VOL.69/2024.04

 

[Book & Media ①]

Diary of a Murderer

An In-depth Reflection on the Life and Death of a Murderer Losing His Memory

 

2023.02.20

 

 

What would it be like if you found out one day that your world of memories has begun to break down little by little? It is the story of Diary of a Murderer (Bokbok Seoga, first edition published by Munhakdongne), a thriller fiction written by Kim Young-Ha published in 2013, and the movie (The title of the movie is “Memoir Of A Murder”) based on the novel produced in 2017. The novel Diary of a Murderer won the Japan Translation Award in 2018 and was selected as the best mystery novel in Germany. It also won the Hotlist award and the Deutscher Krimipreis award in Germany, which is the most prominent literary award for mystery, in December 2020. With such a history going beyond the linguistic barrier, Diary of a Murderer left a powerful impression on readers’ hearts at home and abroad. Receiving comments such as “a movie that doesn’t leave my head” from thriller fans, its movie was also released in the US and Japan.

 

 

PlotThe Horror of the World Breaking Down

 

Diary of a Murderer, available as both a book and a movie, describes the horror of a man’s world breaking down in a cold but profound way. The protagonist, Kim Byung-Soo, who has been a murderer for 30 years, is a patient with Alzheimer’s. He’s been living with his daughter Eun-Hee since he decided not to kill again 26 years ago. He writes a journal to hold onto his memories. But, regardless of his efforts, his memories fade away at the speed of a sand castle hit by a wave, and the symptoms only get worse.
Then, as there’s news that a series of murders have been happening in the neighborhood, he first suspects himself for the crime - “Perhaps it was me?” But, soon, he is assured that there is another murderer in the village. Just like the saying, “A devil recognizes a devil,” Kim Byung-Soo meets Min Tae-Joo by accident and sees the cold-hearted, heartless eyes of a murderer, just like himself. However, Kim does not realize at first that it is Min whom his daughter brought to introduce him. Kim’s memories flash like a broken lightbulb, and as he belatedly discovers that his daughter is meeting a murderer, he is determined to kill him before Min harms her.

 

Book vs MovieSimilar but Different

 

#1. The book’s tension and the movie’s immersion

 

The book Diary of a Murderer takes the form of a diary written by Kim Byung-Soo. Readers can enjoy reading an actual diary, one day on one page. It also gives a slight tension as such a format gives readers the impression they are sneaking a look at a murderer’s diary. There are pages with many blanks left on the bottom following the narration of Kim Byung-Soo; they leave the readers to imagine the situation from his view. In the movie, the content of the diary was read in the voice of actor Sol Kyung-Gu, who played Kim Byeong-Soo. The monologue of a murderer performed by a good actor makes the audience shiver. The performance of the actors/actresses as well as scene transitions, music, and art enable the audience to be more immersed in the movie.

 

#2. Different character settings

 

It is also another fun to compare how the characters described in the book are portrayed in the movie. Characters that do not have much influence in the book appear as the icing on the cake in the movie, and there are parts where the same characters appear in different settings. For example, while Kim Byung-Soo is a psychopath that kills people for satisfaction in the book, he is drawn as a vigilante that punishes the bad in the movie. Of course, characters are portrayed differently depending on the type of media, whether a book or a film, but they also depend on the screenwriter and the director. As such, Diary of a Murderer, both the book and the movie, have many points to compare from various perspectives.

 

#3. Different ending, different impression

 

It is a great error to think that the plot of the film would be the same as that of the book just because it is based on it. Apart from the different character settings mentioned earlier, the plot after Min Tae-Joo appears in a different form in the movie by large. The book maximizes the readers’ imagination until the end and destroys it completely with a twist. Meanwhile, the film has a different ending, immersing the audience even more in the match between Kim Byung-Soo and Min Tae-Joo. As one more step could be a spoiler, I recommend you discover the breathtaking battle between the two killers in the book as well as the movie. It would be a unique experience to enjoy the two versions of Diary of a Murderer and compare the differences between the two worlds.

 

 

* Main trailer of the movie “Memoir Of A Murder”

 

 

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Written by Choi Ha-Yeong