Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho certainly keeps busy, cranking out movies and shows at a furious pace. None have had quite the impact as that stellar zombie thriller, but it’s not for lack of trying. Paradise Lost, his second feature this year, sees him tackle some big questions in a near future sci-fi thriller, and while he and his co-screenwriter Ryu Yong-jae (working from the novel Black Inferno by Oh Seong-eun) somehow avoid ever really saying anything about the issues they bring up, the movie should at least still get the viewer thinking about them.

When So-young (Kim Hyun-joo) shuffles her son Sun-woo (Yu Ji-wan) onto the bus for “camping school”, a part of her senses that something may be off with the driver—but she pushes the feeling aside. Sadly, her intuition is proved correct when the bus is found empty with the children’s teacher murdered beside it and no sign of the children. After an intensive search some of the kids’ bodies are ultimately discovered as is that of their killer, but many, including Sun-woo’s, are never found.

With the entire group presumed deceased, a company known as Transhuman steps in and offers to build the parents a virtual clone of their children using photos and videos to get as close as possible. Their stated goal is to help them cope with their loss, but So-young is particularly taken with the digital version of Sun-woo, and over the ensuing nine years comes to love him as if he were real. When out of the blue the flesh and blood Sun-woo (Bae Hyun-sung) reappears she is unsure how to feel, once again sensing something off, and when a neighborhood boy goes missing she begins to fear the worst.

The premise is intriguing, allowing the filmmakers to explore themes of maternal love, AI, and the very nature of evil, but it perhaps proves too much for the relatively fleet 101-minute runtime as it never really says anything interesting about any of them. Yeon’s workmanlike direction serves the material well, and the lurid mystery at its core keeps one’s attention engaged, but it’s hard not to feel at least a little disappointment in the lack of development of the film’s ethical dilemmas.

Anchored by strong performances, Paradise Lost is a bleakly compelling thriller, and while it can’t quite live up to the full potential of its premise, it still makes for a riveting, chilling watch. For pure entertainment value it’s a winner, though those who would like a deeper exploration of either of the two main ideas would be better suited watching her or We Need to Talk About Kevin. ★★★½

Not Rated. Contains bloody violence, language, disturbing content, and smoking.