that was director Byun’s objective: reality sometimes becomes so absurd that it easily beats fiction. With a script co-written by Byun and Lee Jin-seong, Good News is actually fairly accurate. Based on the hijacking of Japan Air Lines Flight 351 back in March 1970, the story reimagines events and characters but keeps the broad details intact — especially the most bizarre of them.

The film follows the hijacking of a Japanese passenger plane by the Red Army Faction, a group of nine young people armed with guns, katanas, and homemade bombs. When they demand to be flown to Pyongyang, intelligence and military teams from Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. struggle to intercept the flight. That’s when South Korea brings in a shadowy figure known as “Nobody” (Sul Kyung-gu), an all-round fixer that is forced to lead a secret rescue effort by all means necessary. He joins hands with ROK Air Force lieutenant Seo Go-myung (Hong Kyung), who assists him as an air traffic controller.

Good News is cleverly written, flawlessly delivered, and acerbically humorous. Its layered narrative doesn’t spare anyone, mixing and matching its elements to offer a truly dynamic and comical experience. From capitalism to communism, from Japan to the U.S, from bureaucratic hogwash to individual arrogance, there isn’t anything (or anyone) that Good News doesn’t laugh at.

This review is spoiler-free! But if you’re in a rush, why don’t you pin our summary? It’s at the bottom!

Keep the Narrative Running: How Good News Establishes Its Non-Stop Rhythm

Throughout its 140 minutes, we follow as the naivete of the hijackers, the incompetence of intelligence agencies, and the cowardice of the government come together to create a chaotic and unique scenario. With so many characters and events, the film never loses a beat through a combination of frame narrative, multiple perspectives, break of the 4th wall, flashbacks, and delusional sequences. Deftly edited and ingeniously shot, Byun manages to keep all the cogs running rhythmically and harmoniously. Good News never stops, transforming the madness of its premise into a ticking bomb that we never know when (or if) it will explode.

Leading us through the havoc is Lieutenant Seo, who serves as a stand-in for the audience. We react alongside him as he’s often left dumbfounded at the indifference, vanity, and hypocrisy of the officials around him — people who have sworn to defend and protect but who only really care about their own egos. Seo is nothing but a scapegoat, the one whose victories don’t belong to him but who is to shoulder responsibility for decisions that aren’t even his. That doesn’t mean that Seo is some sort of saint, however. As I mentioned before, Good News spares no one. Seo himself is often motivated by the dream of fame, promotion, and national recognition and he’s never portrayed as some selfless, generous hero.

But there’s a faint trace of selflessness in Nobody, who seems to be everything and nothing at the same time. Nobody is the one who brings Lieutenant Seo, and consequently us, into this mess. He’s an almost mystical character who just can’t fit in. Among the officials, the soldiers, and even the actors, Nobody seems to stand out like a sore toe. He seems to belong to no nation, no political belief, no community. He plays everyone’s game but seems to follow his own rules. There’s no way of knowing what he’s doing next or even why.

Even though he seems to submissively respond to Director Park Sang-hyeon (Ryu Seung-beom), he’s constantly manipulating the egos, desires, and fears of the politicians, businessmen, and military around him. But even as he manipulates others to survive, it’s as if Nobody still somehow cares. He cares whether people live or die, and he cares about Lieutenant Seo’s hard work. It’s as if he’s almighty and all-seeing, silently judging the irresponsibility of the powerful and the commitment of the weak.

Nobody & the Idea of Complete Scepticism

Sul’s character is of such a grey nature that, even as we reach the end of this journey, we can’t really tell who he is. Which facets of his character are real? Which aren’t? Those are questions the movie doesn’t even try to answer because Nobody is the embodiment of a lack of certainty, a lack of universal truth. People lie, hide, and run away in Good News. They dodge responsibility while boasting their morals, strength, and importance. That means that the “truth” takes a different shape for each and every character of Good News. Truth becomes such a subjective concept that wondering what it really is becomes nothing but a futile quest.

Well, Nobody tells us himself: “Even the truth lies. And lies also tell the truth.”

Truth to Lieutenant Seo is one, while to the media is another. South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and the U.S. all create their own little versions of it. Meanwhile, it’s as if Nobody can see all of these versions, tearing them apart and rebuilding them as he sees fit — but without anyone else noticing. Nobody knows who to remove from the equation and when, manoeuvring the remaining elements to create the result he has planned for. And that’s how the narrative of Good News moves forward: in one way or another, Nobody is always driving the film’s conflicts. Through his lies, omissions, and spinning of facts, he moulds reality into what he wants it to be. Sul Kyung-gu once again shines as the incredible performer he is, offering seriousness and foolishness, stupidity and intelligence, and a constant sense of strangeness to his character.

But Sul is far from being the only star in this tall tale of sorts. Responding to him with equal strength is Hong Kyung, who delivers a precise mix of innocence, impulsivity, and sincerity — in three different languages, no less. On the other side of Lieutenant Seo’s radio, we’ll find Kasamatsu Show and Yamamoto Nairu with their impeccable synchronisation and comic timing. Good News is populated by an extremely talented cast who respond marvellously well to each other and skilfully adapt to the film’s tone, from the most hilarious to the most dramatic scenes.

Should You Watch Good News?

Good News is an absolute gem of a satire — witty, sharp, and unabashedly sardonic, it unforgivingly ridicules our vices and mocks our flawed and bureaucratic systems and institutions. Most importantly, it raises what must be the most crucial question to pester modern society: how can we tell real from fake? Truth from fallacy? As the line between reality and fiction becomes ever more blurred, stories like Good News remind us that behind bizarre news reports and carefully designed headlines hide a dark, inhumane power play. One in which information can be shaped and re-shaped at will, personal interest often beats common good, and dialectics becomes ever more utopian.

I’ll leave you with Nobody’s favourite Truman Shady quote: “Sometimes the truth lies on the far side of the moon. But that doesn’t mean what’s on the near side is fiction.“

Oh, if you’re wondering who Truman Shady is, don’t worry too much about it. Truman Shady isn’t real. But does that make his quote any less accurate?

You can watch Good News on: