20th Century Girl

I knew the ending already thanks to Tik Tok, and I still started bawling my eyes out 45 minutes before the movie ended. This was such a sweet and pure depiction of first love, I wish I could have seen even more of the characters because they were so fun and likable the second the movie started. Oh to have such friends like this, to be in the broadcasting club, to eat plums straight from the tree, to have a school field trip at the ocean, to get drunk with your friends, to drunkenly confess your feelings, to have payphone conversations with your first love, to send emails back and forth with your best friend/crush... the list goes on. This broke my heart in a million pieces. To think Bo Ra never got to read Woon Ho's letter because he dropped it in the rain, or that it took so long for her to find out what happened after years of feeling disappointed. It'll take a while to recover from this one 💔

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Overall, a cute film about first loves with angst, drama and a few twists and turns thrown in.

Just finished this and true to form… the ending sucked 😂😂. I don’t know what it is about Korean films and dramas but they are so good… they just keep sucking you in until you get to the end and then 85-90% of the time, they just miss the mark. I mean like nose dive off a cliff miss. Not to mention the fact that I thought this was a drama and only realized it was a film when some one mentioned it and asked didn’t I wonder why I had been watching it so long.. I did not and after watching a certain scene, I was left wondering how the show would move forward for 9 more episodes😂😂 Good thing it was a film because I would have been pissed having watched 10 episodes of a drama only for it to end the way it did… 😡
The characters were likeable for the most part and a few got on my nerves at times but overall I enjoyed them and they played their roles perfectly. The story line was pretty good as well… made me reminisce on my first love and kept me interested.. until that nose dive of an ending. Overall it was a cute film about first loves with angst, drama anda few twists and turns thrown in.

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One of the Saddest Movie I Ever Watched.

When I Started it i thought It would a good movie with a happy ending, but in the end I was crying..........................................................................................
































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não assista se vc não quiser chorar ?

Eu amo esse filme com todas as minhas forças, pena que eu não posso ver ele sempre. Eu me acabo de chorar e não seria justo comigo mesma eu me torturar dessa forma 😭

Eles são todos muito bem escritos e a estética dos anos 90 sempre funciona muito bem.

Eu não tava nem um pouco preparada pra isso tudo, pensava que no final ia ver eles casando, tendo dois filhos lindinhos e comemorando até as bodas de diamante 😭

Queria guardar os dois de todo mal existente e dizer que ia ficar tudo bem. Isso deixaria meu coração muito quentinho ☹️

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NOT a "lighthearted" coming of age story like Netflix described :( Pass if you don't want to cry

I was in a depressed mood and when I saw that this was listed as a "lighthearted" movie, I thought PERFECT! I'll watch of fun quick romance. When the Male lead didn't stopped replying to the female leads emails and then she didn't hear from him for years it never even crossed my mind that he was dead because, again, this is listed as a LIGHTHEARTED romance on Netflix! LIES. Towards the end when she go the invitation to the exhibition I was actually thinking she better kick his but to the middle of next year, because he has no good excuse for ghosting her like that (no pun intended). Then I saw the image of the plum tree and bench with his birth and death day, and in front of my husband and two toddlers I cried out so loud, it startled them and then burst into tears! Whoever considers that light hearted must have a heart than can bench press a house, because this movie placed about 10 tons of heartache on me. I stopped the movie right there and DNF'd it. Even writing this review makes me want to lower my rating. So just to be clear, this MAY be a great movie to some people, but I HATE these types of stories. Life is hard enough, I don't want to watch them on tv, which is the time I spend escaping some of the hard things I have to see and hear through my line of work.

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A bit sadder than my expectations

I've always wanted to watch this one but was reluctant due to its sad ending. Lovely Runner has boosted my motivation to watch it and i must say i had a gist of the ending but it had affected me more than i thought it would.

The story is cliche but its execution was quite alright, the movie hits a very nice nostalgic note due to its setting which made me like this movie a lot especially with its beautiful visuals. It started so wholesomely with its romcom and silly 2nd hand embarrassment moments that i was surprised on how in its last few minutes it had shifted on a much sadder note. As pleasing as this drama has started and how smooth it was with its pacing id say that the fact that Poong woo ho's death was porely handled as it had been left unfairly unexplained despite its importance to the movie even during the conversation between bo-ra and his younger brother.

Overall this movie was good as long as i ignore the little things. I'm certain it might take awhile for me to recover from this one haha.

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Lives up to the hype

I don't know how I managed it, but I went into this with no spoilers other than knowing that everyone I know cried when they watched this. I kept thinking to myself "Oh, is this supposed to e the sad part? This doesn't seem so bad."

First I thought it was the mixup thing. Then I thought it was when the two girls fought. Then I thought it was the train station farewell. Then I thought it was when the emails stopped. Then I thought it was the exhibition. Then I thought it was the brother explaining everything. With each moment, I kept thinking that's the moment my friends had to have been talking about, and I couldn't understand why they were so upset.

Then she put that damn VHS in the VCR. Even when it started, I immediately went "Ahhh it's gotta be this!" and was still confused because I wasn't getting the sadness or tears that I was promised.

And then that last minute hit. Literally just the last minute of this 2 hour long movie. That's all it took to break my heart and leave me in sobbing shambles.

Kudos to the team that created this move and their choices with the pacing, because I have never been caught so off guard while knowing I was in for a sad ending before.

And kudos to this cast for getting me so invested in the storyline in such a limited about of time. I've watched full 20+ episode dramas that haven't had me nearly as attached to characters as this movie did. Wow.

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Once Upon A Time in the Life of a Teenager

I would rate ‘20th Century Girl’ an 11/ 10, but I guess that is cheating. Nonetheless, that is my sentiment.

20th Century Girl is a School Life Romance Korean movie.


For youths (and the young at heart) who have been waiting for the most realistic High School Korean drama or movie, with a very realistic storyline, that movie is here. It only takes 2 hours of your time to watch. My only regret is that this movie was not made into a longer Korean drama instead of a movie so that I could have experienced this special gem for a longer period of time. In this movie, you get . . .

High School crush
BGF intervention
Stalking your love
Hot Guy and his Hot Best Guy Friend
Should you break the ‘girl code’ about dating your BGF’s guy?
Should you break the ‘bro code’ about even considering a girl liked by your bro?
Chasing your imaginary dreams

20th Century Girl takes place in 1999, right before Y2K, and has an intricate love relationship which will catch you off guard. This is a story about first love. It stars Kim Yoo-jung (Lovers of the Red Sky) as Na Bo-ra, Byeon Woo-Seok (Record of Youth) as Poong Woon-Ho, Park Joon-woo (DP) as Baek Hyun-jin and Roh Joon-seo (Debut role in Our Blues) as Kim Yeon-du. The movie is a ‘Must See’.


Quote: “Yeon-doo . . . remember what you said awhile ago? That if you like someone, then you can’t sleep at night. . . This is a secret . . . The food you eat becomes tasteless and listening to music makes you cry? Actually, I sleep fine at night and my food taste better than usual, and I feel like dancing when I hear music. It’s strange, though. When I think of him, my heart hurts a bit. Is this love? Then I think that I’m in love”. Na Bo-ra

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Cherish Those Wonderful Moments!

I will be honest. This coming-of-age romantic comedy/drama surprised me. I thought it was going to be another one of those typical young romance stories, but the writer threw a few curveballs that I didn’t see coming.

Na Bo Ra is a young high school girl whose best friend, Kim Yeon Do, is headed to the US for heart surgery. Given how advanced Korean medicine is, I was a little surprised that she had to go so far, but I quickly let it go. Kim Yeon Do also briefly meets Baek Hyun Jin who helps her, and she, of course, immediately falls head over heels for him. Since she is going to be away for a while, Yeon Do asks Bo Ra to find out everything she can about her new, prospective love.

We’ve seen this situation dozens of times in stories like this one as Bo Ra follows Baek Hyun Jin around the school—sometimes with hilarious moments—in order to gather information for her friend. It is 1999 and emailing is slowly becoming the way of communication, and Bo Ra sends her friend emails with updates and information about Baek Hyun Jin. Bo Ra also finds herself speaking with Hyun Jin’s best friend, Poong Woon Ho, who is a confident, but somewhat withdrawn boy who enjoys photography.

I figured was going to begin as another typical storyline, gave me my first curveball. The writer brilliantly decided to use the “mistaken identity” ploy, and it works really well here! Bo Ra finds herself infatuated with Woon Ho, which she figures is all well and good. After all, her friend is in love with Hyun Jin, who doesn’t interest Bo Ra at all. But Hyun Jin becomes interested in her. But that isn’t where the twist begins. When Yeon Do returns, we find out that she’s in love with Woon Ho because he was wearing Hyun Jin’s jacket at the time they met, which had Hyun Jin’s name tag on it. Hence, we now have two girls in love with the same guy. Of course, this crushes Bo Ra, who is now trying her best to prove to her friend that she is NOT in love with Woon Ho, and thus, she steps aside.

The moments between Bo Ra and Woon Ho are sweet and endearing, as it’s clear that these two have real chemistry. Bo Ra isn’t necessarily a wallflower and even takes the initiative to ask Woon Ho out on a date. This occurs right before Yeon Do reveals the truth about the object of her affections. We have tender moments of Bo Ra and Woon Ho eating ice cream, Woon Ho helping a drunk Bo Ra on a field trip, and an especially precious moment under a plum tree.

I was a bit put off by Yeon Do’s reaction when she finds out the truth of Bo Ra’s feelings for Woon Ho. After all, it wasn’t entirely Bo Ra’s fault regarding the mistaken identity. But Yeon Do quickly redeems herself when she realizes that Woon Ho is also in love with Bo Ra, and she encourages her friend to not let anyone stand in her way.

Woon Ho’s mother and brother live in New Zealand, and his father sends him back to the country. We aren’t given an explanation as to why, but it’s here that we get a tearful goodbye between Woon Ho and Bo Ra at the train platform as he sets off. I love how Koreans emote. It always feels so genuine and heartfelt, and we feel the pain of separation as Woon Ho sobs as the train pulls away, and Bo Ra is also left sobbing on the platform.

In the final act of the film, we get another major twist. Woon Ho and Bo Ra are able to maintain contact (only via email) until some time after the new year. Bo Ra is entering college, and we can only assume that Woon Ho is doing the same. Woon Ho vows to return to Korea to be with Bo Ra, but suddenly, all communication stops. Bo Ra’s emails go unanswered, and even when she attempts to call his pager, there is no response. Believing that Woon Ho has lost interest, she angrily and tearfully leaves a message and vents her frustrations, vowing to never want to see or speak with him again.

Now, I’ve seen enough movies and shows over 45+ years to recognize when something is up, and I had a strong suspicion that something happened to Woon Ho. Given his love and devotion for Bo Ra, there was no way he would lose interest. Of course, as a somewhat insecure young woman just out of high school, Bo Ra’s reaction wasn’t a surprise either. The last thing she would suspect is that something tragic has taken place.

Sure enough, as we jump some fifteen or twenty years later, Woon Ho’s brother contacts Bo Ra and invites her to a photography exhibit. Bo Ra is shocked to see that nearly every photograph on display has something to do with her. And it is here that Woon Ho’s brother tells her that Woon Ho died back in 2001.

I found two things frustrating about the ending, despite not really having a major issue with it. First, I don’t care who you are, when you find out that someone has died—especially someone close to you—you want to know how it happened. And Bo Ra never asks the obvious question, and Woon Ho’s brother never tells her. I’ve had close friends pass away in the last few years, and my first thought is, “What happened? How did they die?” And when someone dies young, it’s frankly, a very obvious question.

And second, I wish they’d extended the ending a bit more. More talk and conversation between Bo Ra and Woon Ho’s brother would have been nice. I’m sure Bo Ra would have had a million questions about him. But the exchange is much too brief given the situation. I’d be curious what ended up on the cutting floor during this sequence.

I saw Kim Yoo Jung in “Backstreet Rookie” which was a disappointment. My only minor criticism is when she cries. Her wailing and sobbing almost felt forced at times. Older Bo Ra—played by Han Hyo Joo—felt much more tender and real. Perhaps because Hyo Joo is older and a much more seasoned actress. As she sits and watches the videos that Woon Ho made from years ago, it was much easier to empathize with her.

The movie reminded me a little bit of the classic film “The Man In the Moon,” a story of two sisters who fall in love with the same boy, which ends tragically. Part of me wished this film had more depth like that movie, especially in the end. However, the fantastic acting of Han Hyo Joo and Byun Woo Suk (Woon Ho) really made the ending powerful and heartfelt.

This was a film that was much better than I thought it would be. There is something that has always captivated me regarding good coming-of-age stories and romances. Perhaps because many of these stories involve first-time experiences that come from a place of innocence and childlike wonder. And they are always heartbreaking when tragedy occurs. But then, that’s life, isn’t it? Not every romance will have a “happily ever after” ending.

Perhaps the message here is to cherish the time you have with loved ones. Don’t take them for granted because you never know when time is suddenly up. Relationships are about moments, however brief or long they may be.

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