In Hollywood cinema, it is customary for non -American director to make a nursing film after their first film success. This is actually a way to become more recognized and attracted to the box office, which often results in a successful result. Canadian Korean director Celine Sung, 2023, with his first film “Past Lives” with Korean actors and storytelling in the United States, was able to attract Hollywood audiences and critics. This romantic drama, which is said to be derived from the director’s personal narrative, was highly acclaimed and nominated for a reputable American prize, including the Academy Award for Best Film. “Past Lives” tangible with its audience because of its simple and universal story about the first love and the issue of immigration and its simple narrative form. The director’s simple look at a sensitive and delicate topic with the cast of the cast has made “Past Lives” a significant first film. In his second film, “Materialists”, introduced in the romantic comedy genre, Sung has taken a different look at the issue of love in today’s world. The film was different from Sung’s first film. Read the criticism of the film “Materialists” here.
Warning! There is a danger of the story in the criticism of the film “Materialists”
Criticism of the film “Materialists”; Is love better or wealth?
“Past Life” was about a romantic triangle that belongs to the experience of the first love of a man and woman; A man and a woman who both immigrate to America and live in modern New York. The director’s gentle look, if the subject of the story requires, merely represents the person’s exposure to a form of love that may occur in the lives of all human beings (or at least all modern urban). The first love finds a place in the minds of people who, over time, gets even more beautiful color and smell; Especially since it happened in childhood. “Past Lives” is merely the narrator of the first love of adulthood. The film’s approach to the story makes it a mere romantic drama, but in Sung’s “materialist”, it is still closer to a social romance by addressing a romantic triangle that, unlike the first, is more anticipated.
Although the film’s producer has tried to attract the box office more by putting it in a romantic comedy, “Materialists”, despite the good ending of the comedic elements, did not have conventional comedy elements. In fact, it is the narrative and directing form of Sung, which makes his film still in the genre of romantic drama, this time with a critical look at the community around him. His approach is as realistic as the previous film. It does not try to judge the world it is drawing, but its end shows the director’s preferred preference in this materialist world based on material privileges; A world where, from the point of view of Sung, has no meaning in that meaning and what is better to have. Perhaps this is the only point that can bring the film closer to the romantic comedy genre. Because the director does not have a central look at the romantic relationship, he is a fan of love and does not want to allow his realistic approach to bring a bitter end to his story.
Sung is as simple as narrative, narrative, dialogue, and even playing from its actors in choosing the title of her films. The title of both films is directly referring to the main theme of the story. “Materialists”, as its title, is about materialist human beings, or better to say, extremist materialism in today’s world. Lucy’s (Johnson) story is probably a thirty -year -old girl whose work is mating; Of course in its modern and organizational way. The job of mating has existed in different societies in the past and is still seen in traditional societies. This form of a relationship that aims to marry is not based on the love and hot emotions of the parties, but the specific criteria that may change. But in general, the criteria are determined by what society considers to be reasonable and reasonable.
In the past, these criteria were more limited and specific. Is, of course, talking about the populace; Because higher marriages were based on the economic, social and even political class. At the level of ordinary people, the custom was that the man had to take responsibility for financial responsibility, the ceiling and life, and the woman, housekeeping, and eventually the mother; The appearance of the woman was a surplus privilege, which was only more important in the higher social economic classes. In the economic and culturally lower classes, the beauty of women was not only a privilege, but also dangerous, and often regret. What Celine Sung shows in her second film is a form of modern mating that is in the organizational form. The mating company has forces whose specialties are to find pairs for men and women based on their endless list of criteria.
The difference between this modern mating and its traditional form is precisely in the same criteria, and strangely in conflict with the basic nature of modernity, which was consistent with the concept of love and the choice of pair. Otherwise the tradition that dictates rational and pre -planned marriages. What Sung intends to be in the “Materialists” in New York Cold and Gray, which symbolizes the city of superman, is one of the most humane concepts in the world; A contagious virus that is widespread and the only survivors of the love of this world are those who live in the worst economic and livelihoods. In fact, only one person has such a situation, and Sung considers the presence of one person.

Lucy as the champion of this story from the outside but from the hot inside, is in appearance to the congregation. She is beautiful, successful in her job, her marriage criteria are at a high level, and she is simply refusing to deal with her abstraction. She is successful in finding the couple for her customers, but she is lonely and waiting for a perfect relationship that includes a list of demands from a pair and marriage. Now is the time to find one of the most beautiful and attractive men of this story, Pedro Pascal. Lucy meets with one of his customers, who is the bridegroom’s brother; A man who has all the criteria for Lucy’s marriage in appearance and inward, and at the forefront of his house and his multi -million dollar income. Lucy seems to have found his dreams. But the two things complicate the situation.
One meeting with Lucy’s former friend (Chris Evans), who is a part -time theater actor, and the other is a unfortunate event that happens to one of his customers. Lucy has found a man who is a mental and possibly sexual harassment. Both of these events also put a mirror against Lucy and his life. On paper, these events should be the same as the character of the personality and lead to evolution, but in the film this transformation does not have the intensity and impact. Both directing and directing Sung is such that Lucy’s transformation is far from believing. The director insists so much in his realistic style that the culmination of the story in the coldness of space, silence and subcutaneous games of the cast. If the comedy movie is supposed to be a romantic comedy, it will need a sharper seasoning that is not necessarily exaggerated. Naturally, no one expects the two men to have a duel over the film, but such a trend does not match the end of the film.
In the first part of the film, which is cold, materialist and immersed in her luxury life, Dakota Johnson is far more believable until he confesses to his boss and confesses to being false. It can be hard to accept that his exposure to the old love of the deplorable state of life that could not even accept Lucy’s night in his shared home has created such an influence on him. Past -time flashes and Lucy’s confrontation sequences with a wounded customer with all his cries and dialogues do not help. Johnson goes away from the character here and is not approaching to the end. That is why the change in his path is acceptable.
Two male actors are far more believable. Pedro Pascal is understandable in the role of a man who has done height for the sake of accepting painful surgery and now with its enormous wealth, very luxurious goods in the market; Especially in the good sequence of confession to his surgery, which is perhaps the only moment of comedy (from the tragedy of comedy). His play is as good as his personality and the time in the film. Chris Evans on the other side of the triangle is a failed actress, whose reason for her failure to believe in love and hatred of the materialist world is successful in reviving her personality. It can be difficult to accept that charming beautiful boy in the role of actress/waiter, and Evans has greatly adapted himself. Grimm and his clothing design also help this adaptability. His romantic look at Dakota Johnson and his unfinished seal towards him is enough to make a change in Lucy’s personality. The problem is that Johnson is relatively unable to show this transformation. It seems more that the script eventually chooses love.
“Materialists” are attractive, but the film is not very engaging despite its attractive stars. The most important cause of this attractiveness is the contradiction of the director’s approach to the payment and the story he wants to tell. This hit all the components of the film. The atmosphere of the film, given the coldness of the foreign world, is natural to love today, which is such a cold and dark, but such a space requires a bitter end. The end of the story of Fryan Sung comes out of his film. Although it conveys a beautiful message, it is obvious and annoying with its realism. Its unpredictable being admirable; Because in reality, it is the love that must fail, but the director does not want to allow this realism to influence his imaginary world. In the imaginary world of Sung Love, contrary to all the evidence, must ultimately be victorious.
Positive Tips
- Tale and Critical Look
- Male and Dakota Johnson in the first half of the film
- Gap
Negative points
- Dakota Johnson’s inadequate game and his personality unbelievable
- Failure to complete the female personality arc and the peak of the story
- The contradictory ending with the film’s route and space
Movie ID “Materialist” (Materialists)
Author and Director: Celine Sung
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans
Product: 2025, the United States
Site Rating IMDB To the movie: 6.4 out of 10
Summary: Lucy is a young girl living in New York and is mating. On the way to finding a pair for the customers of the company and the company that works for them, he is on the head of love and the choice of love and wealth.
(/Box) The criticism of the film “Materialists” is the author’s personal view and is not necessarily DigiKala Mag’s position. (/box)
Source: DigiKala Meg

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