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Healing happens quietly, almost imperceptibly, in daily life and in togetherness

Love, Take Two is different. No grand gestures, no dramatic twists. Instead: women holding one another because no one else will. Mothers, daughters, friends—bound by necessity and by choice.

What makes the series remarkable is its healing quality—not only for the characters, but also for the viewers. The relationships in Love, Take Two grow slowly, leaving space for vulnerability and allowing old wounds to be touched gently, without being torn open. Healing happens quietly, almost imperceptibly, in daily life and in togetherness.

Ji‑an, the mother, is no heroine. She is tired, wounded, and yet present. Hyo‑ri, the daughter, runs—not away, but toward herself. And in between: a village that heals and helps without prescribing therapy. Among surfboards, tomatoes, and empty houses.

The men in this story also deserve attention. They do not compete with the women, but meet them as equals. Their roles are finely attuned to the women’s lives, complementing and supporting without pushing themselves to the forefront. Often it is small gestures, understanding, and mutual respect that shape the dynamics between characters. A coexistence emerges in which differences do not divide, but enrich.

The series does not tell us how to live. It shows how to survive—and how, in the process, one slowly learns to breathe again. Grounded. Beyond clichés. It conveys that healing need not be spectacular or final—sometimes it is simply the quiet act of moving forward, of enduring together, of sharing moments that bring comfort.

This KDrama stands out for its calm narrative rhythm. It has its own pace. It forgoes excessive drama and instead leaves room for genuine emotion—for grief, tenderness, and the subtle tones that often lie between the lines of dialogue.

In the end, it is not a conventional love story. It is a story about loving—despite everything. Carried by women who, against all odds, chart the path forward, and by men who, in their own unique way, become part of that journey. It is precisely this quiet harmony and the careful, almost invisible healing that make the series so special.

Worthwhile and valuable.

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The abundance of (epic) tragedy is KDrama at its finest - meanwhile the Joseon empire is born

"My Country - The New Age" is set in the historical transition period between the Goryeo era and the Joseon era. The context is General Yi Song-gye, who for the next approximately 5 centuries tied the throne to his bloodline with a coup d'etat. However, this KDrama isn´t a history lesson as such, though historical figures get involved. Also romance is not the predominant matter. ... First and foremost it's about loyalty, unconditional male friendship and love as its basis. Secondly, it is about relationships between fathers and sons. Thirdly it is about romantic love, too. Besides and as a backbone for the storyline´s dramatic dynamics it its about political attitudes, visionary leaders and the throne. Overall, "My Country - The New Age" is definitely worth seeing, yet you should be prepared for makjang-like emotional roller coasters.

The actors significantly contribute to the intensity of the story. Above all, the charisma of Jang Hyuk as Lee Bang-won (the 5th son of General Yi and later 1st Joseon King), as well as Ahn Nae-sang as the fictional Nam Jeon, whose political stances are reminiscent of the historical Jong Do-jeon (the historical Jong Do-jeon and chief chancellor, who set the political, administrative and legal course for the newly blossoming Joseon Empire.)


----------------- SIDE NOTE: --- Lee Bang-won (later King Taejong) and Jong Do-jeon (first chief chancellor of the Joseon aera) ---

These two crucial historical personalities (Lee Bang-won and Jong Do-jeon) were both driving forces in those early years of the new empire with quite lasting impact, and at their time fundamental adversaries.

Jong Do-jeon as the first Joseon King´s chief chancellor decided all matters relating to military affairs, diplomatic procedures, questions of education, new legislation and constitution (the once feudal state was now organized in a bureaucratic manner), new tax laws as well as new state religion (Buddhism became Confucianism). He ultimately moved the capital to Hanyang (now Seoul). He also named the districts of Hanyang and the 8 provinces in the country and caused many slaves to be freed. He was a man with strong visions for an innovative political system in the new kingdom - and consequently implemented those (quite unscrupulously).

His opponent was Yi Bang-won, who did not want an empire with ministers being more important than the king. Rather, he prefered a powerful monarch, a solidly grounded monarchy. He was also one of those who had contributed most to his father's successful coup d´etat. However, the latter had finally disappointed him by not choosing him as his successor. After the Queen's death, Bang-won took advantage of his father's period of mourning and invaded the palace. In doing so, he killed the state chancellor, all ministers loyal to him and the children of the deceased queen as well as the crown prince, too. So he (also) took the throne by force - his father could only abdicate and reluctantly hand over the crown. However, as King Taejong, Bang-won effectively contributed to a stable system of government in his own way. Among other things, he enacted a law allowing all citizens to register and established new Ministries: of Human Resources, Finance, Protocol, Defence, Justice and Public Affairs.

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With Jang Hyuk as Lee Bang-won and Ahn Nae-sang as the fictional Nam Jeon, who to a certain extent represents the ideas of Jong Do-jeon, the KDrama paints a strong picture of the crucial conflict between those political visions from the very beginning. The actors live their roles with high intensity. We get to know more about their character in their respective relationships with the two protagonists Seo Hwi, son of a once-legendary soldier of the Goryeo Empire, and Nam Sun-ho, the illegitimate son by Minister Nam Joen. Since childhood they are best friends. Then there is a twist of fate. (Here, again: two actors with splendid performance - Yang Se-jong and Woo Do-hwan.) Minister Nam Jeon alone is responsible for the twist of fate in this friendship, but Prince Bang-won becomes a free rider in this.

In short: "My Country: The New Age" offers an epic, visually stunning story with a lot of action and emotion, worth seeing sword fights (actor Jang Hyuk does the stunts all by himself), plenty of blood and even more emotion. Yes, of course there are also women and love involved ... The abundance of (epic) tragedy is KDrama at its finest.

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Suspenseful, colorful, cheerful and even sweet – entertaining in several ways

"Check in Hanyang" nonchalantly takes elements of the modern lifestyle and the high-end five-star hotel industry of the 2020s back to Joseon, puts up-and-coming stars of today into robes and uniforms of another time and provides them with various challenges and group dynamics as part of their apprenticeship (while making the world a better place).

The competition among the aspirants is fierce. Fair play is rare. However, one or the other is eventually less concerned with employment than with their very own, secret mission. The KDrama is brought to life by the charm of these youngsters. A piquant detail, though: one of those young men is actually a woman dressed in men's robes. You may guess, there´s room for plenty of funny situations.
The female protagonist actually has a murder case to solve on her own behalf – but suddenly she finds herself (and everyone else up to the audience) in a suspenseful polit-thriller with romantic icing.
The KDrama also benefits from the sharp chemistry between the owner of the Yongcheonru and his top of the range innkeeper. Here, Kim Eui-sung and Kim Min-jung can directly tie in with their controlled, explosive cat-and-mouse relationship as father and daughter in "Mr. Sunshine" as a successful pairing. With their charismatic presence, the veterans of South Korean cinema and TV significantly contribute to intensifying the dramatic overall pattern. Thus the handful of pretty rising stars may with good-humoured esprit fully indulge into playing their way even further into the hearts of the audience.

Actually, the story is about the hunt for a golden key, of which there are two parts – a key that some are highly interested in, all the way to the king. This hunt even goes over corpses. Thus, the double life of those hunters – old and young alike – is eventually getting quite dangerous.

Suspenseful, colorful, cheerful and even sweet – “Check in Hanyang” is entertaining in several ways. Actually, the first part in particular offers quite a load of fun and games with tricky group dynamics and demanding challenges for the competing candidates. In the course of the second half, however, tension, depth and drama are gradually increasing.

The fictional story draws courageously from the rich tradition of Joseon with a wide variety of selected details. The historical setting is thus mainly inspiring as a colorful, exotic backdrop of a rather timeless political thriller. All of this quite beautifully staged.

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Psychological thriller re. gaslighting & family, wonderfully wrapped in the cloak of a black comedy

Psychological thriller meets black comedy. “Bittersweet Hell” is wonderfully staged in many ways. The script may have its weaknesses here and there, but the performance as a whole quickly makes you forget about that. Lee Hye-young clearly steals the show from Kim Hee-sun here. However, it's hard to top her fantastic performance as the eccentric mother-in-law (which alone might make a rewatch worthwhile...). Together they form a resolved mother-mission-duo, both determined to fight the 'WE' of their family, in which they feel deeply at home… even if this 'WE' might have plenty of flaws... Eventually, the cast is also hand-picked in other ways, e.g. with KPop Idols Yeonwoo, Jaechan and Chansung. Overall, I´d say “Bittersweet Hell” offers unique KDrama enjoyment.

The plot is centered around the psychological phenomenon of so-called 'invalidating communication', which is also known as 'gaslighting' – after the play "Gas Light", which became particularly famous in the 1944 film adaptation "The House of Lady Alquist" with Ingrid Bergman. Gaslighting is about deliberately and consistently misleading a partner, family member or close friend. Gaslighting only works among close ones, i.e. trustworthy people. Thus manipulated with psychological tricks and lies, the victims feel increasingly insecure when it comes to their own perception, ultimately preferring to entirely rely on the supposedly valid judgment of their trusted person… who is now able, to fully control his/her victim. In "Bittersweet Hell" various examples of this phenomenon add to the plot dynamics. In passing, the KDrama also explores other socially explosive topics – above all the high value and ideal of ´family´ versus the sobering reality of ´actual family lives´, but also the weal and woe of the mother's role, different parenting styles and sexual orientation.

In my opinion, "Bittersweet Hell" could have used the 16 episodes (there are only 12) in order to better develop some character profiles. The effective production and performance, however, is actually very well making up for some lack of substance here and there. Therefore I´d consider this criticism a suffering on a rather high level… because nevertheless, “Bittersweet Hell” comes along as a great psychological thriller about gaslighting and family, wonderfully wrapped in the cloak of a black comedy.

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Light, pacing & space set in the perfect ratio, honoring not only 1 but all K independence activists

PROLOGUE:
One might criticize that historical facts about the historical figure Ahn and his person are too brief. That too much poetic license was taken with regard to the fictional comrades and opponents in this case. Even, that these guys also remain too pale as individual characters. That too little pace and tension are built up, and that there is overall too much debate in the dark.
But then, it would have been a completely different film. With a different message.

From my perception, “Harbin” does not want to tell us about historic events as it was, but to stage the dilemma, the hurdles, the challenges, the performance, the passion, the agony of the Korean resistance struggle as an epic monument. We do not get heroes in shining armor, but desperate fighters for a fairer world - for their freedom, for their country, which is their homeland, for their families or the families they cannot have themselves. "Harbin" wants to honor their price, which they paid for all those who now can actually live in freedom and relative independence today. In addition, "Harbin" is choosing a critical approach - with its focus on the struggle for perspective, hope, morality, and justification in regard of the many painful sacrifices.


TERRA NULLIUS BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS, BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG
Anyone who has seen "Harbin" will not forget "Harbin". This is ensured by the haunting staging, with artistic ambition consistently composed in terms of film technology, to set light, pacing, and space in the perfect ratio.
Here, preferably filmic means like camera, light, powerful scenes that burn themselves unforgettable into the memory were used! Whereas dialogues provide less contextual information but convey the personal and collective struggle for the right attitude. It's about morality and the opposite of it.

We do not learn much about the historic independence fighter Ahn, about whom one could have made a completely different film. His personality would certainly have allowed for that. And yet, in drastic scenes and moments, we learn what he deeply stands for: For an upright, just attitude that does not want to repay like with like, but wants to do better. Ahn fails in this, but he does not give up. Until the end, he stands for what he considers right. We do not learn in "Harbin" that he wrote a treatise during his imprisonment - a concept for a better world. But we have come to know him during those 108 minutes as a man to whom we can certainly trust that.

The others who work with him and against him are practically nameless and stand for the many nameless who struggled and suffered in their own way back then - under the cold, the cruelty, the hopelessness of this underground fight in the far north of Mongolia. And yet they made their contribution.


POETIC AESTHETICS OF DARKNESS
For a Western audience, "Harbin" may present a challenge in two respects. The KMovie is (like many other KMovies) not action-heavy but relies on the intensity of slowness. Even in this one, action is used sparingly. The subtle driving force is rather the aesthetic concept: This does not rely on light, but on shadow, on the poetic aesthetics of darkness and its subtle nuances, where diffuse light highlights textures and shapes. Adding sparse, precisely selected color impulses and contrasts, too.
With refined, powerful visual impression the icy bitter cold in the snow-covered forest, on the frozen river, and in the vastness of the desert landscape of Mongolia comes almost tangibly close to the viewers. Nature, in its powerfully aesthetic staging, becomes a symbol for the arduous path to freedom.

At the beginning, we are confronted with the inhospitable nature of underground life, where light is sparse and food consists of cigarettes. The cigarette smoke makes the dim light even more diffuse while the coats make the cold of the barren rooms appear even colder. And then the story catapults us abruptly and mercilessly into the unvarnished repulsive ugliness of this resistance struggle – in the scene in the icy, blood-smeared mud the bestial brutality becomes almost unbearable to watch.
All this represents and reinforces the sheer despair of the brave warriors who want to fight for their freedom from the oppressors despite all odds. Under almost hopeless circumstances. In an almost superhuman struggle with themselves and with what is right...


A TRIBUTE TO THE KOREAN UNDERGROUND STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
This joint fight for justice, independence, and freedom deeply defines the Korean identity as a nation, just as the suffering that the people share due to injustice, dependence, and oppression - the 'Han' as a collectively shared, yet individually felt pain, mobilizing a sudden strength and unexpected collective resistance (in this case against Japan).

The willingness to make sacrifices as well as the necessity to make sacrifices are deeply rooted in tradition. This may also be deeply problematic in itself, but like everything: it has two sides. Right? Wrong? Everyone has to decide that for themselves.
However, "Harbin" is not about judgement. It is about honoring those people who had actually dedicated themselves to this conjoint resistance struggle: not wanting to be oppressed and treated as subhuman beings (by Japan). "Harbin" represents an aesthetically intensified tribute to those against all odds fearless fighters. Woo Min-ho did not want to create a historical film here. With the context of this legendary assassination the KMovie rather sets a cinematic monument not only to this legendary independence activist, but by doing so, to all of the others, too. Therefore, at the same time, with the example of this legendary assassination in Harbin it sets a monument to the entire Korean resistance struggle, too - then, before, and after.

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A disaster movie, yet using emotional + vivid suggestive power in the tradition of anti-war-movies

"Pandora" is a disaster movie.
I don't really consider myself a fan of this genre, which focuses on mass panic and adrenaline.
However, I consider this KMovie particularly valuable.

In this case I think the makers have succeeded in doing something similar to what anti-war movies try to achieve: deterrence by vividly conveying the threatening horror. In respect to the scenario of a nuclear catastrophe the movie applies emotional and vivid suggestive power, at the same time making people think and possibly question the sense and usefulness of highly dangerous nuclear power plants.
In view of the consecutive radical change of South Korea's nuclear policy six months after "Pandora" was released, one could say: the project was worth it. (It would probably be too daring to talk about causality, but it could be considered a noticeable correlation...)

The 2016 KMovie picks up on the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and, against this background, develops a story that is comparable by South Korean standards. South Korea is the country with the highest population density in the immediate vicinity of its nuclear power plants. However, due to its insular position, a realistic evacuation plan in the event of a disaster is a major problem. With the movie "Pandora" the lid of the legendary box is shaken. In this case, a nuclear power plant on the East Coast suffers earthquake damage and radiation leaks, similar to Fukushima 5 years earlier. The film fictionally exercises the processes in the event of such a catastrophe (or a comparable one) and comes full circle with a deliberately touching scene in which Kim Nam-gil makes an emphatic plea against nuclear power in his usual impressively passionate way.

Regarding such critically oriented material, the production obviously had difficulties with its financing - in South Korea the lobby of the nuclear industry is as powerful as anywhere else. Nevertheless, the ambitious project could be realized through crowdfunding.


------------------------ SIDE NOTE: --- Sobering facts/outlook on nuclear power plants in South Korea ---

"Pandora" was released in December 2016.
In early summer 2017, as one of the existing South Korean nuclear reactors was actually scheduled to be shut down, President Moon Jae-in announced that the country's nuclear-focused energy policy would be stopped and that the country would instead steer towards a nuclear-free era. Accordingly, plans to build new reactors or extend the life of existing ones have been abandoned. A sign of hope?

However, by the autumn of the same year already, the government's political commitment was no longer valid. The nuclear lobby has actually been able to exert such pressure (the President's faction not having a majority in Parliament....) and prevail that new power plants were going to be built again.
South Korea's nuclear companies make a lot of money by exporting their self-developed reactors. The companies want reference projects in their own country... it is as simple as that...

As far as the people are concerned: According to a survey by the polling institute Realmeter in 2018, 61 percent of adult South Koreans still firmly support their president’s original nuclear phase-out course. Another 10 percent tend to do so. Yet, the lobby as so often has more to say...


... To date, South Korea covers a third of its electricity needs with 24 nuclear reactors.

... There are always earthquakes on the peninsula...

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Not nice to watch but definitely worth seeing. Superbly done in many ways. Powerful. Resonating.

Prolog:
The conclusion for the protagonist in his late 30s is rather tragic: he´s getting the urge to go back. He wants the life of his late youth back. He cannot continue with who he is today. For him, there is only one option remaining – a shortcut to the exit.
However, for the audience, the end is actually the beginning. The journey goes backwards in seven chapters. And when we finally reach the start, it actually makes sense to look at the ending again... (in movie-terms: its beginning...)
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“Peppermint Candy” was one of the top ten movies in 2000. The international awards it collected are respectable. And even in 2022, “The Guardian” has it listed in 12th place among South Korean film classics. Meaning: It was topical back then and still hasn’t lost its impact. It´s cult. It can be considered particularly valuable. However, it´s not particularly nice, though. Rather particularly powerful and ferociously intense.

"Peppermint Candy" dates from 1999. It tells the story of the previous two decades of South Korean history using the example of an arbitrary, inconspicuous individual. For audience who isn´t firm in recent South Korean history, the KMovie may be reduced to the protagonist as an individual - to his very personal story and his tragic ending. For all those who know something about the historical, social background (see the side note below if you like), the KMovie becomes a memorial on screen that commemorates all those in society who were probably thus affected in one way or another, too, and may have had a similar experience. And there were quite a few.

In 1999, South Korea looked back on two extremely eventful decades. Two decades that were endured, sustained, borne by the people... Two decades that, in addition to democracy, turbo-capitalism and material prosperity, also produced a whole series of psychological cripples.
I actually don't like the word 'cripple', but somehow it seems appropriate in this case, here in the sense of: people who were maltreated by others or 'by life´s circumstances' to the point of psychic unconsciousness (even if perhaps they themselves were involved as perpetrators, too). People who were broken by their fate and trauma, not being allowed to and/or able to talk about it. People who fell, lost themselves, could no longer get back on their feet, feeling helpless. Completely bent. People who could not find peace with their shame and guilt. In their inability to communicate about it and get help, they became a total human failure for those around them.

In reverse "Peppermint Candy" portrays the career of such a psychological (and physical) 'cripple' in intense scenes. We may acknowledge the individual fate. Even without historical background and regardless of socialization, we acknowledge a broken soul, of which all that is left to the outside world is actually an 'asshole'. Once a poetic, delicate, sensitive spirit... it´s hard to believe. Actor Sol Kyung-gu expands the entire range of his skills, convincingly and uncompromisingly drawing the audience into each of his divers crucial, rather unpleasant emotional life situations.

“Peppermint Candy” is superbly done in many ways. Not too much, not too little. Ruthless. And in pointed, symbolic imagery, the scenes gain in emotional power and meaningfulness as they progress - even after we have travelled a few sequences further (back) - to the extent that the puzzle of drastic life events accumulated are coherently put together into a pile of shards.

The protagonist in "Peppermint Candy" is experiencing the significant historic events of his generation at the forefront. His psychical downward spiral cannot be stopped. But this protagonist is no exception. Countless people in their late thirties in South Korea in 1999 could have told such or similar stories. During those traumatizing two decades the public was carelessly left alone to individually deal with what had happened. What a person experienced emotionally, what a person had to process and couldn't, the decisions made, the guilt, the shame, the pain – the answer to that was mainly psychological repression and silence about it. The consequences in everyday life: Outbursts of acting up and/or apathy. Sometimes the old wound hurts again. The old wound makes man fall to the ground, by its pain that he cannot escape. But it is also a phantom pain - the desperate suffering over an essential piece of 'who I am' that was taken away once and for all...

The protagonist in "Peppermint Candy" suffers on behalf of an entire generation of anonymous young people who were quietly worn down, deeply psychologically shattered and finally by the two decades of the 80s and 90s, the time of transition from military dictatorship to modern capitalism existentially bankrupt. The KMovie reaches out to all those who may have had a similar experience and/or were able to sympathize. Where communication had been lacking for decades, the KMovie, with its sometimes disturbing insights, tries to build a bridge: with understanding that may even extend to empathy. "Peppermint Candy" manages to connect the South Korean people through the fate of this one fictional man and his personal environment. (Additionally, it may even touch the rest of the world). Yongho, who could be 'anyone', and with him the women in his life, his friends (?), his colleagues and his victims who had crossed his path, who could also be 'anyone'…

Not nice to watch. But definitely worth seeing.
Powerful. Resonating. A convincingly empathetic work.
A work of passion.









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SIDE NOTE: --- Brief overview of the historical background of South Korea - regarding May 1980 in Gwangju, the 1980s under repressive police violence, and the years of economic miracle up to the Asian crisis of 1997-1999. ---


May 1980 in Gwangju, South Korea, featured a bloody massacre that the police and military were ordered to carry out on their own people. Yet, that massacre of Gwangju remained an official taboo for almost two decades. What happened in Gwangju back then was kept secret from the rest of the country. Then, the city was deliberately cordoned off. The enemy was officially called 'communism' (especially in student circles, supposedly under the infiltrated influence of North Korea.)
Those who survived May 1980 in Gwangju and perhaps could or would have wanted to talk about it were pressured, persecuted, tortured and put in camps. The others who preferred to remain silent had to figure out by themselves how to emotionally digest what had happend.

President Chun Do-hwan, who succeeded his predecessor Park Chung-hee in the aftermath of the bloody spring of 1980, did not create any less autocratic structures for the common people than before with his dictatorship. On the contrary. With him, brutal torture was carried out in the spirit of a systematic cleansing. The years of Chun Do-hwan's rule were some of the worst for South Korea in terms of political repression. His mission: The country should use all its might to present itself to the rest of the world as dazzling and up-and-coming until the Olympic Games. Whatever/whoever was bothersome was put away. However, the autocratic rule of the dictator and his brutal power apparatus with police and secret service ended in 1987 as a result of unbridled, enormous public pressure. The people's longing for democracy was finally able to prevail.

Parallel to the repression under Chun Do-hwan, the 1980s and following years were characterized by the years of economic miracle. The market became increasingly liberalized and it was all about exports. Yet, on a large scale growth and prosperity were built on credit: direct investments from abroad, credit cards for the people in the country, loan sharks for all those smaller companies that couldn't get the money from the banks. But the bubble of the expansive credit economy of the 1990s burst in 1997 with the Asian crisis. The credit boom was followed by a crash, an enormous fall in the value of the won, a series of bankruptcies, unemployment all over the place and poverty for the many.

Even though South Korea got back on its feet astonishingly quickly in the course of the subsequent years of the so called IMF Economic Crisis, the path was marked by countless fates of bankruptcies and many families suffering from for a long time since.

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The focus on the absolutist self-image of the Jaeboel changes towards their very human weaknesses

"The Taste of Money" from 2012 bombards the audience with aestheticized images, a strangely bizarre stirring mixture of cynical decadence, insatiable greed and human weaknesses that even the richest of the rich don't stop at. Let's start with the moral of the story: money doesn't buy happiness. On the contrary. The more there is, the unhappier their owners get. They may be wealthy bank-wise, but humanly they are bankrupt. Maybe they can buy anything, but in fact they are (and remain) alone. Their relationships tend to be abusive, mostly cold, and rather an empty, highly polished shell.

The KMovie focuses on a Jaebeol clan with a CEO, his wife, daughter and son, as well as the CEO's assistant and a filipino housekeeper.

----------- SIDE NOTE: --- Jaebeol, the secretive modern royalty of South Korea ---
The rich and powerful of South Korea emerged as a distinct variety in the post-war years. As a motor of progress and prosperity, they still influence social life as a matter of course - hidden, unofficially, from the background. In their hands gigantic possessions are concentrated. These are consistently maintained within the founding families. The Jaebeol clans were created as part of the autocratic governance of the early decades of the Republic and were further strengthened during the military dictatorship. The founders set the course for the economic upswing. In the meantime however they behave like the country's new nobility. They shamelessly and ruthlessly buy and bribe people at will. The remaining 99 percent of society are practically 'learned helpless' at their mercy. You have nothing to oppose to this power, which simply interferes with the legislature, judiciary and executive if necessary.
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The protagonist's family is one of the first percent of the social class, which behaves as a matter of course as royal families. Here pomp, decadence, coolness, distance, and even obscenity dominate. The highly polished, stylized aesthetic stands in deliberate contrast to a rather gloomy lighting mood. The opulent wealth almost builds an aesthetic wall that cannot be penetrated. The family members are trapped inside. Nothing can or event likes to really approach that, let alone penetrate it. It is (and remains) a strangely strange world.

The idiosyncratic cinematic narrative style contributes to this. It doesn't even try to collect all the threads at the end and close them neatly. It's as if the camera jumped in on the family story at one random point and got off at another. At the beginning, the focus is on the corrupt machinations and the almost absolutist self-image, but that changes on the track after the very human weaknesses of the individual clan members open up. Although they pretend to be untouchable, they are still vulnerable and actually want to be touched. From there it becomes a more or less satisfactory settlement with their own heart balance. 'Love' is a concept in this world that doesn't really want to fit in.

One of the key scenes: Youn Yuh-jung is shown a 64-year-old woman in an unusual candid sex scene. A disturbing effect is deliberately wanted. In a way, this encounter between young and old, between boss and employee, points out the dilemma of the story, so to speak. In this short, impressive scene, the venal world of dependencies and emotional states is turned upside down. The rich have everything and yet they don't - there is something they don't have: the feeling of being wanted, desired or even loved for their own sake.

"The Taste of Money" is a somber social study about the 1 percent that sits at the top of South Korea's social pyramid. Once again. There is an astonishing number of such startling studies in the world of film and series. But it seems even more astonishing to me that there are obviously still far from enough of them. Because nonetheless, this 1 percent still sits dazzlingly on its throne and it is still considered highly desirable within South Korean society to get as far up the pyramid as possible...

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Dysfunctional family to touch. True to life. Rough. Surprisingly on a positive note though

"Boomerang Family" refers to the term 'boomerang kids': adults who for pragmatic reasons move back in with their parents - mostly for financial reasons, because of unemployment or because of divorce. The protagonists of this KMovie are the mother, her three adult children and her granddaughter. Together they form the boomerang family.

In South Korea, family is the greatest good. Family is omnipresent and gets involved everywhere. This does not mean, however, that family is therefore only associated with happiness, love and warmth. On the contrary. There's a lot of pain associated with it. Much is and remains unsaid. Punches are often included as well.

That's what "Boomerang Family" is about - the dysfunctional aspects of a simple family. Strife and rivalry and fights. Envy and inferiority. Pride. Yet also moments of happiness. Eventually not being seen. Yet, being seen, too. Unspoken truths that will sooner or later be told anyway. Very private, often rough, unsightly, even downright repulsive manners in everyday interactions in the smallest of spaces, which we actually (if at all) only share in the closest, most intimate circle. E.g. in family, that takes you as you are. (Inevitably.) (Out of habit.) (Because one is just so familiar due to the proximity in time and space that one has shared.) (Out of love?)

The bottom line in "Boomerang Family" is love, which, in its most screwed up way, slumbers and lurks somewhere behind the curtain of mostly ugly, all too familiar patterns of everyday, long-established, well-established manners. Strangely enough, it is simply there.

In the world of the protagonists that curtain is rather shabby. Life is simple. The language rough. Proximity is created through shouting, scrambles and fights. Community can be experienced through shared meals, though. Those meals structure family life and become a connecting, binding medium. The common meal is the place of communication and encounter under largely regulated, peaceful conditions. Everything before and after, however, can quickly (almost certainly) get out of hand.

A special aspect for South Korean conditions, where the direct bloodline is still enormously important: Over time, it becomes clear that the protagonist family is actually a rather progressive variant of a patchwork family. Because of that fact, at first glance all seems to be in question. Nevertheless, this realization cannot erase the lived experience as a "family". The simple, unnamed, tangible, rustic, crude 'love' between siblings that is celebrated with this movie, is not in the genes, but has grown out of shared experiences. In this message lies the magic of this otherwise rather brittle, sometimes dark story. Eventually the heaviness is balanced here and there with a breeze of quite idiosyncratic humor.

Everyone in the family has their own stories and small, medium or big tragedies that bring them back together under one roof. A dysfunctional family to touch, true to life, authentic, in all obscenity. As a spectator, you are brought up close, sometimes closer than you might like. Heaviness and pessimism may want to impose themselves in the course of events, but they ultimately fail to determine the emotional space. You wouldn´t believe it, but the story ends on a consistently positive note.

The KMovie is a film adaptation of a novel. It could also be a theatrical performance. It touches, repels, shamelessly places the ugly next to moments of happiness. Who actually is to judge life? What is good? What is beautiful? What is valuable? What is happiness? Ultimately, all protagonists feel (not only, but ALSO) valuable and happy in their affiliation. So what are the criteria for evaluating the quality of life? "Boomerang Familie" chooses a very idiosyncratic, but ultimately soothing perspective - beyond lifestyle, image, aesthetics or monetary wealth.

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An (erotic) melodrama whose melodramatics were brilliantly captured

"Obsessed" is an erotic movie about a passionate affair in South Korea around 1969. It is a melodrama whose melodramatics were brilliantly captured - with a Song Seung-heon, who absorbs the drama in his particular passionate manner. What is new in that context, is how he is allowed to act almost shamelessly here.

However, "Obsessed" is also an exciting KMovie as it touches on a not so well known chapter in recent South Korean history: the time of Vietnam War.


------------------------- SIDE NOTE: --- South Korea and the Vietnam War ---
It is always the USA that come to mind. But South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines also fought in Vietnam. South Korea was the country most involved after the USA. Between 1964 and 1973, around 48.000 Korean soldiers were each year drafted into this war. They had all volunteered, not least because their monthly wages brought in almost twice as much as a normal annual salary would have at the time. However, the South Korean army has gained a dubious reputation with a few massacres (including among civilians) in this war - a chapter from the time of the military dictatorship that has not been fully processed by now. The KMovie gives at least some space/thinking to this aspect - in connection with the consequences of the post-traumatic disorders, including the protagonist.
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"Obsessed" conveys some impressions about those 1960s/70s. The already strictly authoritarian context of South Korean every day life becomes even more so during dictatorship at that time, let alone in military itself. Thus every spark of vitality is nipped in the bud by the stiff corset of an immaculate facade. With the affair, an erotic tension is built up that one is not used to from the KDrama orbit. For the protagonists, however, this tension opens up a forbidden, yet addictive space to breathe, love and feel alive - and this precious moment of feeling alive has more value for the distressed male protagonist than anything else - as he has already seen and brought way too much death into this world...

Provoking. Gloomy. Beautifully done.

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A masterfully done crime thriller, mercilessly progressing offside the beaten track

Fabulous! "Your Honor" is a masterfully done crime thriller, mercilessly progressing offside the beaten track – with an upright protagonist maneuvering himself deeper and deeper into a hopeless fiasco.

Right and wrong, black and white – they turn out to be impractical templates. Almost everything and everyone will be turned upside down at some point, and the entanglements will become more and more devastating.

In "Your Honor" suspense isn´t exactly associated with an arc. It is rather smoothly taking one loop after the other. When it comes to the protagonists: it is emotionally intense, yet at the same time controlled to the extreme, calm on the surface, though concentrated to the max. And yes, it is cruel and merciless at (most) times, too. In a dark vesture and at the same time with disarming grace this KDrama is fathoming personal boundaries of what is bearable and often enough even exceeding them.

PS:
“Your Honor” is based on the original series Kvodo by Shlomo Mashiach, for which several international remakes have since been produced.

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Profound, idiosyncratic mixture of different genres, coherently combined to form a new whole

The story is surprisingly exciting and complex, with an inscrutable main character and her mysterious past. Basically it's a thriller. At the same time, however, the story also offers plenty of food for thought and/or empathy about modern educational concepts. In any case, the story falls outside the scope of the usual KDrama stuff. On the side, one also gains some impressions of life in the middle class, of the difficulties of single parents (although men have it a bit better than women), of bullying at schools or of abusive parents-in-law.

A central storyline revolves around the now: the employment of Park Bok-nyeo in a family with a single father and 4 children who are dealing with their traumatic recent past - the suicide of the mother/wife. The second central plot line works in the background and deals with Bok-Nyeo's own traumatizing past, which shapes her behavior to this day. It is inevitable that both strands eventually become entangled.

Choi Ji-woo marvelously represents the housekeeper Park Bok-neyo. She fulfills her tasks calmly, patiently and disciplined. Always clearly demarcated without ever pulling a face (in 20 episodes)! (Ok, maybe once...) However she can hide well behind her role as a housekeeper and like that escape her own inner emptiness, as she herself is emotionally broken and limited in her ability to relate. Her own traumatic past is now catching up with her and threatens to turn her current life upside down again. But she is older by now, more mature and thus she tries to face her fate emotionally strengthened and resolutely and prepared to get over it to some extent. In the process eventually she offers a variety of psychologically and pedagogically valuable interventions in the everyday life of all family members. It's not all cliché, but offers touching, funny and very serious moments.

So this is not a love story. "Suspicious Housekeeper" offers an idiosyncratic mixture of different genres that are coherently combined to form a new whole with a surprisingly profound entertainment value. All actors, up to the 4 kids, contribute to the living impression of the overall work of art.

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Not your usual RomCom, yet a love triangle on top of a socially critical labour dispute mission

The protagonist's name "Byeon Hyeok" means "revolution". The wordy title "Revolutionary Love" already hints that this is about a Romance. But this title also contains the second plot line: the love that leads him to revolution - to resistance and struggle for the rights of irregular workers in the company of a powerful Jaebeol. One way or another, Byeon Hyeok is at the center of events - as the eldest son of Jaebeol of the Gangsu Group, who is in love and choses the barricades (and new ways) within the corporate culture of his father's business group.

Basically, the topic of such a labor dispute is rather socially critical and highly explosive, because there is practically no legal representation for the irregular part-time workers in South Korea. The number of non-regular employees is four times higher than among the other OECD member states. Employment relationship is not well protected. There is no union representation. Irregular employees usually only receive about half the wages of a permanent employee. The time limit is barely a year. Since the Asian crisis, this form of employment has proven to be cost-saving and convenient for small and large companies, so that it has been retained on a large scale to this day. "Revolutionary Love" cleverly focuses on this aspect of the South Korean working world as this critical topic is sort of camouflaged with a lot of slapstick and speed on the humorous note ... and of course there is the romance...

The role of Byeon Hyeok is a showpiece for Choi Si-won, who, with his wide array of physical, wordless visual grimaces and gestures, softens the actually frustrating labour dimension by Korean standards to a level that makes it accessible to the masses on public cable TV (and 'permissible' for the powerful). At the same time, Choi Si-won has the necessary sincerity to also show his sensitive side and create space for the closeness of a romantic relationship. In contrast to the comedic character of Byeon Hyeok is his 'friend' Kwon Jae-hoon, whose leitmotif ´seriousness´ can hardly be surpassed. In between, the head of the "revolution" whirls: the street smart Baek Joon.

"Revolutionary Love" is a KDrama that is often underestimated by Western viewers in its ambitious socio-critical and labour policy claims. It knows how to touch with the protagonists' love triangle despite the labour dispute mission. Yet, be aware, it is not your usual RomCom.

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A complex story with many more deep-seated conflicts and emotional drama than it initially reveals

Prologue:
"Motel California" piles up drama in reverse, so to speak. The more we learn about the past, the more we understand of the tragedy...
Dramatic. Grievous, too, yet rounded in itself. Not joyful, yet the ambivalent emotions subtly creating a strange kind of warmth, because it's about human beings. Deeply hurt, insecure, imperfect and even embittered human beings who try to put aside their suffering, even suppress it, and still live their lives as best as they can.
Demanding, because as audience we might initially be somewhat reluctant to open our hearts to these people in "Motel California". (But we should, it´s worth it.)
A bitter, moving, and yet beautiful story about despite their defect nevertheless lovable people.




"Motel California" is a healing story amidst a structurally sickening, toxic work and living environment. It's primarily about the 'good, true and proper' origin, the outer impression, the 'right' educational institution, the 'right' gender (male). Additionally it is as well about exploitation, discrimination and bullying. It is also a story about love. Primarily between a boy and a girl. The girl ultimately struggles through life as a deeply sad lone fighter after having to leave behind the only much loved, loyal companion – the only one who, in her eyes, ever made her feel warmth, unconditional trust, reliability, and care in a cold, rejecting world.

"Motel California" is a complex story with many more deep-seated conflicts and emotional drama than it initially reveals. The recurring flashbacks gradually provide more valuable insights. This helps us better understand what is presented to us "today." Accordingly, only over time do we get emotionally closer to the protagonists, i.e., in the course of the second half.
"Motel California" tells of complicated life, of great pain, and above all of the FLs pain, who barrels through life with a disturbingly repellent shell. But many others also carry injuries and scars. Wonderful actors help us feel the drama within the drama through their strong performances.

The story, based on a novel, tackles demanding material. Quite courageous, because what torments and drives the two protagonists internally is not always pleasing on the outside. Especially the FL, with her incorrigible defiance and exorbitance, is sometimes hard to bear. Moreover, her deep pain, which sometimes almost spills out of her eyes, can be quite intense. Respect!!! For daring to uncompromisingly and soulfully tackling in a KDrama the distressing, uneasy dark side of emotional realities in an otherwise highly polished South Korea. And for Lee Se-young to take on the difficult, deeply wounded, ambivalent, and insecure character of Ji Kang Hee, who fights against the rest of the world from a seemingly lost position.

This is not a light-hearted KDrama. "Motel California" is not easy fare. Nevertheless, the latent severity is repeatedly dissolved by soul-warming scenes or channeled through pointedly inserted, humorous scenes. Additionally, there are soothing details between the lines, e.g. in dialogues, mise en scene, and atmospheric lighting.

What ultimately turns out to be a love story, at first starts of somewhat clumsily. At times, it might feel like a study of an almost toxic emotional dynamic between a man and a woman. In their rather awkward addictive habit and sometimes inappropriate ambivalence the love between them still seeks its way in difficult terrain. Over time we get to know the characters a bit more – their motives and backgrounds, as well as their unresolved, unredeemed feelings of guilt. Compassion may spread. And quite a lot so. This is KDrama par excellence. It's worth sticking with “Motel California” and not abandoning the two main leads (nor everyone else) along the way.

Layer by layer, the cloak of forgetting and suppression is gently removed over the 12 episodes. This cloak protectively covered the unresolved feelings. Yet, ultimately it turns out as emotional prison that has long prevented authentic, sincere encounters and healing communication.

The 'Motel California' ultimately represents a nurturing vessel for such encounters and healing. It is a symbol for origin, stigma and opportunity alike. The 'Motel California' forms an island in the sea of cruel rumor mills, social control, social ostracism, and discrimination. The name of the motel – "California" – represents the dream of another world. The motel as an establishment, in turn, stands for what the protagonist was always ashamed of in her childhood. For what caused her to experience painful 'othering' as a child. She was different and grew up under shattered, disreputable, and ultimately tragic family circumstances. I.e. that she is different – not as she should be – was (and is) mercilessly mirrored by her environment. She was not recognized as a full member of society in a small world where everyone seems to know everything about everyone else . And the 'disreputable' that clung to her was inevitably linked to the 'motel' in her eyes – the motel as a mirror of her inconsolable, almost unbearable, and still unresolved injuries of her childhood and youth. Nevertheless, the motel is also her home and witness to her forgotten (including good) childhood memories. "Home, Bitter Home", so the title of the original novel. At last the Motel also becomes a social hub for those who are ready to find redemption. This is thanks not least to Kang Hee's father, who, with his liberal, unmistakably patient, and trusting manner, opens the field for it.







Nevertheless, I also have criticism:
Quite inappropriate in view of the difficult, emotionally complex theme of this KDrama are, in my eyes, the really intrusive product placements – almost as if a commercial break is being inserted every now and then... Cringey!

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A fancy, unusual treat for crime thriller fans

"Longing for You" offers crime and more at its best. Nice to have along the way: a bit of salt in the fresh air of the coastal town where two of the protagonists grew up in.

The public prosecutor's office and the police form a special investigation unit in the case of a serial killer. Solving the case is one thing - an that is overrun by further victims. The internal dynamics within the team as well as emotional complications between further characters are another. Both crime case and complex personal dynamics being jointly combined within a splendidly explosive mixture make “Longing for You” a fancy, unusual treat for crime thriller fans.

We abruptly stumble into an opaque spider's web. The KDrama thrives on its bizarre, strangely interwoven relationships. Abyssal. A bit chilly at times. Mostly harsh and brusque. But sensitive and touching in well-placed spots, too. Suspenseful until the end. Whenever you think you have a clue, the story takes a new, unexpected turn. As I said, a fancy, unusual treat for crime thriller fans.

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