FRAGMENT Review – Fantasia International Film Festival 2025

An emotionally tense start at Fantasia, Kim Sung-yoon brings an intriguing directorial debut in “Fragment” a film about the ramifications of grief among two young middle schoolers.

Synopsis

FRAGMENT focuses on two middle schoolers with a devastating connection. Jun-gang (Oh Ja-hun) takes care of his little sister and is faced with eviction, while Gi-su (Moon Seong-hyun) currently lives by himself after his parents have been tragically killed. Their deaths have been committed by Jun-gang’s father… As you witness both sides of this shocking situation, it’s a heartbreaking story of both the children of the murderer and of the victim that will inevitably lead them towards each other, and the truth.

Review
As perfectly stated by Steven Lee in his Fantasia 2025 write up for the film “Fragment”, “Korean filmmakers are masterful storytellers when it comes to drama thrillers”. People can look no further than the usual suspects as proof of this notion – “Parasite”, “Oldboy” and “Memories of Murder” as well as many others. Being admirers of this genre – as told by fearless Korean storytellers – would make one the perfect audience for Kim Sung-yoon’s directorial debut “Fragment”. “Fragment” follows two middle schoolers – Jun-gang (Oh Ja-hun) and Gi-su (Moon Seong-hyun) who share a disturbing connection with one another. Gi-su lives by himself after his parents were tragically killed and Jun-gang takes care of his little sister while his dad is incarcerated. The kicker? Jun-gang’s dad killed Gi-su’s parents. If there’s a film this year that has more of a gut-punching hook than this, I’d be pretty stumped to know what it is. “Fragment” is a compelling film, not just for its hook of a premise but because of how it shows the damaging ramifications of grief. The emotional story of Jun-gang and Gi-su is a powerful, emotional journey that stays with the audience long after the credits roll.

Even though it carries itself as a thriller – with the main tension being what Gi-su may or may not due to Jun-gang and his sister in his internal hell of wretched grief – “Fragment” works so much better as an emotionally tense drama. Sung-yoon plays into the film’s dramatic side by bringing out two great central performances from Ja-Hun and Seong-hyun. Oh Ja-hun perfectly carries the role of a young man who is stricken with guilt and conscience, literally from the sins of his father. He delivers a great performance of a young man who toggles between being a big brother, a unofficial guardian and – still, at heart – a kid. His complex emotional journey through the film complements Gi-su’s journey. Where Jun-gang is stricken by secondhand guilt, Gi-su is overcome with frustrated rage. Moon Seong-hyun delivers a layered performance of a young man who, on the surface, appears to be an unstable powder keg but internally deals with repressed emotion and has not had the time to effectively grieve for his parents. Both of these young actors dominate the screen when they appear and portray effective opposing sides of guilt and anger. Great character work aside, “Fragment” can be a bit tedious as we follow these young men and how they deal with the tragedy that lays between them and not much else. The acting as well as the character development has the potential to carry the film but in more parts than some, it doesn’t prove to be totally enough.

Not without its slow-paced moments, Kim Sung-yoon creates an effective, layered emotional thriller in “Fragment”. While the film shows more than a fragment of these two young men’s lives as they attempt to move past the irreparable tragedies in their lives, there are fragments of their souls that the two young men are still trying to pick up. As with any film about grief, things aren’t as simple as they may seem and Sung-yoon knows how to go beneath the surface of what’s expected – anger, tension, regret. Adding to Fantasia International Film Festival’s roster of interesting genre films that range from fantasy to horror to thriller, “Fragment” stands out as a fascinating character study masked as a tense thriller drama. As the film climbs to its emotionally tough climax, the story leaves the audience both stunned and satisfied. Grief is not an easy feeling to get rid of but togetherness and understanding can soften the eternal blow.

Closing Thoughts
“Fragment” was a solid start to my time at the Fantasia International Film Festival this year. This time around, I wanted to start with a film that was more tugging at emotions than thrills and “Fragment” carries that out in spades. While I wish the pacing was a bit more up-tempo, I appreciated the film for the work and depth it puts into its characters as well as the lead performances. I look forward to seeing what Kim Sung-yoon brings us into the future.

Trailer