The Fake is a 2014 animation by Lee Yoon-ki’s whose central theme of deception and greed is illustrated through art forgery. Started with a dying painter Jin, the plot of the movie gets completely twisted as he is compelled to produce forgeries of famous art works by an unscrupulous art dealer. Although Jin is pulled into the dark net of forgery, he grapples with his conscience while doing certain things where he has to revise his preconception of art – the worth in it and it’s originality.
Another notable feature of The Fake has to deal with the way the creators opted to combine animation with hard topics. For instance, unlike most animated movies that tend to be primarily child friendly and aimed, The Fake explores emotions that are directed to the adult. Commensurate with the bulleted format, the imagery further developed ours understanding as to how fictitions of art fraud looks like, due to the devoted subtleties of the imagery. Such fantasy aspects of animation help to picture the characters and emotions in a manner that emphasizes the conflicts and ethical dilemmas of the characters as well.
The Fake has certain elements that especially strike me and of those, the focus on authenticity, not only in art but also in life, captivates me the most. The movie invites the audience to think: Is anything ever what it seems to be? Or what is its worth against what falsehoods are available? The strength of this story is such that one cannot help but watch it through, though animated movies do not usually contain such intricacies. It is a very engaging experience especially for those who are drawn by the issues of morality and art.
