I have complicated feelings about this drama
Before I start this review, I want to start by saying that I did not finish the show. The reason why could possibly be a little controversial. As Light Beyond the Reed is about a woman's fight for justice to punish her rapist and the mental consequences of that incident, I'm not sure if I will be able to express my opinions appropiately. I may as well be treading into some dangerous territory talking about my possibly controversial opinions, because as far as I've watched - which isn't a lot of episodes - there's nothing inherently bad about Light Beyond the Reed (and English not being my first language makes it a little more scary). It's also important to not that it has been a pretty long time since I last watched this, so I don't even know myself if I remember all of my opinions. And well, the synopsis is simple, so I should be able to express my feelings fairly. I don't consider my opinions to be the truth. I am only sharing what I think of the first 5 episodes, honestly. My ratings of the story, acting/cast, music and my overall score are not a reflection of my opinions as I have not watched all of the episodes. But I would also feel bad if I gave it one star, and I have no clue what to rate it other than that, so these are my fake ratings that are actually non-existent in my head (except the rewatch value).
I think the main reason why I decided to stop watching this drama after contemplating for some time is because I could just watch a documentary or movie about such a case. I know that sounds insensitive and wild saying that considering the topics it brings up. Documentaries tend to focus more on the facts and less on the emotional aspect (but that doesn't mean they can't be emotional) and I would say Light Beyond the Reed is very emotional. However, I think it's kind of different for this drama, because I feel like it only exists to bring awareness to SA. And for us to realise what reality we are living in, specifically in China. Because I wouldn't say the storyline and its characters is for entertainment, which is the purpose of most tv series. I don't think anyone who finishes this show will immediately start thinking they'll rewatch it, unless you're some masochistic person. The one thing you would have to look forward to is copious amounts of misery. The characters are not the focus of the show. You won't find any comfort in that. There are two types of them: the victim's supporters and the non-supporting people who like making ignorant comments (and also the victim herself of course). Other than the two main leads the rest of them make you feel pretty livid. If you would rather not watch a documentary and still want to have that emotional aspect of fictional stories then I think you would be better off watching a movie about this topic.
The acting carries this, so if you're in the middle of deciding whether to watch this, watch it for the acting or don't watch it at all is my opinion.
I think the main reason why I decided to stop watching this drama after contemplating for some time is because I could just watch a documentary or movie about such a case. I know that sounds insensitive and wild saying that considering the topics it brings up. Documentaries tend to focus more on the facts and less on the emotional aspect (but that doesn't mean they can't be emotional) and I would say Light Beyond the Reed is very emotional. However, I think it's kind of different for this drama, because I feel like it only exists to bring awareness to SA. And for us to realise what reality we are living in, specifically in China. Because I wouldn't say the storyline and its characters is for entertainment, which is the purpose of most tv series. I don't think anyone who finishes this show will immediately start thinking they'll rewatch it, unless you're some masochistic person. The one thing you would have to look forward to is copious amounts of misery. The characters are not the focus of the show. You won't find any comfort in that. There are two types of them: the victim's supporters and the non-supporting people who like making ignorant comments (and also the victim herself of course). Other than the two main leads the rest of them make you feel pretty livid. If you would rather not watch a documentary and still want to have that emotional aspect of fictional stories then I think you would be better off watching a movie about this topic.
The acting carries this, so if you're in the middle of deciding whether to watch this, watch it for the acting or don't watch it at all is my opinion.
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