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Three things you need to know to better appreciate this drama
This meaningful and deeply unconventional eight-episode Cdrama is a journey toward healing and self-love that takes us, the viewers, on a compassionate and empathetic ride through the inner world of someone struggling with mental health, specifically someone dealing with multiple personalities
What a Wonderful World it’s not a romance. It’s not a thriller. It’s not sci-fi or fantasy - don’t believe any of the possible categories they tag it with. More professional spaces define it as a psychologycal drama - I think it´s the most accurate categorization I´ve seen so far. If you’ve started this drama and dropped it, or are just curious about it, trust me: it’s worth a try at some point in life. Truth is, you can’t come into this show the same way you do with others, not just because of the subject matter, but because of the director’s intention: to create a form of storytelling t hat fully immerses you in the protagonist’s mental state.
Synopses in dramas and movies usually present topics that we understand, but when it comes to mental health, many of us struggle to grasp the different illnesses and their context. So, with this drama you have two options: let go and trust the process, and search about the condition in detail after it finishes, or read about it in advance and then let yourself go in the director’s journey. For those who want to know the general characteristics of the health issue before watching the drama, I leave a brief summary at the end.
This show requires the viewer to be vulnerable and trust the storytelling. If you’re a person who likes to have things under control and prefers very grounded, realistic experiences, this drama might not be for you. On the contrary, if you enjoy the thrill of being surprised and like to understand others’ inner worlds, you might end up liking it a lot.
Needless to say, you have to pay attention to details: every strand of hair, a reflection on the floor, how each character stands and what they do or say, every written charatcer that appears in the frame matters. By the time the truth comes out in ep 6, you’ve already figured it out enough to be prepared for it, but not enough to stop watching or fully know the final outcome.
Directed by Xu Bing, who is also the screenwriter, What a Wonderful World is packed with the director’s signature: a dynamic but dense pace, a blended exploration of formats and genres, a solid cast, and a soulful approach to the characters.
Conclusion
Don’t try to force this into a box of what a drama “should” be - especially one dealing with mental health. As I said before, this show doesn’t tell you what’s happening. It doesn’t even really show you. It puts you in it, you feel it all. For that, allow yourself to be vulnerable, and surrender to the director’s vision, the brilliant cast, the poetic cinematography, and the unique narrative flow.
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This is the story of a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. DID is a mental health condition where an individual hosts two or more distinct identities, each with its own personality, voice, memories, and even physical traits. These “alters” may or may not be aware of each other.
“Dissociate” literally means to disconnect, and this disconnection often results in memory gaps, besides affecting the ability to connect with reality. DID is typically a response to severe trauma, especially in childhood, where the mind protects itself through this division of identities.
What a Wonderful World it’s not a romance. It’s not a thriller. It’s not sci-fi or fantasy - don’t believe any of the possible categories they tag it with. More professional spaces define it as a psychologycal drama - I think it´s the most accurate categorization I´ve seen so far. If you’ve started this drama and dropped it, or are just curious about it, trust me: it’s worth a try at some point in life. Truth is, you can’t come into this show the same way you do with others, not just because of the subject matter, but because of the director’s intention: to create a form of storytelling t hat fully immerses you in the protagonist’s mental state.
Synopses in dramas and movies usually present topics that we understand, but when it comes to mental health, many of us struggle to grasp the different illnesses and their context. So, with this drama you have two options: let go and trust the process, and search about the condition in detail after it finishes, or read about it in advance and then let yourself go in the director’s journey. For those who want to know the general characteristics of the health issue before watching the drama, I leave a brief summary at the end.
This show requires the viewer to be vulnerable and trust the storytelling. If you’re a person who likes to have things under control and prefers very grounded, realistic experiences, this drama might not be for you. On the contrary, if you enjoy the thrill of being surprised and like to understand others’ inner worlds, you might end up liking it a lot.
Needless to say, you have to pay attention to details: every strand of hair, a reflection on the floor, how each character stands and what they do or say, every written charatcer that appears in the frame matters. By the time the truth comes out in ep 6, you’ve already figured it out enough to be prepared for it, but not enough to stop watching or fully know the final outcome.
Directed by Xu Bing, who is also the screenwriter, What a Wonderful World is packed with the director’s signature: a dynamic but dense pace, a blended exploration of formats and genres, a solid cast, and a soulful approach to the characters.
Conclusion
Don’t try to force this into a box of what a drama “should” be - especially one dealing with mental health. As I said before, this show doesn’t tell you what’s happening. It doesn’t even really show you. It puts you in it, you feel it all. For that, allow yourself to be vulnerable, and surrender to the director’s vision, the brilliant cast, the poetic cinematography, and the unique narrative flow.
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This is the story of a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. DID is a mental health condition where an individual hosts two or more distinct identities, each with its own personality, voice, memories, and even physical traits. These “alters” may or may not be aware of each other.
“Dissociate” literally means to disconnect, and this disconnection often results in memory gaps, besides affecting the ability to connect with reality. DID is typically a response to severe trauma, especially in childhood, where the mind protects itself through this division of identities.
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