Reviews

This was one of the most immersive movies I’ve found myself watching… it is full of pain, rage, violence, and escape through music as a bandage and place to feel free…

The sheer contrast between vivid, peaceful, utterly gorgeous and pristine rice fields and the teenagers growing up around them is painfully sharp. The intense guilt a weak bullied kid can feel contrasted with the fuck-it-all rage of a kid whose world went from stable with the kid a very easygoing sort to a financially ruined house with us only getting to see how the kid copes, completely transforming after a sudden rebellious trip that was the last bit of fun before a downward spiral…

Nothing I am saying here is a spoiler. This is not a linear timeline at all, and it is less a plot than being thrown straight into a middle school hell and reliving what you’ve likely either experienced or been afflicted with the pain of witnessing but having no way to change the horror someone is enduring… even with helplessness, though, we see how different the results are for kids enduring nightmares with just one person checking on them versus ones with no real sense of safety net to shoulder to lean on or even, as we see at one point, someone to physically inflict a tiny portion of one’s pain on and not be abandoned. There are powerful moments throughout if you tune in with a sense of compassion and curiosity. Those same moments, though, can easily be ignored by viewers, casting a mirror on how callous and apathetic a person might very well be seeing emotionally wrecked peers, neighbors, family members, or even total strangers. It demands your attention. It screams at you to not ignore their plights… yet does so without preaching one bit, only showing you the different kinds of humans all around and letting you see in some of them parts of yourself, some possibly uncomfortable, if you let it test your compassion and don’t throw on, even in the physically safe space of a room with a film on a screen, a shield of apathy as a defense against those preying on the defenseless.

I can absolutely recommend it to some and absolutely can NOT to quite the majority. It depends on what art you find value in. While this is not at all a BL and only has faint flickers of a couple of straight crushes that are by no means the story, just pieces of young teens’ psychological makeup, the two recent stories that I might be able to say “if you found value in… then consider this…” about are Smells Like Green Spirit (which has some overlap in story elements and likewise sharply contrasts the feelings of being stuck in your home you find hellish and finding a place you can breathe and just be a kid) and Happy of the End (because you need the same sort of ability to get immersed in the wretchedness of others’ lives and find worth in the media presented to you to really appreciate this).

It is hard hitting, and it is LONG (just 20 minutes short of 3 hours)… but it is phenomenal. If you ARE young and enduring bullying, mental health struggles, social isolation, or are witnessing it happening to others, this won’t be suitable. It is something I would absolutely put restrictions on in a cinema—R level for the content.
It also needs a dozen trigger warnings, among them sexual assault, bullying, and possible epilepsy triggers from fairly frequent fast and intense flashing of black and white graphics that are critical to read but might also induce a migraine in some. In any case, this is a rare film I took a break from mid-viewing. It starts in a disjointed manner that you just have to trust will go somewhere… but once you are locked into their world, it can feel exhausting. It might also be something many start, can’t get into, and go back to later. It is very much a mood piece.

I had to think a long while about my rating, but I found no flaws in this as I did indeed “lock in” which Debussy and my past experience with his works as a lover of his music certainly helped. Brilliant use of music, especially as the music heard the vast majority of the movie is not even the music the youth are getting immersed in. It got a truly hard-earned 10 from me. Every technical detail, every cast member’s performance, and the story told through stunning cinematography and painfully realistic performances wowed me even through an incredibly simple overarching narrative.

This may be a slight spoiler in terms of how this closes out this chapter of their lives though I won’t give details on the plot: The main near-end event of it which is both a negative and positive for characters in it (a cruel truth I’ll leave at that) and the simple thought of how different things could and would have been had someone not been fighting to survive and fighting others in that process… it is so incredibly poignant it kept hitting me harder and harder as I reflected on what I had watched.

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Should be watched by those who are either currently in or want to be in a relationship, because ---

It asks a fundamental question --- what is happiness (in the context of a relationship)? In its 36 minute run-time, it invites you to consider what aspects of a relationship make you happy, whether you put more value on what is (living in the moment) or what is to come (building the future). The movie is clearly about two people who love each other, so it begs a second question --- why do two people who love each other end up the way that Inho and Yoonju did? I might be overly optimistic, but I feel like the perspective that this show provides might just save a few relationships out there...

Story: Not very complex (so you can leave your thinking hat in the closet), but still very engaging.

Acting: I've watched many (if not all) of Kim Seong Hyuk's dramas. While I may not necessarily like some of those shows (one in particular was painful to watch, but it's not listed in MDL or even in Seong Hyuk's filmography, so if the universe is kind, no one else will have to suffer the way I did), I invariably like the work that Seong Hyuk delivered. Both he and the female lead (unnamed in the cast list) did a good job here of shifting gears when the script called for it.

Music: As in most (if not all) Korean dramas, the music served to underscore the emotions behind every scene. One even made it to my playlist. 😅

Rewatch Value: This would depend on what's important to you. It's 36 minutes long. If you're looking for cathartic release, this would be a great option --- you won't be wasting a whole lot of time. Personally, while I do plan on watching this again, I probably won't do so very often. My poor heart might not be able to take it.

Fair warning:
- The MDL blurb says that this is "the romance drama of two men and women", but it's really just about two people, a man and a woman currently in a relationship.
- The subs in the version that I watched on YouTube were not entirely accurate all the time. But it's fairly easy to extrapolate given the context of the dialogue.

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Better than expected

Honestly I confused this one with another movie called Target, which also had SHS a lead so it took me so long to watch this movie and I regret not watching this sooner.
The movie starts from KGT's point of view so this automatically makes the viewers sympathize with him which can lead to not realize he is also a criminal just as Sora. Nevertheless, it's kind of a fresh breath of air to watch a movie from an antagonist pov too.
In my opinion, Sora is a sociopath rather than a psychopath. She thinks she is the most pitiful in the world and her background made things harder of her but in reality she is just using others to cope with the decisions she made along the way. Generally, psychopaths don't search for reasons to justify their bad decisions. Also, she is a really good manipulator too which could be seen in a lot of sociopaths.
If we talk about our stalker friend KGT, he describe himself as a good stalker but in reality there are no good in stalking. To be honest, I didn't even knew there are people who like to peep into a strangers' house before watching this movie so this is also good for spreading awareness.
About the ending, everything was well put together and I can say that I was very satisfied with the ending.

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Revisiting old JBLs, while this isn't one of my favourite of it's era, I think it's a simple and beautiful movie.

When I first watched it I was slightly confused about the nature of their relationship, are they together but hiding, are they together and showing it, are they just too closely connected friends.

The way the ML was suffering from his one sided love and jealousy at first, on the other hand the intimate and very touchy tachibana... It was confusing a bit I wish they had shown what kind of relationship they actually had.

Later it was clear to us what type of relationship they had but still i didn't like that part~

Overall nice and light jealousy story.

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English and Portuguese Review

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥
The short film feels so raw and sincere that, at several moments, it seemed more like a personal outburst from Gu Gyo Hwan himself than just acting.

It’s really a mix of emotions. There are moments when you feel his tension, others where things get lighter and even a bit funny. And the way he tries to go through his day normally, even though he’s clearly affected, kept me completely invested. It feels very human, very real, like something that could happen to me or anyone else.

Another thing that stood out to me was the atmosphere in his home, that sense of loneliness. He smokes a lot, almost like he’s trying to cope with what he’s feeling after being left out by his friends. The scenes switch between small outbursts, irritation, quiet moments… little details that make everything feel incredibly intimate, as if we were watching a very personal moment in his life.

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𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐥
O curta passa uma sensação tão sincera e tão crua que, várias vezes, parecia mais um desabafo do próprio Gu Gyo Hwan do que uma atuação.

É realmente uma mistura de emoções. Tem momentos em que você sente a tensão dele, outros em que tudo fica mais leve e até engraçado. E o jeito como ele tenta seguir o dia normalmente, mesmo visivelmente afetado, me prendeu muito. Parece algo muito humano, muito real, como algo que poderia acontecer comigo ou com qualquer pessoa.

Outra coisa que me chamou atenção foi o clima da casa, a solidão. Ele fuma muito, como se estivesse tentando controlar o que está sentindo depois de ter sido deixado de lado pelos amigos. As cenas vão misturando surtos pequenos, irritações, momentos quietos… detalhes que deixam tudo extremamente íntimo, como se a gente estivesse espiando um momento muito pessoal da vida dele.

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English and Portuguese Review

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞
From the beginning, I thought the story was going to be something completely different, so I was actually surprised. One of the first things that caught my attention was the fact that the movie takes place in Somalia. I’m not used to seeing Korean films set in an African country, so seeing people from different ethnicities, languages, and cultures all mixed together really grabbed my interest. At the same time, I’m always a bit cautious about how Korean productions portray other cultures, but I feel like they did a good job here.

The movie is heavy and even pretty sad at several moments. It’s painful and nerve-wracking to watch so much war, so many bodies, and so many situations where it feels like no matter what the characters do, danger is always there. The movie keeps you tense the whole time, especially knowing that all of this really happened.

One thing I feel like I have to mention is that, since this is a South Korean movie, they do end up making the South Korean characters look a little too “good.” Everything is framed in a way that makes them seem like the moral ones, and I really doubt things played out exactly like that in real life. This becomes even more noticeable when the North Korean characters show up. Even with the historical rivalry between the two Koreas, the movie still puts the South Koreans in a more favorable light, while the North Koreans come off tougher or more aggressive. But at the same time, it’s interesting to see how both sides end up helping each other out of pure survival, and that creates some really good and tense moments.

Still, the acting is really strong. The actors pull you right into the chaos and confusion, and you end up feeling the desperation with them. It’s the kind of movie that keeps you hooked because of this mix of tension, harsh reality, and a little bit of hope in the middle of all the destruction.

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𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨
Desde o começo eu achava que seria um tipo de história totalmente diferente, fui surpreendido. Uma das primeiras coisas que me chamou atenção foi o fato de a história se passar na Somália. Eu não estou acostumado a ver filmes coreanos em um cenário africano, então ver pessoas de várias etnias, diferentes línguas e culturas misturadas me deixou bem interessado. Ao mesmo tempo, eu sempre fico com um pé atrás com representações coreanas de outras culturas, mas achei que a representação foi boa.

O filme é pesado e até triste em vários momentos. É triste e angustiante ver tanta guerra, tantos corpos, tantas situações em que parece que não importa o que os personagens façam, o perigo sempre está ali. O filme te deixa tenso o tempo todo ainda mais por saber que isso realmente aconteceu.

Uma coisa que eu acho importante comentar é que, como é um filme sul-coreano, eles acabam puxando um pouco o saco dos personagens da Coreia do Sul. Tudo fica parecendo que eles são sempre os bonzinhos da situação, e duvido bastante que tenha sido assim na vida real. Isso fica ainda mais evidente quando os personagens da Coreia do Norte entram na história. Mesmo com toda a rivalidade histórica entre as duas Coreias, o filme tenta colocar os sul-coreanos num patamar um pouco mais favorecido, enquanto os norte-coreanos aparecem de um jeito mais duro ou agressivo. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, é interessante ver como os dois lados acabam se ajudando por questão de sobrevivência, e isso gera alguns momentos bem legais e tensos ao mesmo tempo.

Apesar disso tudo, a atuação é muito boa. Os atores realmente te puxam para dentro do caos e da confusão, e você acaba sentindo o desespero junto com eles. É um filme que te prende justamente por essa mistura de tensão, realidade dura e um pouco de esperança no meio de tanta destruição.

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Long awaited and It's worth it.

That felt like, after a long time i just watched a good movie and enjoyed it whole. Thia movie was merely for jackie chen but I'm surprised seeing the cast. I specially love action movies and that's another reason i tried it.

Overall i am satisfied with it. Waiting for second part. Now Let's talk about why you should try it out and why not.

So it has beautifully captured Fight Choreography ✅
A strong and well written story which you Won't be bored ✅
Most importantly if you are a Jackie fan then you must.


And why not to try it out? I Don't know. For me it was a well spend time. I loved it and wanna watch Again.

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Expected more bizarre horror.

After that synopsis I think I expected something more wacky. As someone who went into the lore clueless, with no prior knowledge of the source material, maybe my expectations were misplaced.

They dropped the masterpiece of popcorn with pigeons scenes so early on, everything that followed seemed so… mid. That said, the concept of the curse was extremely interesting - a curse that does not necessarily bring you pain and misfortune, but makes you actively avoid happiness.

The performances were great. Somehow even the overacted moments perfectly fitted whatever scene was happening on the screen.

For the production - while the movie looks stunning, I cannot move past the fact that at least partially the soundtrack was “composed” by AI.

Overall, I guess I expected more? It for sure leaned more towards slow paced dark fantasy, rather than exaggerated horror.

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Not as bad as people say it is

yall im only saying that cause i love intense fighting scenes and psycho villians. the atory itself is not that bad and the actors did a good job bt its seriously not as bad as people say it is. the fighting scenes are intense and very interesting to watch, the ending was EPIC. we didnt get on why the villian did all that but i liked the fact that he didnt give up. The officer also did an amazing job catching the villian. overall it was pretty fun to watch with intense fighting scenes. i get that some people say its predictable cause it is but it hink that just made it more fun.

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What a useless husband…

Finished the movie and my first thought was - this would have a different ending with a better husband. Not that he was the only useless character, but his lack of fucks given was surprising.

The movie is almost 2 hours long and they do not try to get rid of the doll for more than half of it. The denial that something shady is happening reaches new heights. The doll be running in front of them, climbing on their backs and we get “I must have imagined it”, baby girl it’s not the case of “seeing movement in the corner of the eye”, this doll was less sneaky than Annabelle. Even Chucky was better at pretending to be a normal doll.

The professionals in the movie were also of questionable quality - the psychiatrist ignoring clear signs of panic and delusion, the police that does nothing except getting in trouble, the spiritual experts that fail over and over again.

All that said, it was still such a good and fun movie. From the opening scenes I thought it would lead more towards serious psychological drama, but it quickly took a u-turn into wacky supernatural madness. Some scenes gave me goosebumps and the “nope, that’s it, I’d be out of this situation yesterday”, some scenes were borderline funny almost bringing me to tears.

If we go by plot points, there are so many separate acts here, but the transition between them and the pacing was well done - it did not feel jumpy, they all connected smoothly.

Acting wise, the biggest props to Ikemura Aoi who played baby Mai.

For the production, I have to say they must have been drunk when they were constructing the face of the doll in the second half. Is it creepy? Yes. Is it hilarious? Also yes. The teeth… These just made me feel uncomfortable.

Overall, it’s not new, it’s not groundbreaking, but it does a good job of delivering the obvious story in an engaging way.

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Loved it

It's a very simple story, a guy dealing with devastating news and he gets support from his "fan" hoobae who think of him as his idol.

Pretty simple concept and that's exactly what we got, bear in mind that it's not exclusively a BL nor a romance as written here, it's a simple high school story, so don't expect too much because you won't find anything.

What I like about it is the calm atmosphere, the idea of another person supporting you and your dreams in the dark yet only comes out when you need them, this isn't a love story per se but I believe that's the sweetest thing a fan can do to his "Idol".

The two guys are cute, I want to see them in a more proper dramas with bigger character, so I'll be waiting for that to happen.

Overall sweet lovely short movie.

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A breath of fresh air

The Time That Remains feels like a breath of fresh air for Filipino cinema - a slow, haunting mix of folklore, gothic romance, and visual poetry. Instead of going for cheap scares or loud horror beats, the film leans into atmosphere and emotion. It takes the aswang myth and treats it with sincerity, giving it depth, history, and a sense of tragic humanity.

At its core is the love between Lilia and Matias - messy, painful, and unbelievably tender. Their relationship feels less like a standard romance and more like two wounded souls choosing each other despite everything: time, faith, violence, and the ugliness of the world. The film never shies away from the brutality Lilia endures, and those scenes hurt because they’re meant to. They show how much she’s suffered, yet how fiercely she’s still capable of loving. Matias, with all his centuries and mysteries, meets her with devotion that borders on mythic. Their love isn’t about “forever” - it’s about the moments they save each other, even knowing those moments can’t last.

Visually, the movie is stunning. Every frame feels intentional: shadow-heavy, quiet, almost sacred. The sound design, the lighting, the stillness - it all creates a hypnotic rhythm that makes the story feel both intimate and otherworldly.

If anything, you end the movie wishing it had even more time to explore its themes - immortality, guilt, memory, the weight of love. But even as it is, The Time That Remains stands out as one of the most visually striking and emotionally resonant Filipino films in recent years. It proves that our folklore can be more than horror fodder - it can be the foundation for a love story that lingers long after the credits roll.

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A disgusting masterpiece that you only watch once

I went into this k-movie blind because I saw comments saying they wouldn't recommend it to anyone, and that it left them sick or ruined. I, of course, wanted to see for myself.

Now, I advice that you please read the trigger warnings first as this movie does deal with very triggering and traumatic events. It's not as graphic, but it will still leave a lasting effect if you're not in the right head space.

When you start the movie, it's a bit overwhelming. Depending on if you went in blind or not, you're going to be a bit lost. All you'll know is Il-Woo has a twin brother who was found dead and the three alleged perpetrators are in the juvenile detention center Il-Woo got sent to. And then from there, the story starts to gradually unfold, and you realize just how absolutely sick and twisted everything is.

The storyline is honestly really nice. I enjoy it's uniqueness. The acting was especially exceptional, especially Jin Young's role as the autistic brother. It's not easy acting out a role that includes a disability or neurodivergency and getting as accurate as he did. He really deserves his flowers because he was the main show for the whole movie.

The plot twist was... Definitely a plot twist. It had me shocked and honestly sick when they played the flashbacks. But I wish they had built up a bit more on the tension and climax, because it was just suddenly.. Dropped. It didn't feel as shocking as I wanted it to be. But it was still really good.

I wouldn't really recommend this. It was good, yes, and if you're a type of person who likes dark movies and dramas, then by all means. But for a casual watcher, I would not recommend it. Even though it was not as graphic as I thought it'd be, it was still really disturbing and the topics being portrayed and discussed were honestly a bit hard to sit through.

'A Christmas Carol' wasn't as jolly as the name suggests. No, it wasn't jolly at ALL. It was a brother who came to 'avenge' his twin brother by dealing with the culprits while simultaneously still beating himself up and partially blaming himself for the outcome of his twin brother's death.

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