goddessathena

Seoul Mates

The first time I watched it, I stopped around the 15-minute mark—I got distracted and went to do something else. But then it suddenly hit me that I had just watched Your Name Engraved Herein a couple of days earlier, and I was really craving a girl/girl story, whether romantic or platonic. I had high hopes for this one, but honestly, the messy pacing kind of ruined it for me.

I see a lot of people blaming the guy for ruining everything, but in my opinion, while he did play a part (unintentionally), the best friend also sabotaged the relationship herself. Why is no one talking about the dinner scene where her stunts pushed Ha-eun to storm off back to her room—and then the best friend just left? That was wild.

There were so many moments that could’ve been resolved with a bit of communication. Ha-eun also misunderstood things twice: first during the kiss scene, where she probably thought her best friend and boyfriend were in love, and then again when the boyfriend brought her drunk best friend to his place after the lover’s suicide.

Let’s talk about the boyfriend—he literally decided to marry Ha-eun while still being in love with Mi-so. He apologized and said he would make up for all his sins by staying with Ha-eun for the rest of his life. But honestly, I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Did he really love her, or did he just settle for her because he couldn’t have her best friend?

And then there’s Ha-eun, who realizes on her wedding day that she loves her best friend more than her future husband. And instead of confronting anyone about it, she just... leaves. Another case of running away. Guess they're truly soulmates, because both of them are pros at avoiding things rather than facing them.

Aside from all the unnecessary worry they caused others, I had mixed feelings about the movie. There were moments I loved and others I hated. And what was with the strange blending of future and present timelines with no clear transition? One minute Mi-so has long hair, the next she’s getting it cut—and I couldn’t even tell what was real, what had already happened, or what was just imagined.

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SO YA LEL YA LELI CODED

This movie might just be the best thing I’ve ever watched—and even if I come across better ones in the future, I know this one will always stay close to my heart. I absolutely loved every moment from beginning to end. The friendship group was so beautifully portrayed, especially the bond between Ali and Mesut. They started off as complete opposites but became true ride-or-die brothers. Ali’s hopeless crush on Marilyn Monroe, his delusions and daydreams, added such charm, yet he was also the best shooter in their unit—skilled, brave, and dependable. It broke me when he died… not even due to recklessness, just a single moment that cost everything.

Ayla learning to speak Turkish was such a touching part of the story, and the bond between her and Süleyman was so pure and wholesome. Nuran could never fully understand Süleyman, and maybe she wasn’t meant to. God’s plan was for him to be with Nimet—his true partner, with whom he spent 60 years and had two children. Nimet loved him quietly and unconditionally all along, and I believe Süleyman eventually grew to love her deeply as well.

Even though they couldn’t find Ayla for decades—her name changed and the trail went cold—they never gave up. It took from the early 1950s all the way to around 2010 for them to reunite, but they did. Neither of them forgot. Neither broke the promise. That alone was enough to tear me apart emotionally.

One of my favorite moments was when Süleyman (in the movie) walks to the mosque past a store, and the real-life Süleyman is sitting there, reading a newspaper. He greets his movie self—and right after in the end, it cuts to footage of the actual reunion in real life. I cried so much at that point. Truly, a masterpiece. A tearjerker. A memory I’ll always treasure.

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