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Tags: public review
Published : 1 year, 1 month ago (Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:23:36 PST)
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So it's been forever and a day since I last wrote an Asian movie review! My computer was acting incredibly funky and I just didn't have the space to download and watch anything (I prefer downloading as opposed to watching stuff online; the quality's just a million times better for me.) However, the other day I was able to do a pretty good cleaning up of the computer, getting rid of a ton of junk and freeing up a LOT of space so now I have plenty of room to download again! I'm so happy. :) So...movie reviews aplenty on the way!
For the new friends on my f-list who don't yet know this about me, I'm a huge lover of Asian doramas (short television series) and movies, particularly those from Korea. As corny as this will sound, they touch my heart like most Western productions just can't.
Anyway, onto the review.
My Love / 내 사랑
Four love stories are told simultaneously in this movie, all intermingling into one soulful look into the world of romance, heartbreak, yearning and both happy and not-so-happy endings.
Se-Jin (Kam Woo-Seong) & Ju-Won (Choi Kang-hee)
They were one of my favorite couples throughout the movie, a little reminiscent of quite a few other popular Kmovie/dorama pairings-- the shy and easily embarrassed guy, the silly and quirky girl who brings color into his life. Ju-Won was wonderfully weird, constantly lost in her own thoughts and dreams, emerging just long enough to include Se-Jin, who was hesitant although eventually happy to join in.
We know from the beginning of the movie that Ju-Won is no longer in Se-Jin's life and their love story is actually just a memory of his that is told amongst all the present-day stories unfolding. We later find out what happened to Ju-Won and it's of course heartbreaking, although perhaps not quite as heartbreaking as Se-Jin's reaction and present day life; he drives the very subway train him and Ju-Won first met on and when he is told he's being reassigned to a new route, he resigns from the position. Their story was beautiful because even years later the tragedy touches Se-Jin's heart so powerfully that you can feel his pain and suffering and his immense love for the departed Ju-Won.
I felt that the acting between the two was effortless, something you could really believe. Their relationship played out so sweetly and at times so first-love-awkward, it makes the watcher crave that kind of love for themselves.
So-Hyeon (Lee Yeon-Hee) & Ji-Wu (Jeong Il-Woo)
So-Hyeon's had a crush on Ji-Wu for years, and vividly remembers a time when he once drunkingly told her that he only likes girls who can "drink well", specifically "a whole bottle of Soju." So-Hyeon, who can't even take a shot of liquour without getting embarrassingly drunk and eventually passing out, decides she must learn to indeed drink a whole bottle of Soju so that Ji-Wu will like her. Silly, but sweetly innocent. It is young love after all.
So-Hyeon, although immature and slightly grating at times, was undeniably adorable the majority of her time on screen. And Ji-Wu was likeable as the amused but patient object of her affection. I felt that he was a little slow on the uptake because it was more than a little obvious how So-Heyon felt towards him. In the end however, it all hit him like a brick and he went running through the streets after her in true Korean romantic fashion, just in time for them to witness the solar eclipse together.
For some reason I felt that their relationship didn't have as much time to develop as the others in the movie so the tear filled speech between the two at the end didn't feel 100% sincere, but other than that I really enjoyed watching them. It's always fun when the girl gets the guy she's innocently been adoring from afar. :P
Jeong-seok (Ryoo Seung-yong) & Su-Jeong (Lim Jeong-Wun)
This couple probably had the least amount of time together on screen, and yet their story was no less powerful than the others. Jeong-Seok is a single father who lost his wife years ago and has now turned to excessive drinking. Su-Jeong is his boss, a woman who most people see as a cold-hearted workaholic but is actually soft-hearted where it counts. She's in love with Jeong-Seok but he refuses to allow her into his life and becomes furious when he comes home to her in his house, attempting to cook dinner for him and his son.
Although some may have considered most of Su-Jeong's actions as pushy, I felt her unwavering affection for the gruffy Jeong-Seok as rather sweet and I could appreciate her eagerness to rescue him and his son from the life they were living. It was of course heartwarming in the end when Jeong-Seok finally allows Su-Jeong into his life, offering her a "free hug" and telling her they would have to take it slow but that he was willing to try. I actually really love those kind of endings, as I find them much more realistic than just riding off into the sunset happily ever after. There's no guarantee that things will work out between them and as the viewer we just have to rely on faith that they'll make it work.
Jin-man (Eom Tae-Woong)
After six years abroad and away from his true love, Jin-man returns to Korea to keep up his half of their promise, which is to meet on the day of the Solar Eclipse. It was planned that his love would call his cell phone number, which he quickly finds out has been given to another customer of the phone company. That other customer? Su-Jeong! Jin-man calls the number and the two meet, and although Su-Jeong is reluctant to give the phone to Jin-man, even for a day because she needs it for work, the two form an unlikely friendship, spilling their innermost secrets to each other during a drunken walk along the river.
Jin-man was an adorable character that you can not help but love. Before leaving Korea, him and his girlfriend began a "free hug" campaign, and he still keeps at it, walking around the streets with his "free hug" sign, receiving strange looks from the passerby. He's constantly smiling, never giving up hope. He doesn't even doubt for a second that despite the six years that have passed, his love will call him. And she does. On the day of the solar eclipse, the phone that Su-Jeong has finally lent him rings. It's Jin-man's first love and after he spots her through the crowed, he begins moving toward her. She tells him to stop, that her husband is nearby. "I'm sorry, I couldn't wait for you." Although no doubt heartbroken, Jin-man keeps on smiling and tells her it's OK, that he's just happy they could witness that moment of the solar eclipse together. I was teary as hell at this point, watching him as he stared at her from afar, when all he wanted to do was run to her and wrap his arms around her. Sigh.
But he shared his love another way, by later holding up his "free hugs" sign once again. A slow moving older man came forward and recieved his free hug, and after a round of applause from the crowd, one by one people began stepping up.
All in all, this was a beautifully put together movie, with little moments here and there that make you open your eyes a little wider to take it all in.
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