This review may contain spoilers
THIS NEEDS FULL SERIES!
First of all! how the hell did they manage to showcase story so short in such a pleasant way. This just proves how good the actors were, they fully understood their roles and put all of them in it as long as it was possible basically. Their chemistry is on another level and it's just so obvious that they enjoy to work together and interact. First part where they confessed was so rushed, but it was also so well put together and their reunion conversation wasn't out of place, it was pleasant to listen to two guys get together and share what they've been doing all along. That on bed talk was full of emotions and confessions all over again.It will be tragic if the series can't get full length episodes, even if they're 20 min long as it's usually is, it will be enough.
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What a gem
It's a crime that neither of the actors seem to have been in anything else? Jung Jae Woon especially was so charming, the acting from both felt so natural, I would have loved to see them in more things!There isn't much to the story since it's only 16 minutes but you still get such a strong impression of the characters' personality and can easily let your imagination fill in the rest. Their chemistry was great and I wonder if the actors knew each other prior?
I'm going to have to save the episodes and re-watch them on a rainy day, it was so sweet.
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He is unaware that South Korean soldiers are forced to hide their sexual orientation
In 1896, the cinema was still a fairground attraction about which not much was known. So when inventor and photographer William Heise captured a brief sequence showing a couple kissing, it caused fury and horror. Not only to surprise the moralistic North American society of the time, but to demonstrate, at the same time, something seemingly simple: Love could also be captured on camera. Or at least, be part of the flourishing film world and its stories. Occupying, without a doubt, an important place in the way in which the newly born seventh art conceived of itself.A century and a little later, romance has fulfilled that promise to become one of the most popular genres in the world of cinema and television productions. From great stories that conquer several generations, to small gems that meditate on heartbreak, anguish, separation and the passage of time.
Produced by Strongberry in two short episodes lasting about fifteen minutes in total, 'A First Love Story' (Peoseuteureobeuseuseurori) sensitively and beautifully celebrates the way love can express the best of being human, seen through the eyes of two very close friends since childhood: Min Kyu (Jung Jae Woon) and Jae Sung (Kim Hyeong Won).
The two are forced to distance themselves when Jae Sung announces the unexpected news that he must enlist in the army. Although I would have liked greater development in the romantic relationship, it is true that it is notable how the only two actors on screen at all times allow us as viewers to be able to take the pulse of their emotions and mutual feelings; feel the anguish that overcomes them when they know that they will have to be separated for two years, the confession of being in love with each other, the reunion after a few months apart, the possibility of going beyond words to express love...
Although I found it a beautiful story of friends to lovers with actors constantly showing good chemistry that transcends the screen, an undeniable tenderness in their interactions, simple but profound dialogues, the transmission of feelings and emotions through gestures and body language, my main concern lies in the fact that the miniseries tends to ignore a reality present in the South Korean Army: South Korean soldiers are forced to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity for fear that someone would make it public and harassed them.
This is due to the Army's refusal to accept the presence of homosexuals in its ranks. Both homosexual soldiers and even those suspected of being so are exposed to triple humiliation: suffering a criminal sentence, expulsion from the army for unworthiness and forced confession to their parents and the rest of society, which describes itself as a conservative and devout Christian, under article 92.6 of the Military Penal Code of said nation.
The miniseries ignores that by criminalizing sexual relations between men in the armed forces, the South Korean government violates a wide range of human rights, including the right to privacy, freedom of expression, and equality and non-discrimination. Likewise, it is unaware that the military code not only legislates against specific sexual acts, but also institutionalizes discrimination, and could even incite or justify violence against LGBTI people within the army and in society in general, since in South Korea all men are obliged to serve in the military for a minimum of 21 months.
The miniseries lacks the courage and commitment to fighting for the rights of the LGBT+ community that, for example, 'Just Friends?' (친구사이? / Chingu sai?), the short film written and directed by Kim Jho Gwang-soo, which subtly denounces institutionalized homophobia in the army, through the sequence of images in which we see Seok Yi (Lee Je-Hoon) on his first visit to the military base in Cheorwon where his boyfriend Min Soo (Yeon Woo-jin) is serving his mandatory military service.
Upon arrival, the young university student has to fill out a contact form in which they must state, among other details, what relationship they have with the person they are visiting.
Elated to be able to see Min Soo after a while, when answering this question in the official document he writes the word "lover". Realizing the risks that his mistake entails for both him and his boyfriend, he tries to obtain a new form to write "friend" and thus circumvent any suspicion about the type of relationship that both have, but when he does not obtain it, he is forced to carefully cross out what he wrote and in its place write the other word.
I do not believe that 'A First Love Story' tells us about a dream world, in which South Korean soldiers and soldiers belonging to the LGBT+ community are free from the persecution and discrimination that exists against them in the Army, because then it should have presented a greater number of images with the two young people, one of them a soldier, the other a civilian, expressing their love freely in the streets and other public spaces. That is to say, the miniseries would have had a greater impact if it had had the intention of showing the desired future world for the professional soldiers of the Army, now free from the sad and cruel reality they live today.
In short, the miniseries ignores that the South Korean Army is a place where in order to fit in, the homosexual soldier or officer without distinction of rank or time in service has to stop being who he is, has to erase himself and pretend to be the person he is not.
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Doux, franc et suffisant
Doux, réconfortant et mignon avec une émotion légère et subtile qui donne le sourire.Kim Hyeong Won et Jung Jae Won sont parfaits dans leurs rôles. Aussi attachants l'un que l'autre. On devine les questions muettes et les non-dits. Le premier épisode se concentre davantage sur Mingyu, tandis que le second s'axr sur Jaesung nous permettant ainsi de découvrir davantage de l'un et l'autre.
La photographie est simple, mais jolie. L'audio est bon, ainsi que les musiques discrètes. La douceur qui se dégage de ce court-métrage fait que la relation semble unique et précieuse.
C'est doux et honnête. Et personnellement, ça me suffit.
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