'The Art Of Sarah' Netflix Review: Shin Hye-Sun’s Comeback Fails To Leave A Lasting Impact 

If you liked Netflix’s Invisible Anna, there’s a chance you’d be super intrigued by the plot of The Art Of Sarah, but at the risk of being the bearer of bad news, I want to say that this Korean drama, while following a similar pattern, is a completely different kind of show. For one, it is not at all a comedy; it’s a serious show about class, fraud, and identity theft. On the surface, it feels like The Art Of Sarah is going to be a murder mystery, but in truth, as the title suggests, it’s a study of an individual who aspires to be something much greater than what she was born to. 

The Art Of Sarah opens with a woman finding a dead body in a sewer. The immediate response in our heads is that the leading lady of this show is dead, and we’re trying to piece together what happened to her. The show is nonlinear, with many twists and turns, leaving us concerned about the protagonist. Yes, despite what she’s doing, we somehow find ourselves rooting for Sarah Kim, the showstopper in this story. Who killed Sarah? How was she found out? What was the mystery behind her life? Who is she? That’s what we have to find out in The Art Of Sarah.

There are many plot holes in this show. For one, while it is a character study, we don’t really get a background for why this character is the way she is. Did she suffer a trauma in her childhood? Why is she alone, and why is she so ambitious? Of course, when you’re poor, there are so many reasons to try and get out of the state that you’re in, but when you’re poor and alone, there’s got to be something in your past that’s pushed you to a limit. Here’s the thing: truth be told, we might not need these answers. After all, it’s a show about a con artist, and we get all the details of her cons—the whys, the whos, and the whats—but this whole thing leaves a bit of a gap in the whole shebang, you know? 

Shin Hye-Sun’s Sarah is deceiving, drop-dead gorgeous, cunning, and luxurious, but at the same time, she has her flaws; she always has something to hide, and you can never truly get a read on her. The actress has always been an expert at playing morally ambiguous roles. As the lead of this show, she carries it all by herself. She’s truly one of the best, and it’s interesting to see a pattern for the actresses of her generation pivoting to morally gray characters after passing their prime (by Korean standards). This is an industry that doesn’t really let you breathe, and if you lose an opportunity, there’s a chance you’ll never be able to get back to the top like before. Having switched lanes allows these high-profile actresses, like Shin, to prove that they’ve still got the chops, while allowing younger actresses to step into more traditional romantic roles. To be fair, Shin has always done unique stuff, and she’ll continue to shine. 

On the other hand, Kim Jae-Won plays a younger romantic interest who is greeted as a carpet. To be honest, apart from Shin, there’s really nothing too intriguing about the rest of the cast. Even as the detective investigating the case, Lee Jun-Hyuk really lacks any real character development. His role is quite bland, and while the actor attempts to bring the best he can to the character, there isn’t much nuance there. 

In terms of plot, there’s a lot going on in The Art Of Sarah. The non-linear storytelling really sucks you in, making you wonder what’s going to come next at every step of the way. I will admit, the ending doesn’t give enough payoff to justify the wait. But even so, the pacing of the show certainly doesn’t feel slow at any given time. There’s always one thing or another going on; however, the main part of this story comes right at the end, and doesn’t give us enough time to bask in it, making the ending feel oddly rushed, despite there having been enough time to explore that part of the story. 

In the last few years, we’ve seen a dozen mystery K-dramas that end up losing to the binge formula. This is one of those too. I believe if it followed the weekend release formula, we might’ve been more shocked by the ending. Truthfully, it is the screenplay that fails near the end, driving us to a meh conclusion rather than giving us something super engaging. It almost feels like someone stitched together two different drafts to come up with this new one. 

The truth is, while the premise of The Art Of Sarah is deeply intriguing, the ultimate conclusion might not be worth the wait. It’s at best a half-baked show with a really fantastic lead actress who keeps you engaged. There are some surprise elements, but the plot holes leave you unimpressed. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the show, though, because I definitely found it quite mysterious. I do feel like if the ending was different, the show may have been far more elevated. If you plan on watching it as a second-screen thing, then I would recommend against it, because you may miss out on some important details. However, it’s not something you can’t fully understand. It’s quite straightforward despite the non-linear timeline. I’d give The Art Of Sarah 3 out of 5 stars, just because despite its flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed Shin Hye-Sun’s work and would recommend it for that reason.