Length: 1 hr 59m
Region: Korea
My Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: “In 1999, a teen girl keeps close tabs on a boy in school on behalf of her deeply smitten best friend – then she gets swept up in a love story of her own.”
First, let me say that this is a film - not a show. Second, Netflix labeled it a “lighthearted & easy” watch, which is why I picked it, and they straight-up LIED. This film left me wrecked - for days. The first 80% of the film is lighthearted as it touches on subjects of youth, friendship, humor, and first love. The other 20% is bittersweet, relatable, and so freakin’ sad. I ugly cried so hard. And then a few days later, while explaining the movie to my husband at a red light, I ugly cried again. The story was just so much deeper than what the synopsis makes you think.
Kim Yoo-jung is so delightful to watch in this one. She plays such a drastically different character in this film than the one she played in My Demon - which is what I first saw her in. And this was my introduction to Byeon Woo-seok, who kind of blew me away. The film itself isn’t some grand cinematic achievement either, but these two captured their character’s emotions so well. I mean, it was as if they WERE the characters. And when one of them cried, I cried too because it felt so real. Their portrayals of Na Bo-Ra and Poong Woon-Ho were perfect. The side characters played by Ong Seong-wu and Roh Yoon-seo were great too! They definitely added to the story rather than distracting from it.
Overall, this was a wonderful film. Though I don’t know if I could watch it again. I tried watching the last 30 minutes over, and couldn’t finish it. The way this story ended just felt so wrong and I really wish it had been different. There’s a beautiful letter, two plot twists, and a train scene - all left me feeling all of the feels. There’s also a specific piece of information that the audience doesn’t receive either and it frustrated me. Though you technically don’t need that information at all - I WANTED to know. I felt like I NEEDED to know. Heck, the audience DESERVED it. And when the last line was spoken and it cut to the credits I sobbed. "That can't be how it ends?!" Still, I appreciated how realistic it was, and how many emotions it stirred up for me. Again, not sure if I could watch it a second time though.
And that wraps up my review. While looking up the synopsis for the film I came across this review and it’s brief but also spot on. If you’re ever in the mood for some 1999 nostalgia, a lovely story, and a good cry - give this one a watch. You can find it over on Netflix - linked in the name below the picture up top. Until the next one, 🤞.
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