2020 has seen some AMAZING short crime dramas coming out of China. Some I feel have slipped through the cracks and NEED TO BE SEEN AND GET MORE ATTENTION! A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower is DEFINITELY one of these crime dramas THAT NEEDS TO BE SEEN!
Now first I will give a VERY short synopsis and then give my review. I will not reveal any spoilers for this drama ESPECIALLY since it is a crime drama because the point of this post is to get you to watch it - AND YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS DRAMA!
Synopsis: This is a story of a murder of a woman that takes place in a high-rise condo complex and the police who try and solve the crime.
Now I clicked on this drama, knowing that it was a crime drama and thought "Oh I will like this - it is a crime drama". I DID NOT THINK I WOULD LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I DID! One thing I love about crime dramas is when I click play and it starts out as your normal procedural crime drama and turns into a much bigger concept with a lot of depth and emotion. THIS DRAMA DID JUST THAT! A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower used its platform to tell a story that approached societal issues (some of these issues were very hard to watch such as child abuse and domestic violence) and it wasn't afraid to bring these topics up. This drama didn't back away from those hard subjects and created a beautiful story out of these horrible themes.
4 things that stood out to me in the drama and what I will discuss in this review:
1)Story Structure - How this story is told makes it interesting and unique. The story is told from the perspectives of the ensemble cast, changing every 2 episodes. This allows the audience to feel as if they are the cops interrogating the suspects or finding clues. We as the audience only get what clues or information that particular perspective divulges and reveals. Having the story built like this allows prejudices towards people, the victim and the crime to be portrayed but also allows the audience to connect with the characters and story more because it is not told in third person. I love the idea of inputting prejudices in into a story/drama because it can reflect real societal prejudices/issues. WHAT IS GENIUS ABOUT THIS AND MY FAVORITE PART IS the last perspective that the story chose to use. I won't reveal who but it put a nice twist on the end.
2)The Ensemble Cast - Given the structure of this drama's story, you KNOW the ensemble cast had to have left an impression on the audience. LET ME TELL YOU - THEY SURE DID! The choices for the cast in this drama WERE BRILLIANT! Every actress and actor in this drama played their role SO WELL! I don't think if this drama chose a different cast, it would have been as good or at least as well executed as it was. You learn that all the characters have a place in the story and how it all plays out. Given the topics that this drama broaches, the emotion that is evoked was just so well done. The ensemble cast add layers and intrigue to the story because you never quite know everything about the story and their characters until the very end which makes you want to keep clicking play on the next episode. The cast is an integral part of this entire drama and sort of the glue that pieces the drama together.
3) Woman - Centered - Another aspect of this drama is that it is WOMAN - CENTERED! By the end of this drama, you realize that this is a female-centered drama hidden within a crime drama. The female characters are the hidden gems AND not just because the murder victim is a woman. The drama examines how females support one another through various societal and familial issues that are seen every day in reality. It shows the strength that women have when supporting each other and what sacrifices women are willing to make. There is strength in numbers. The female characters of this drama leave a deep impression on you when you end the last episode.
4) The Message of the drama - This drama looks at horrible issues and broaches the topics of abuse and domestic violence. It reveals the sad reality that people dealing with these issues might face. Some consequences of choices that characters make in the drama had us as an audience get emotionally invested with the drama and its characters. I literally was yelling at my television screen out of anger at this drama sometimes and other times I was yelling out of relief and joy! The message at the end of this drama is so prominent because it basically says that no matter how harsh a person's reality is and what they have gone through, there is always hope. That humanity and society may be evil but that is not 100% true, there is always someone or a part of humanity that is good. There will always be someone to support you. Which is something VERY SPECIAL coming out of the crime genre...it is also unique on who realizes this message and conveys this message within the drama - especially at the end - which I found quite impactful.
MY ONLY CON (Why it has a 9.5 and not a 10)- It took me a couple of episodes to get into the story. It started out a little slow for me but AFTER episode 2 - I WAS ALL IN!
Rating: 9.5/10
So, have you seen A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower?
What did you think?
Is it on your list to watch?