A game programmer and a former champion swimmer play computer footsie in “Who Are You?”, a youth version of will-they/won’t-they chatroom romancer “The Contact,” which was a major hit in South Korea in 1996. Though film performed mildly on local release in May, its likable leads compensate for the movie’s over-length and often confusing narrative. Specialist tube sales and festival play look possible, especially after tightening by some 15 minutes.
Hyong-tae (Jo Seung-woo, from “Chunhyang”), busy developing a dating Web site, tracks one of his beta testers, code-named “Byeori,” to the same building in which he works. “Byeori” is actually In-ju (Lee Na-yeong), who works as a mermaid in the basement’s aquarium, and Hyong-tae invents an e-mail alias, “Mello,” to charm her while also befriending the girl in person. After a jumbled opening 25 minutes, pic settles down as leads start to interact, attractively playing two ambitious but damaged youngsters in modern Seoul. Chemistry is good between Jo and Lee, and though the wintry widescreen lensing gives the pic a realistic edge, it’s basically a genre movie, right down to each lead having a kooky, less attractive friend.
