[SC Review] Shin Min-a, from 'Diva' to 'Beautiful Eyes'... The GOAT actress with flawless pupil acting is a 'thriller queen'

[Sportschosun Jo Ji-young] Shin Min-a, the GOAT who has opened a new chapter in her career, is back.

The suspense thriller film "Beautiful Eyes," starring Shin Min-a and directed by Yeom Ji-ho and produced by Dream Capture, was unveiled for the first time at a press and distribution screening held on the afternoon of the 15th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

"Beautiful Eyes" follows a protagonist who is gradually losing her sight to a genetic disease as she uncovers the mystery surrounding her twin sister's death and comes face to face with the truth. A remake of the 2011 Spanish film "Julia's Eyes," directed by Guillem Morales, the film arrives as a well-made thriller powered by Shin Min-a's relentless and richly layered performance.

In "Beautiful Eyes," Shin Min-a takes on the demanding challenge of playing two roles: Seo-jin, a photographer who is losing her sight to hereditary optic neuropathy while investigating her twin sister's death, and Seo-in, Seo-jin's twin sister, who overcomes visual impairment to become a successful ceramic artist before meeting a mysterious death. As she fully embraces the dual role, Shin Min-a heightens the viewing experience by sharply separating the contrasting moods of Seo-jin, the older sister whose insecurity deepens as she gradually loses the light, and Seo-in, the younger sister who lost her sight earlier but does not give in to limits and instead reveals a strong inner self through her success as a ceramic artist. With seamless and convincing synchronization, she fully brings the stories of Seo-jin and Seo-in to life for the audience.

Not only that, Shin Min-a draws admiration with her pupil acting that captures Seo-jin's fading vision. She previously said she even tried changing the position of her eyes to portray Seo-jin's blurred focus. Rather than simply making her gaze unfocused, she conveyed Seo-jin's anxiety directly on screen through subtle eye movements and tremors aimed at unseen objects.

Her intense, no-holds-barred action scenes also stand out. Shin Min-a's performance, in which she clashes with and rolls around against an unseen presence in the dark while using nearby objects as weapons, vividly captures Seo-jin's desperation to survive. Crawling across the narrow studio floor and throwing herself into walls, she raises the tension of the film to its peak, going beyond physical impact and delivering the full dopamine rush of the suspense thriller genre.

After returning to the screen in the thriller genre for the first time in six years since "Diva" in 2020, the self-proclaimed "thriller queen" Shin Min-a is drawing attention once again. All eyes are on whether she can carry on the momentum of the horror film "Salmokji: Whispering Water," starring Kim Hye-yoon and released in April, which drew 3.24 million viewers and became a box-office hit.

Meanwhile, "Beautiful Eyes" stars Shin Min-a, Kim Nam-hee, Lee Seung-ryong, and Kim Young-ah, and is directed by Yeom Ji-ho of "The Neighbor." It opens on the 24th.

Jo Ji-young, soulhn1220@sportschosun.com