A woman is happily married to a man she met four years ago, and they have two kids. But one day, he dies a senseless death at work, and it’s revealed that he had been living under another man’s name. Now, a lawyer is determined to uncover his true identity.
If you enjoy slow-burn dramas with something meaningful to say, this is a solid movie. The lawyer investigating the deceased man’s real identity is married and has a child of his own. He’s half-Japanese and half-Korean, and his wife isn’t thrilled about how much time he dedicates to this case, nor his inability to let it go. But as he digs deeper, we learn more about the man who died, and this is where the movie truly shines. It explores important themes about where we come from, who we are, and how we can’t escape the past. But it also sends a message that you can accept your past and not let judgmental people—who are nothing but brainless idiots—get under your skin.
The scenes with the lawyer confronting an elderly man are particularly uncomfortable because the old man is a blatant racist. I found myself wishing the lawyer would just smash through the glass and kill him. Unfortunately, people like that still exist in the world.
The acting is solid, and I especially enjoyed the flashbacks that reveal who the deceased man truly was and what demons he faced. The one thing I couldn’t get over was the way he died. It was so ridiculous—he had plenty of time to roll left or right but just froze, and that cost him his life, leaving his family devastated. No matter how much he tried to be a good person, he’ll always be remembered as an idiot in my eyes, especially since I, as a viewer, witnessed it happen. Oh, and to top it off, he had an accident in his boxers right before he died. He didn’t go out with style—he went out like a fool.
Overall, I’m a fan of movies like A Man. It’s a slow burner, but it tells an important story, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the son—or more accurately, the stepson—who loved his stepdad so much.