AthenaTheStorierX

Simple but Poignant: A Tale of Unrequited Love

Krit's longtime crush on his questioning best friend has started to drive a rift between them. But in one last bid for time together, Krit invites Vin to join him on a journey in the wilderness to 9 Buddhist temples and the 7th tier of the neighboring waterfall. He had only planned for a journey filled with Vin's company, beautiful flowers to collect and press, and a wish to granted at the end of his quest. What he didn't anticipate was 2 other guests, as well as a journey that inspired feelings of nostalgia and lostness, before teaching him of peace and acceptance.

Despite a brief morbid moment and concerns over how the film would end, I found this to be a beautiful exploration of an unrequited first love. The backdrop of wilderness and Buddhist temples was well-chosen. And I'm not sure that this film would have had the same oddly comforting vibe had the music not been so well chosen (which, honestly, seems to be a trait of P'Nuchy's productions). And then there's our main character Krit: a young boy who sees beauty in everything and always wishes for happiness for everyone, and an eternal love for himself - wishes that Buddhism tells him is impossible. Wishes that society shuns. When he starts to feel lost, we can tell. There may not be explosive anger or giant tears, but we can tell.

It's simple. But it's poignant. The script, directing, and music left nothing to be desired for viewers. But the acting was a little stiff and I feel like Vin should have gotten more character development. I also think that there was a scene that was a bit too morbid, at least for my tastes anyway.

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Perfection (of the Made-For-Social-Media Variety)

I really liked the story of this drama. And this was a perfect micro/made-for-social-media series (which, naturally, when compared to a standard production drama, is riddled with flaws). It was great to see such an intelligent FL pulling on people's perceptions and alliances to help her meet her goals - the exact extent of which viewers did not see until the end.

The main actors, although quite stiff, had some good chemistry together. I hope that we can see more of them as they possibly develop their skills more. They were spotted in an advertisement together, so the possibility is there.

I don't recall anything of note music-wise, but it did fit the drama and the scenes and never broke my immersion. There are a few details and reveals added toward the end that could intrigue viewers into a re-watch - with both the main and support characters.

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Amateur Performance of a Short, Intriguing Mystery with a Memorable Ending

I am not gonna lie to you. The performance by the actors here were pretty poor when it comes to any of the big emotions. You could clearly tell which emotions were the hardest for each of the cast, as the story required them all to portray almost the entire range. So it made some scenes truly eyeroll-worthy and hard to take serious. Then you add in the background music - playing just about the entire drama - which sounded like an EDM rendition of a skipping record. So I'm not going to try and sell you on liking this drama.

However, it was an intriguing and short tale of a group of friends connected together in a complicated web of sex, desire, money, and secrets. In each episode we get the tale of what happened from each person's perspective, and then we get the truth contradicting that same tale. Primrose was out there collecting blackmail throughout the night. I wonder what she had planned to do with it all? We don't really find out. But regardless, I found the end very entertaining. As those last credits started to roll I found myself actually wanting to see more, despite the many cons I highlighted above.

I also have to give a shout of recognition to the intro sequence. It was very pretty, eye-catching, and not in the least bit spoilery.

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It was a cute romance between a blind artist grieving the loss of his sight and a bubbly barista who met through a street mural he was working on. I loved the imagery surrounding the ML as he broke down and as he fell in love. And the way that his paintings started incorporating color was so touching. It very much seemed to speak to not only his feelings for her, but also his acceptance of his new state as a blind man.

But I had two problems:
We could obviously see Tou becoming soft towards Iris, with the subtlety that could easily be interpreted as love. But Iris could just as well have been interpreted as growing a friendship with him. Especially with the absence of romantic moments and gazes.

Secondly, Tou's voice tapes come into focus a few times as important. Rather like journal entries. But while I got the sense that they were important, we weren't quite privy to how important, or why. I would have appreciated a touch more time with this element, or a better picked out excerpt from it.

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A great and relatable story, but bogged down by the performance

Overall, it was a nice, visually clean minidrama with a great message of not forcing yourself to follow the status quo. In it, we get to know Sarang as she encounters continuous pressure to date at the age of 20. Something that I think most singles, especially women, can relate to. Overall, she was quite relatable: a big foreign tv show lover, a busy student and hard worker, a foodie, a cat lover, and a loyal friend.

However, despite the good messages and quotable lines, I wasn't consistently sold by the performance. It didn't always feel quite natural or genuine. And the overarching framing, where Sarang is telling this story in some sort of interview, wasn't well established. And because of it, felt like a cop out to show her thoughts and distract from how her performance didn't keep us immersed in the story.

I came for the open-to-interpretation aroace story, of which this did have some reoccurring moments that resonated, but ultimately stayed for the quotability of the dialogue and the precious cat.

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A collection of writers/directors for a collection of diversely told diverse stories.

Some of the stories were really touching, others (namely the second one) were quite cringe. As all of these tales are being told under an overarching storyline of a radio host reading stories submitted by listeners, each of the stories consist of a different style (which is aided along by the real-world fact that each of these stories had a different director/screenwriter). This diversity of storytelling styles really lends well to the overarching story. And I think all viewers will find stories that they both either liked or disliked featured in this omnibus.

These tales are filled with the pain of not-meant-to-be's, self-sacrifice, and missed opportunities. There's a diversity of characters and a diversity of reasons their love was left unrequited, and even unconfessed in some.

It was overall a good watch. It had a clear tone and mood. The acting was well-done. And I love omnibus/anthology stories, especially when there is an overarching storyline connecting everything (as opposed to only linked by theme). The music was mostly ambient/classical style, but lent well to the tones of the scenes when noticed. Nothing particularly blew me away though, and I doubt that the majority of the film will prove to be a lasting sort of memorable.

*Note: at the time of this review, the order of the stories listed in the description is different than the order presented in the movie itself.

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A Simple Story of Being in Love, But the MC Got Lost in the Mix

There's a certain level of comfort that I always get from the miniseries and short films produced by Rela/The L (The company behind a seemingly popular Chinese lesbian dating and community app). There's an endearing simplicity to their storytelling signature and tone. Such as the amount of value and emphasis they put on small everyday moments, rather than big grand gestures.

This particular story shows the evolution of a sort of friendship between Cooka and Tina, after Tina comes to Cooka's talent agency and fails to impress. Cooka, having an eye for talent, immediately takes her to get a classic romcom style makeover and their friendship (and Cooka's feelings) grows throughout subsequent interactions together afterwards. I can see why Cooka fell for Tina. She has a contagious bubbly personality that really livens up the room.

But alas, I think most people have had an some sort of experience falling for someone, knowing full well that it will never be able to be reciprocated. And that is what this film shows viewers. But rather than doing so in a queerbait-y way, it felt realistic. The producers essentially pranked the audience (which I do have a tendency to love) by showing what Cooka wished was the case, before reality came to hit her like a rock. But we still manage to end on a high note, by showing that there may be someone looking at you with hearts in their eyes while you are looking elsewhere. And by suggesting that a heartbreak now can lead you into a great love story later.

The music also reflected all these elements, starting off cutesy, before becoming more emotional and bittersweet.

My only major con here is the fact that I don't feel like we knew Cooka. The focus was so much on her love and the subject of her love, that she, as a character, got lost in the mix.

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More Artistic Than Emotional

Overall, I found this film to be more artistic than emotional. You can definitely see why the two main actors went on to become pretty well-known names, so I wouldn't say it was linked to performance. But rather the style.

The frequent switch between silence and noise kept jarring me out of immersion. I really wish they had stuck with one or the other, or used it more sparingly. We also get the ML's thoughts in the form of a black out screen with korean written across it. I feel like what was being thought was important, but the blackout screen didn't help me connect to the character. So perhaps an interlude scene of the ML signing his thoughts would have been more effective. Or even seeing him writing it down in a diary. It's just so important in a short film to keep us connected to the characters, and this film just didn't accomplish that in my opinion.

Visually, it was quite effective and striking though. We got a really comprehensive look at how our characters were feeling, both through their acting and through the way they were visually shot amongst other characters. Or even lighting (such as the green lighting that seemed to suggest our MC's jealousy). It was used with such efficiency to instantly tell us the story and the state of our characters.

I am not particularly qualified to speak to the accuracy of the deaf portrayal, so if what I say next is incorrect - please feel free to correct me. I would love to hear qualified thoughts on this and will gladly adjust my review accordingly.

Based on my interactions with deaf content creators on social media and with other deaf-themed and/or deaf-produced productions, something seemed off with how the MC's vocalizations were portrayed. They didn't seem to have the same sound aspects that I am familiar with. I also initially thought the presence of the sounds were supposed to be indicative of him being comfortable with his friend, as he tended to be quiet in crowds. But then we get a scene towards the end that shows that's not necessarily the case - so then it felt like this aspect was being used to make a story statement, rather than reflecting the character. So I don't know if I can say that the representation is well-done, nor could I find anything/anyone elsewhere speaking to it either.

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Edge-of-seat action with heart-melting displays of mundane affection

With a story of a repenting assassin forced back into the fray of killers and former allies, there were many ways that this story could have went wrong. But all the way through, the story and characters stayed true themselves. Even while they surprised me as a viewer. In addition to the reveals keeping me engaged, I found each of the multiple fight sequences absolutely gripping (and well-choreographed). There was no room almost anywhere in this film to potentially multitask to.

The fact that the romance gets established pretty quickly in the film allows for the focus to stay on the action-filled plot as well. But, make no mistake, I still found myself feeling incredibly soft to our married leads. Their relatively mundane shows of affection, painted as normal and natural even in the face of danger, melted my heart on more than one occasion.

The antagonists were well-written as well. All of them had pretty well-founded motivations and were not over-the-top in their villainy. They felt like actual bodied antagonists, rather than comic-book, exaggerated, or for-the-sake-of-it villains.

At this rate, I might need to sit down and just watch all of Michelle Yeoh's wuxias.

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A Quiet Message Received Loud and Clear

This was a really beautifully executed short film that addresses in a subtextual manner the importance of equal marriage rights - something that is still not seen in South Korea even 4 years after this film. Our female lead is faced with the fact that she has no legal rights over her partner's medical treatment - compounded by the disapproval and homophobia of her would-be in-laws. It's not a happy film, but it's not supposed to be. Because this is a reality faced by numerous LGBTQ+ relationships. And it bears the answer to the oft quoted question "why do gay people need/want to get married?"

The music was understated but very fitting to the tale. The cinematography was also quite gorgeous and clear. And I liked how the film didn't shy away from intimacy like many others - even if it (and a few other scenes) felt poorly-acted. But these are new actresses, so I think that the scenes they did well are more of a testament to their ability.

There's not really much to be gained message, nuance, or enjoyment-wise from a rewatch though. The film is pretty "take it and leave it" in that regard. The only thing that really inspired deeper attention, in my opinion, was the ending. I believe that might stick with me for a while.

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An Office Drama First, Food is Complementary.

First and foremost, I think you should know that this is not a food drama. It's an office drama, with the main protagonist being a big foodie and alcohol lover. Drinking is a massive part of Korean culture, especially office culture. So it's no wonder that in some episodes, the alcohol tends to take the stage during meal scenes (while in others, the food does). The alcohol is purely to go with and accentuate the meal though, as we rarely see her ordering more. And I think she only got tipsy/drunk a couple of times. What makes out FL stand out though, is that she often prefers to enjoy her meals (and thus, her alcohol) alone.

But this is pretty in-character for her. She doesn't understand what everyone's fixation is with social events and gossip. In fact, she probably knows the most about everyone, simply from observing, but never gets involved unless asked to or necessary. It's very refreshing.

Because of this, inter-character drama is a minimum. And there is no romance. Instead, this is a story about career success and how there is more to life than career success - through the revelations and experiences of our 30-year-old successful career woman main protagonist.

I will say though that sometimes the office scenarios kicked me out of the story. Some events seem to act as if the editors are the writers of the stories they are publishing. Or will otherwise conflate the different positions within the publishing industry. Nonetheless, it was a rare find to have a drama focus the editors, rather than the writers.

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I can see the artistic intent, but it was too uncomfy for me

I went in relatively blind. All I knew was that it was a dance arthouse film with no dialogue, and relatively sapphic undertones at times.

My very first thought coming in was that the sound was very much ASMR-quality. Personally, the only sounds I liked was the pen scratching the paper and the sounds related to the water. Everything else was quite uncomfy. Even the background music that would show up from time to time put me on edge - and I didn't get the impression that it was supposed to. Visually it was rather off-putting too. I was prepared for it to go a body horror route at any minute, but it always stopped short of it.

Without reading the description, I was wondering if these 4 women in white that the house's resident can't see were actually an embodiment of her random impulsive thoughts as she went about her daily tedium and musician's block. They gave off a very "last brain cell" vibe. I did wind up reading the description a few minutes in and was able to shift my view on them pretty quickly. They're spirits. Spirits that are caught up in all the childlike wonder of their senses. Sounds. Smells. Sights. Textures. They got excited over each new discovery, getting swept away by their implications. Sometimes dangerously (and creepily) so.

I liked the overall story, but was left with questions (that the director's interview mostly cleared up). And I didn't like some of the choices made in the story's portrayal - even once i got past the sounds. Nonetheless, the spirits' smiles were semi-contagious and the contemporary dance sequences were pleasing to watch.

At least the musicians' house is temporarily cleaned of its build up of regular human detritus?

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Story had a good blueprint, but could have been tighter.

First and foremost, that description is misleading.

The idea was sound. It was a classic case of changing circumstances resulting in shifting feelings and emotional infidelity. I felt bad for Tar, who said from the very beginning to just let him know if anything ever changes in their relationship. It was a shame to see how their situation made him snap at the end. But it can be explained away by his desperation.

What can't be explained is how very little is actually communicated. Like, it seems like Wan never actually acted on his attraction to Ohm. The only thing he ever confessed to is having fallen for him and nothing is ever shown on the screen. So why wasn't that ever brought up? Also, Ohm is fully aware that the situation with the watch was a misunderstanding. Why didn't he try to defend himself and explain? And Wan told Ohm that he was having trouble with Tar because they didn't get to see each other much anymore. But yet, when talking to Tar himself, he said it was because they spent too much time together. Which one was it/ And why did Ohm's personality seem to change halfway through the film? So it left me very confused in places.

Everyone here is in the wrong. But as Wan himself stated, Wan was the most guilty one. Ohm blatantly pursued and flirted with Wan fully knowing that Wan was taken. But Wan let himself be swayed. Which makes it even worse when Tar had actually tried to open up communication on the matter multiple times, in a civil manner. At any point, Wan could have sat and reflected about what he was feeling. But he just went along with it, all the way until it blew up in his face. And then he still didn't communicate effectively. Meanwhile, Tar escalated the situation in his desperation, putting Wan on the spot on the radio twice and orchestrating a misunderstanding (which, I might add, put him in just as much hot water as it did Ohm).

There was an interesting proposition and set up to make them a throuple. And yes, they could have worked well together in theory. But that was before all of the mess they all caused. If they had gotten into the proposed relationship at that stage, it would have been very toxic moving forwards. So I must give props to Wan for analyzing that situation and not giving it a shot. I also appreciate that the writers didn't try to use it as some sort of easy solution for their conflict. None of them deserved to be with each other. And as such, the ending felt right for this story, even if it is labelled as a sad ending.

I watched this production to see some of early work of the many familiar faces in the cast and crew. As such, I wouldn't consider this a waste of time. But the story could have been tighter in terms of characters and clarity for viewers. I would have also appreciated seeing some references to relationship troubles having been building up even before the job change (or more references to the passage of time), so that it didn't feel as sudden.

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A diverse exploration of love that is easy to fall in love with.

A gorgeous exploration of relationships that we don't see often, especially in Asian dramas. We have a divorced career woman in an age gap friends-to-lovers couple. A new elderly and wage gap relationship between a farmer and bank executive. And a relationship between a relatable gay man and a womanizing bisexual. We also see some other great dynamics with a jilted lesbian best friend, a nontraditional family dynamic, and a potentially aromatic character (my interpretation).

Ultimately the show explores love, in all the different forms it may come in - ending with absolutely adorable, mature, and healthy relationships all around. But it also explores goals and boundaries - which is especially important in relationships. A great show with great messages - and annoyances (of which there are quite a few, especially with the mains) that don't overstay their welcome quite as long as in other dramas.

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Just watch the cheating scenes on social media. The creep factor is too high.

Here's the thing. I actually really enjoyed the plot and the plot scenes. It rather reminded of US films "Max Keeble's Big Move" and "Sydney White." "Sydney White" the most (and yes, I know Sydney White came later. I'm not claiming it's a remake or inspired by or anything like that). Instead of a stuck up sorority though, the leads in this movie are going against an immoral professor who sees a certain group of students as not only useless to society, but a thorn in his side in the way of getting what he wants. He sets an extremely high bar and promises that it's the ONLY way for the leads to be able to keep their dormitory and stay in school. That bar: all A's across all exams for all the students of that group. Even if they had been traditionally good students, this is a bar with too high of a fail rate. Their solution and perceivable only chance at success? All of them cheat on all the exams.

The cheating scenes are so enjoyable and humorous. I loved them and even replayed a few of them.

But that's the thing. That is all this movie has good to offer. And you can find all these scenes on social media without having to resort to sitting down for this.

Because the cheating scenes and the over the top villain are not the only comedic tools in this film's arsenal. No. In between all these plot scenes is creepy sexual humor. Every male character (you know, except the main male lead that pushes the plot forwards) is so creepily interested in the female lead. Teachers goggling her bare legs. A dormitory manager supposedly drugging her food in the hopes of her seeking him out that night. A whole group of guys getting into her bath water after she leaves to "taste" her. A predatory staff member making sexual advances on a student in order to get information from him about the cheating ring. The students being strip searched for cheating answers, and then getting peeped on and walked in on before they get dressed again.

In essence: the appeal is the plot (aka the cheating scheme), but everything in between just puts a very bad taste in my mouth that left me disgusted. Perhaps this was funny when the movie released, but it didn't age well at all.

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