Hear Me: Our Summer (2024)

Feel-good romance lacks distinctive voice and a real heart

I don't have much to say about this film except that it's cute, adorable and wholesome. Conversations are mostly backed up with whimsical music. I don't have a problem with this as the dialogues felt authentic and genuine at first. However, by the time we arrived in the second half the story became dragged and lacked the specifities I was hoping for.

The shots and cinematography could have been more creative to make it memorable. The story does not try to be groundbreaking either. This is just supposed to be a feel-good movie although I would have loved if there were more touching moments to evoke emotions considering the story revolves around deaf people.

The story starts with Yong Jun unsure of what he wants to do in life. He's surrounded with philosophy books but he doesn't know what job to apply for. By the time we get to the end, nothing has changed. He's the main character but we didn't get to know much about his thoughts and background except that he instantly fell for Yeo Reum when he saw her in the swimming pool. This is the moment where the puppy love story starts to unfold. The film also noticeably shifts it focus to Yeo Reum's point of view after this part. More or less, Yeo Reum is a more developed character than Yong Jun. We digged into Yeo Reum's background and personality but only to a certain extent and here is where my main issue lies. Her character lacks a distinctive voice and is not fleshed out as I want her to be.

The storyline is fairly simple and is quite the epitome of young love. Although, one would really expect that the film could have had more earnest and compelling scenes just to fully give us that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

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Hear Me: Our Summer Review - ZyKuu

"Actions speak louder than words" - The story was very simple and easy to follow. There was a gentle atmosphere this movie laid out that allows the viewer to be calm in enjoyment. Two nitpicks I have pertain to the dynamic of both main leads Yong-jun and Yeo-reum. I feel as if their relationship did not develop naturally or at a reasonable pace. Also, I believe that there was bit of romance lacking between them. The cast was very small in this project. Yeon-jun's parents were fabulous as they nailed their roles as expected. The secondary couple I wish had more interactions and screen time. Ga-eul was a character I wish we got to spend more time with as I found her story interesting. The background OST was nice and helped set the mood when needed. This film delivers important messages about family and life that many people can relate to. It also peaked my interest towards learning ASL as one day there may be a time it will come in handy, along with making the people who communicate using this language feel more comfortable. In conclusion, I would only recommend this film if you have some free time to spare!

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