REVIEW: ‘The Art of Sarah’ Lacks Balance In Its Mystery

The Art of Sarah (Reidi Dua) is too much of a good thing. Initially, the mystery is compelling. However, as more layers of Sarah Kim’s (Shin Hye-sun) identity are unearthed, the plot becomes convoluted, making things busier than needed to achieve greater impact. Still, while its mystery may lose steam halfway through, The Art of Sarah‘s dissection of society’s vanity, the luxury goods industry, and class is nuanced and well done, offering much to think about after the credits start to roll.

The Art of Sarah follows the investigation surrounding business owner Sarah Kim. Surrounded by luxury and glamour with an aura that oozes wealth, one would imagine she’s untouchable. However, the truth is far more complicated than it appears when her name is drawn into a murder case led by Detective Park Mu-gyeong (Lee Joon-hyuk). Answers don’t come easily as he begins to dig into the woman, and what he finds only builds out Sarah’s enigmatic image.

How Shin Hye-sun approaches each new facet of Sarah Kim deepens the mystery surrounding the character. With each interview fleshing out the character, each iteration of Sarah we see is completely transformed by Shin Hye-sun’s craft and skill. Through her performance, that suspension of disbelief is possible enough at the beginning of the series. That is, until the screenplay by Chu Song-yeon goes an iteration or two too far in a mystery that was honestly doing quite well with what it had going on.

The Art of Sarah never relents on the ensuing mystery surrounding Sarah Kim and her identity.

One question quickly emerges in The Art of Sarah as more things are unburied: “Who is Sarah Kim?” The reality is a bit confusing. Once we think we’ve pegged the woman down, a new twist comes. With every twist and turn, the path to discovering her identity grows murkier, so that even when a narrative bone is thrown in to give both the Detective and the audience a slight chance at clarity later on in the series, it’s merely tossed aside by the character’s innate evasiveness.

The Art of Sarah ultimately becomes a mystery that frustrates more than it fulfills, yet Sarah Kim’s role is to peel back the curtain behind society’s vanity. Central to her journey is the essence of luxury, in her case, luxury designer handbags. Luxury items denote wealth and class, yet too much of a good thing is looked down upon, revealing nuances to the symbolism of these coveted items. Sarah Kim herself is not immune, fully embracing not just her own vanity but the vanity of those around her to reach her goals. 

This pursuit ultimately paves the way for the dissection of identity and its loss in Sarah’s machinations. Part of this lack of identity present in The Art of Sarah is by design. She herself admits it at one point, saying that she’s not sure where the illusion ends and the reality begins. For those who tie their identity to wealth, luxury, and class, what happens when all of that is taken away? What is actually left of you when all that is stripped away? It’s a fascinating series of thoughts that arise.

Detective Park Mu-gyeong doesn’t get much development, leading to missed opportunities.

Unfortunately, another character lacking a clear identity in Art of Sarah is Detective Park Mu-gyeong. While it can be argued that he functions as the audience surrogate, there is little development on the page. There’s little to hold onto, and it doesn’t give Lee Joon-hyuk much to work with.

He’s generally an actor who leans toward a nuanced approach to his performances, so it isn’t a good fit. Outside of a couple of exchanges with the Detective’s superior, the question then becomes, “Who is Detective Park Mu-gyeong?” Whether intentional or not, the lack of clarity is more distracting than helpful, with an imbalance between the two leads.

A more balanced mix of storytelling elements could have strengthened The Art of Sarah’s mystery.

Therein lies the overwhelming takeaway of The Art of Sarah, and something that even Sarah Kim herself might agree with in the end. Less is more. When developing a solid mystery, twists and turns are a must. However, there needs to be a balance, especially since mysteries usually rely on solid characterization to keep audiences guessing. Too many twists end up muddying the waters, making it harder to follow and harder to stay focused. For The Art of Sarah, less could have been more when it came to its exploration of Sarah Kim’s secrets.

Lacking in balance, The Art of Sarah tries to be deeper than it needs to be. Sometimes “art” doesn’t need to go too far to be compelling, and we see glimpses of how that philosophy works in the series’ beginning stages of mystery. As the mystery deepens, it is held up by the strength and will of Shin Hye-sun’s performance, but even she cannot keep the story on course. But while the story struggles with balance, no one can deny that what the series aims to explore comes through and leaves much food for thought. 

The Art of Sarah is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.