Today’s quick review: No Tomorrow. After a mentally handicapped man is found at sea showing signs of abuse, reporter Lee Hae-ri (Park Hyo-joo) and her cameraman Seok-hoon (Lee Hyun-wook) travel to a remote island to investigate the salt farm where he worked. There they receive a cold welcome from the farm’s owner (Choi Il-hwa) and his son (Ryu Jun-yeol) but press on to interview Sang-ho (Bae Sung-woo), an abused worker from the farm.
No Tomorrow is a Korean mystery about a pair of reporters investigating indications of slavery on a remote island. No Tomorrow takes a slow approach to its mystery, following Hae-ri and Seok-hoon as they search for the right island, question the locals, and try to piece together what is going on based on the guarded testimony of the handicapped workers.
No Tomorrow has a subtly ominous atmosphere. Everything from the time Hae-ri and Seok-hoon arrive on the island is just a little bit wrong, from the standoffish residents to the erratic behavior of the workers. Actual threats are few and far between, but the low, constant tension and found footage presentation style keep the movie engaging throughout.
The catch is that No Tomorrow does not have much of a plot. The investigation is a series of puzzle pieces that gradually come together, but the movie is slow about laying them out. The stakes are lower and less immediate than in similar movies. While the plight of Sang-ho and the other workers is tragic at a human level, it is only Hae-ri’s insistence on digging deeper that separates the story from an ordinary expose.
The result is an atmospheric mystery that will appeal to viewers with a taste for realistic crime stories. No Tomorrow does not have the sharp hooks and lurid appeal of similar investigations, but the plausible nature of the story and the slow drip of clues make it worth a watch for the right viewer. Still, No Tomorrow is harder to get into than similar films, and casual viewers may want to skip it.
Check out Parasite for an even darker Korean drama with a black comedy twist. For another thriller set on a remote island, try Shutter Island or The Wicker Man. For an even more low-key crime thriller that takes a turn for the worse, try The Interview, starring Hugo Weaving.
[6.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333380/). I give it a 6.5 for immersive atmosphere and a loose plot.