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Good drama, bad portrayal of autism
The cinematography and acting are great. The stories are interesting, tho sometimes it tried too hard to make me feel and failed at it.But the portrayal of autism is not so great. Geo-ru doesn't feel like a person, he feels like a mascot. He's utterly static in his character, doesn't develop at all through the story, other than getting over the death of his father. He can only talk in a totally robotic chanting voice 24/7(that's not how flat affect works), lightly bang his head against the wall when stressed(that's not how meltdowns look, they are usually more violent and dangerous for everyone involved) and keep talking about fishes when under pressure(special interests are just interests people on spectrum pursue with passion, they aren't tantrum-esque coping mechanism for real-life stress).
All the while he is unconditionally supported by just about everyone in the story, his father, his mother, his (not) gf, his uncle, the trash guy, his father's co-workers, the prosecutor lady, the people at the aquarium, the lawyer.....everyone is super patient and understanding to him, and is way too eager to run to his rescue if he is but in slightest danger of anything. Even his kidnapper was nice to him.
This idealized sugar sweet life is not what most people who are autistic live.
Examples of some situations that could have given him character development but where unexplored by the writers:
-When they go to clean up crime scene, Na-mu says she's scared. Geo-ru says the murder happened two weeks ago, and there is no one here, so there is no reason for her to be scared. Here Na-mu could have said something among the lines "Even though there is no reason, I am still afraid, don't invalidate my feelings" and then they could have discussed it. Geo-ru could have tried to understand that people can feel emotional states even if there is no logical basis for them, and learn something from it. Alas, Na-mu is his devoted 100% supporter, and didn't say anything.
-When Geo-ru sees some guys smoking in the toilet, he throws a tantrum and tells them its forbidden and threatens them and so on. In return, they bully him. Shortly afterwards, the uncles runs to his help, and everything ends up "fine". Except it doesn't. Here Geo-ru could have had a reflection, maybe reach some kind of epiphany, that not everyone follows or respects same rules as him. That maybe next time he shouldn't act like that towards strangers. But alas, he thinks nothing.
-In one of the flashbacks, his father tells him that the key to understanding other people is putting themselves in their own shoes. No shit, genius. But that's the thing with autism. People on spectrum can't do it, even if they try, even if they know in theory what they should do. When autistic person puts themselves in shoes of someone else, they overwrite the person in question with their own "self". In other words, "I wouldn't do it, so this person won't do it!", "I wouldn't believe it, so this person won't believe it!", "I wouldn't say it, so this person won't say it!". This is called impaired cognitive empathy and is one of the key characteristics of the autism spectrum disorder, one that causes most problems with social functioning in a neurotypical world where people take such skills for granted.
If Geo-ru was a well written autist, he would say something like "I try, but fail!". He would have argued against his father, instead of obediently nodding his head like a puppy and agreeing to everything, as if it solved anything.
There is also inconsistency with how his autism works. It works when the plot needs it, and shuts down when the plot doesn't focus on it. One example is Geo-ru getting a meltdown while driving, possibly from overstimulation. Autistic people are very sensitive to sounds and light, so it kinda makes sense why he is discouraged from doing it, and quite an achievement he even has a driving license in the first place. But in the last episode, he goes to a loud af underground MMA ring, straight into a huge croud of screaming people, flashing neons and squeezes his way through said crowd. Then proceeds to analyze the situation calmly and comes up with a solution to the challenge ahead. Excuse me, what?
In another example, Geo-ru fails at understanding people and reading the mood. Except for that one time when Sang-gu and social worker were arguing about the deceased couple, and Sang-gu says something insensitive. Awkward silence follows, and eventually Sang-gu leaves. Only then does Geo-ru resume conversation. How did Geo-ru notice that? It would be much more in character if he completely failed to read the mood, and kept talking about the job without noticing the tense exchange between the other two.
And how was his nonverbalism cured? At the age of ~6 or so, his parents took him to Aquarium, and he suddenly started talking fluently looking at fish, even tho he had never ever spoken before in his life. Excuse me, what? Never mind the neurological causes of nonverbal expression in autism, a person who never spoke before would not be able to speak so well on their first try. They'd need practice. Their vocal cords wouldn't be used to making sounds, and they'd have low control over pitch and volumne, among other things.
So yeah. Quite good, wholesome slice of life series. Not that sad tbh. And with not so great portrayal of ASD. For a better portrayal of this misunderstood and misrepresented disorder, I recommend Taiwanese drama Victim's Game.
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What a lovely story
This review DON’T contain spoilers.So to begin with:: THIS DRAMA IS WORTH EVERY SECOND!
It hit you everywhere.
I needed a bucket and lot of tissues.
Sooo heartwarming ❤️
The drama brings you close to each character.
You really get a kind of bonding and it hurts when a character need to say good bye.
Some story’s are really realistic.
As example: a family that won’t miss you, someone without any family or friends, real events that happens in the past ( the disaster of Sampoong building, illegal adoptions etc.)
What I liked the most are the actors and their acting skills.
They brought every character alive.
Their acting where AMAZING.
In a second you get from a smile on your face to tears or anger.
Amazing job.
And the soundtracks, love it~ 🥰
The music drag you along to the whole drama.
What I also love the most is this was a different kind of k-drama.
This time no big love triangle, product promotions, drama’s, all the usual stuff in k-drama’s.
A ML with ASS, a FL that is a good supporting friend, crazy, really kind, tuff uncle that will take your heart.
I call it a golden duo.
We need more of this kind of K-Drama.
That take you to a different perspective 🥰
1000/10
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trust me, you’ll cry
I had this drama on my list since a really long time but I never actually read the synopsis or anything but since I had nothing to watch these days, I tought about watching it.I had zero expection yet, this show is really worth it. I binged watch it in less than 3 days. First of all, the cast is really good, the actors play well and match their character.
Overall, the show is good, as a perso who always skip the boring scenes, I didn’t skip once. All the little story were really touching and you might drop a little tear for some of them but what I prefered is really the whole background of Geuru’s family (counting his uncle) I really wasn’t expecting this. I cried during the scene where Geuru’s mother is at the hospital, I don’t even know why because I’m not the kind of people who really cry in front of dramas but it actually touched me deeply.
It’s such a good show that deserve its high reviews!! I even recommend it to my mother who’s such a picky drama fan and she loves it !!
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Masterpiece focusing on many social problems, very insightful
Move to heaven is a 10 episode drama its shorter than most dramas but the impact cannot be compared to other dramas.This drama is one of the few that I actually binge watched, I finished in less than 2 days, which is very fast for me. I watched it all the time except the time I was eating or sleeping.
First of all the topic of the drama itself puts it in another level compared to other dramas. Death, a taboo topic not brought up in everyday conversations. Death can happen alike to the young and old though more to the old, this drama covers both, extensively. Death due to old age, illness, accidents, murder etc. Are all covered.
This show depicts a autistic teenager and his father who help cleaning up after the death of a person. They clear up thier belongings and try to understand the life of the deceased by observing. Learning stories through the objects they left behind and helping the ones left behind to move on while understanding the feelings of the deceased.
Autism is very well depicted and acted out. All the actors did exceptional jobs at portraying their characters too.
The storyline is written so well the writer definitely has earned a new fan. The stories are all complex, including many layers that are unearthed slowly. It doesn't just look at death but many other social problems like adoption by foreigners of koreans, the question of right to die, old age problems, homosexuality, toxic relationships to name a few. These problems especially the problem of old age is something I hold close to my heart, so I felt this deep in my heart. Such a huge spectrum of problems covered in a drama is rare, but move to heaven did it, not just did it, they did it exceptionally well and also brought in tears to your eyes every few episodes.
The show also showed the life of the main characters, I really enjoyed the backstory which was naturally brought in by the writer and also loved the way the relationship of the uncle and the nephew developed in time.
The nephew's character is actually the best character, he's so caring and kind in his own way I always feel empathetic and attached to him.
The lack of osts is the only flaw I can find in this masterpiece, but it really didn't matter because I didn't even realise until I searched for osts and found classical music instead, which only introduced more music, so I'm not mad.
This is a drama I recommend everyone to watch, it'll change your life.
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Heartwarming story but it's not as engaging as I thought it is
This drama is very warm-hearted in the beginning, but the episodic nature of the drama becomes a bit repetitive. I could not get as sad about the second and third clients, after the first one. The story involving the uncle and Geu Ru's dad is the part I like the most.I have a problem with the character's progressions: If the show spends some time letting Han Geu Ru feels devastated at first from the trauma of losing his dad and the unexpected intrusion from his guardian, and then we see him recovering from it, I would pay more sympathy. Instead, he seems to be undisturbed and can maintain his work productivity at the same level as when he's doing it with his dad. I appreciate his independence, but it feels too unnatural / fairytale-like. This is not the first time I see an Asperger syndrome lead portrayal in a drama. Tang Jun Sang did very well, but he's a bit stiff.
In the last episode, I see they planted some plot seeds in order for romance to develop, and I don't want this! The story should maintain its' uniqueness as its' strength and not start something unrelated, in order to continue the story. Apparently, there is no second season confirmed, so I feel somewhat at ease :)
I don’t regret watching it, though. It's a beautiful story.
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A must watch
I have never cried watching a show or movie before, but I definitely cried multiple times watching Move to Heaven. I even cried watching it the second time despite knowing what happened. Most Kdramas are fairly predictable, but this one was not which was refreshing. I never really looked into non-romance Kdramas prior to this, but I’m glad I took the risk. It’s definitely not lighthearted, so keep that in mind if that’s not what you’re looking for. Even if it’s not what you’re looking for, I would still recommend watching it at some point. This show helped me realize there are good non-romance dramas, so I definitely recommend watching it if you’re looking for a good drama that is not romance.Was this review helpful to you?
Like i said previously, the story is about a boy that has to encounter a big change in his life. We follow his quotidian, but not that only. One of the things i love about this drama is how they connect the main story with side stories.
Its very touching and interesting, i highly recommend it.
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BEAUTIFUL
I'll start off this by saying that I'm not one to cry while watching movies or series, and I if I do, it's mostly just a little bit of tearing up.Move To Heaven had me crying my eyes out, tears streaming down my cheeks at least once per episodes.
The clever story line and superb acting provided us with an excellent first series.
Despite having barely understanding of korean, the raw and powerful emotions that the cast performed was what stood out and by not knowing the language the emotions portrayed was the main focus point for me, instead of what was being said.
I laughed, cried, and felt a renewed sense of gratitude for life and death.
Overall this is one of my favorite series I've ever seen, and I say that despite not really being an avid k-drama viewer.
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This review may contain spoilers
Love this story. I was impressed by how the writer of this drama implemented and fictionized trauma cleaners in most heartwarming, beautiful and thoughtful way. I know that there is no trauma cleaner like Geuru in real life. There is no trauma cleaner who organizes and collects items from the belongings like Gruru does and try every effort to deliver box(yellow box is created for this story also) to the deceased's family or friends. In reality, trauma cleaner's main job is to clean out the spaces and belongings of the deceased. However still the job itself is a very hardworking one and it face a lot of obstacles and diffulties in real life. It demands your devotion and professionalism but heardly not many people recognize what they are doing. And this is one of the thing I value about this drama. This drama introduced trauma cleaners for the first time and made people realize that we should show more respect to what they are doing for us and give more attention and care about people living around us.
GREAT WRITER!! GREAT STORY!!!
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My forever favourite drama
This will forever be one of the best drama’s I’ve watched, I cried not even halfway into the first episode and cried at every episode after that. Usually I take my time to watch shows but this had me so moved I binged it all.The plot is so beautiful and we get to explore different emotions and stories from characters that you can relate to so well, it feels so real and you really feel for the characters and families. It is a beautiful introduction into mourning, autism, friendship and love and the main actors Tang Jun-sang and Lee Je-hoon played their roles fantastically, you root for them greatly in the end and the characters development is well written.
My favourite episode was with the gay couple and I bawled at the speech and the rings at the end, you never really see gay characters portrayed positively on dramas so this was a pleasant experience for me. I really hope the ending means there is a season two as I miss the characters incredibly and would definitely rewatch this one to relive the emotional rollercoaster.
10/10! A perfect show.
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Easy-to-binge and gets all the onion-triggered water out of your eyes
It's been a long while since I watched a whole kdrama in one day/sitting. This broke it. Highly underrated even though it was a Netflix original.Let's dissect the storyline. Even though it didn't have my ideal beginning, it was still very fast-paced and allowed for the main character to be introduced. They quickly introduce the second main character and end that episode off with a very satisfying cliffhanger. I love how every episode introduced a different mini-storyline within the larger one, while allowing the main characters to develop. I also liked how they connected the story between the two main characters and allowed us to go back in time and sympathize with them. (This was the tear-jerking part.) I love dramas that are either completely romance or have a mystery/crime plot with a bit of romance. This was the latter aka my favorite.
Let's talk about the actors now. I don't know much about autism or Asperger's so I cannot comment on how well the main character, Tang Jun Sang, acted. However, I can comment on Lee Je Hoon's. Something about him at first glance was so charming. He embodied his role to the full, from the way he talked, the way he smirked, and his body language. I expect so much more for him in this genre of kdramas, and I'm excited to see more of him. Lastly, Hong Seung Hee was a very nice side (and female) character to have. She wasn't an especially necessary character to the plot, but she was in screenplay because she was the one reciprocating the comedic relief from Lee Je Hoon. The only problem I had with her was that her connection with the main character seemed just too random.
Overall, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND this drama.
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