Reviews

An absolutely delightful brain twister

Be With You is an delightful, esoteric, charming movie that will totally move you emotionally. It is about the love of a man for his wife, the love of a boy for his mother, and her love and sacrifices she made for the both of them. Because this is a 2 and one half hour movie, to say any more would spoil you enjoyment and experience. This movie is surprising and deep, and well written, with lots of twists and turns. It will create a lot of head talk in you for days. You do not want to know any more advance information on this movie. Please do not look. I am so glad that I knew nothing about this movie. I picked it at random because of the Star power.

Kim Ji-Hwan did an excellent job playing the son Jiho. This was the first and only acting role for Kim Ji-Hwan. Hopefully, it was not his last. Park Seo Joon makes a guest appearance.

It stars So Ji Sub as the husband Jung Woo-Jin and Son Ye-Jin as the wife Soo Ah. These two actors were a dream match from acting heaven. Both performances were so polished. The quiet moments when the two of them were together without speaking lines, really gives you a chance to study why So Ji Sub and Son Ye Jin are considered two of Korea’s best actors. ‘Be With You’ is worth your Korean drama downtime.

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Rene's acting debut, and I love this movie with all my heart. The calm relationship between characters really something that i need.

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A very engaging plot

A very engaging plot, which would be enough for a small series ... The whole work, even if it is certainly not perfect and has a decent rating on IMDb as well, needs to be seen with Asian eyes, which many cannot do, and I am not surprised. But if you try this, and get over the Asian naivety and, as someone already says, "unprofessional amateur" (= Asian again) processing, you will get a very strong story that you can think about for a long time, which is the feeling at the end of many other films I don't have it, and that's what I appreciate most about the film ... and also the memorable classmates and sensitively chosen pleasant music ...

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Powerful. Upsetting. Honest. Brilliant.

This film was not widely distributed in Japan because the subject matter was so delicate, and not distributed in theatres at all internationally. Nevertheless, it won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 1986 and holds a top spot on most of Japan's film critics' lists, such as the uber prestigious Kinema Junpo.

The plot is centered on the true story of Japanese surgeons conducting vivisections on 8 American POWs. That's the ostensible subject of the film. But the real subject is Hanna Arendt's famous maxim, "The banality of evil." You see, we witness 3 ordinary individuals -- 2 medical interns and a nurse -- knowingly participating in the grotesque murder of 8 men for various reasons. For instance, because they were just following orders. Or because it was a way of pandering to superiors and advancing their career. Or because, in one case, they were acting out a personal grudge against another staff member. This particular person's motive was the most striking example of the Banality of Evil.

The writer, director and actors created believable characters whom the viewer cares about in a well paced plot that flies by over the course of 2 hours. It's a film of stunning realism and emotion. Highly recommended.

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The fifty-minute film

The fifty-minute film takes us to Hong Kong to two hetero + gay friends and their temporary cohabitation. Those who have been to HK will remember the hustle and bustle of the streets and the clatter of double-decker buses and trams. The film itself does not reach great heights, but it conveys to us in Asian nice what it wants to convey, including the relationship between Rick and his family ...
The fifty-minute film takes us to Hong Kong to two hetero + gay friends and their temporary cohabitation. Those who have been to HK will remember the hustle and bustle of the streets and the clatter of double-decker buses and trams. The film itself does not reach great heights, but it conveys to us in Asian nice what it wants to convey, including the relationship between Rick and his family ...

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Very open korean film

A solid and for 2009 very open Korean film with physical contact between two young men making love. The film was made with a sense of perspective and sometimes even comically, and it will certainly attract the viewer. Even around the 23 minute mark, the next CO song wasn't too bad and made me smile at the cute Asian naivety. But every viewer will surely understand why the filmmakers made this film, and for that they deserve a lot of thanks.
A solid and for 2009 very open Korean film with physical contact between two young men making love. The film was made with a sense of perspective and sometimes even comically, and it will certainly attract the viewer. Even around the 23 minute mark, the next CO song wasn't too bad and made me smile at the cute Asian naivety. But every viewer will surely understand why the filmmakers made this film, and for that they deserve a lot of thanks.

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Sometimes brave people can bring about change

As the Tibetan antelope numbers rapidly decreased from one million to around 10,000 in the 1990's, men from the Kekexili area formed the Mountain Patrol to deter poachers from the area. Based on a true story, in the nearly lawless, desolate land the patrol had no one to rely on but themselves. Outmanned and outgunned by the ruthless poachers they would have to be resolute in their convictions in the unforgiving terrain to save the endangered animals…and themselves.

A Beijing journalist with a Tibetan father, Gu Ya, succeeds in imbedding himself with the Mountain Patrol. Their leader, battle hardened Ri Tae, accepts him with the hope a story could bring more help to their cause. The patrol is mourning the loss of one of their own who was murdered recently by the poachers. Gu Ya scarcely has time to unpack his bag before the men head out on patrol to track down the murderers. Along the way they cover barren desert and forbidding mountains. Gu Ya discovers how harshly they interrogate witnesses and suspects, especially after they come across nearly 500 hundred dead and peltless antelope. The patrol reverently stacks the carcasses and burns them with a funeral rite. The small band of men have to resort to selling the pelts they discover to pay for medical care and supplies.

The patrol was decimated by illness and death. The earth reminded them that despite their noble cause, they were vulnerable in spaces without food and water, where snowstorms could erupt in a moment, and quicksand could swallow a man in a matter of seconds. The desert and blizzard winds mercilessly erased all traces that a person had ever been there. Ri Tae was a man possessed with catching the murdering poachers which endangered not only himself but also his men as they ran low on food and fuel. Tibetan actor Duo Bu Jie was perfect as the patrol leader who was relentless in his pursuit of his enemy and also loved his men and the land.

Mountain Patrol could be disturbing with scenes of animals being butchered with numerous carcasses and bullet ridden pelts. Yet it also featured beautiful and stark landscapes. Director Lu Chuan filmed on location where the events were said to have happened in a land so remote a person's steps could be the first footsteps there since the dawn of time. The soundtrack was emotionally haunting, perfectly accenting a scene without intruding. The story was gut wrenching as the men with "dirty hands and pure hearts" suffered devastating losses. Yet their losses for a cause they believed in did bring about change. After their stories became published the government designated the land a natural preserve and the antelope population has steadily increased. Lu Chuan never fully answered what compelled these men to risk their lives in service to the graceful animals, but the world is a slightly better place because they did.

9/1/23

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It's not perfect but deserves attention

Story is takes place in a rural place in China. The characters are real villagers in poverty, not authentic or nostalgic. The scenes are as clean as real photos or a documentary. While I was watching, I could feel the dust of the field, the brown and thin people working in the field.
The lead male has a disease suspected of being epilepsy. That's why he doesn't want to get married and he thinks that someone who will like him will only be a 'flawed' person. However, his mother's efforts eventually get in the way of marrying a girl. But of course this isn't a k-drama. For the female lead, the situation is not a love marriage. Over time, secrets are revealed, troubles and separations occur.

Parts i liked:
Realistic representation, You can easily internalize the characters.
It's like a story set in the past, but we know it takes place in the present. The social structure is well reflected.
The integrity of the village, which consists of decorative details, architecture, places and fields, is strong.
The supporting characters are familiar from real life.
I love their wedding dresses and sleeping kitties :3


Parts i disliked
If you've watched Korean movies, you're familiar with the scenes where the characters are getting further and further away at the end. And you want to continue watching, thinking that there is a few more minutes in front of the screen, but the movie is over. It has such an ending.

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do what you’re passionate about with your heart, not your brain

When Chen Shuo incorporated E-mark individual signature moves in his 1v1 battle with Kevin, I thought he did it as a big F U to Kevin like, "See what you lost? Not the championship, but a good team, with talented dancers, who are great friends." He won the 1v1 not only because of his talent, but because E-mark had his back, and he had theirs.
The dancing was so enjoyable to watch, exhilarating even. The backstory was sad, I cried with Shuo when I saw his sweet supportive mama braving it up to cover for him just so he can have time to dance. And I felt so angry I wanted to kick Kevin every time he appeared.
And as an Yibo fan I have to say: Yibo didn't just embody Chen Shuo, he WAS Chen Shuo. The way he himself started from street dance and worked hard to be where he is right now, to be passionate (热烈? Heh heh) in doing what he loves... this movie and the character of Chen Shuo really was made for Wang Yibo. And you can tell how hard he worked to be Shuo too. Hats (helmets??) off Yibo and One and Only crew 💚🔥

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A movie about Mark

Although the film doesn't quite reach its climax, it is tender in that it describes an intergenerational and interracial relationship where Mark, a young Chinese student living with his aunt in Hong Kong, falls in love with his middle-aged English professor, and I don't think he is worthy of the time , was created shortly after the "return" of Hong Kong to China, and such stories can take place anywhere and at any time even in today's time...
Although the film doesn't quite reach its climax, it is tender in that it describes an intergenerational and interracial relationship where Mark, a young Chinese student living with his aunt in Hong Kong, falls in love with his middle-aged English professor, and I don't think he is worthy of the time , was created shortly after the "return" of Hong Kong to China, and such stories can take place anywhere and at any time even in today's time...

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50 First Dates without the comedy

Silent Rain was like 50 First Dates but without the comedy. Yukisuke and Koyomi found each other and then found themselves in a life neither could have ever imagined. The film showed the everyday moments that build a relationship, it also showed how lack of communication and not taking pre-emptive action could cause emotional hardships.

Yukisuke visits Koyomi's taiyaki stall each day as much to catch a glimpse of her as to enjoy the tasty treat. When Yukisuke helps her deal with a drunk customer a barrier is broken and the two gradually become closer. Fate is not that kind in a Japanese romance and after spending a strange evening together stalking a customer, Koyomi is injured on the way home. After two weeks in a coma, she awakens with all of her long-term memories intact though her short-term memory is damaged. Each day the previous day is wiped clean from her memory. Apparently having no family and friends to help her, the mother visits while she is in a coma and leaves, Yukisuke invites Koyomi to live with him. Every morning they share the same routine. "Is this your home?...It stopped raining." "It's a long story, but can you listen?"

Koyomi doesn't seem to be too rattled by the news upon waking and carries on as usual. She goes back to working in the stall and the two become closer. But as the days continue on and she has no memory of what they did or shared together the day before, it begins to wear on Yukisuke.

I enjoyed the slice of life element to this film and the slow buildup of the relationship. However, it could be frustrating watching two people with inadequate communication skills try to handle this new development in Koyomi's life. Both were emotionally closed off with others. Yukisuke refused to acknowledge to co-workers that he had a girlfriend much less share her short-term memory issues. Koyomi lived a solitary life as well.

Along with their social ineptness, they never brainstormed to see what they could do to ease Koyomi into the day and give her access to what happened the previous day since her brain could no longer grant her that information. Why was there no therapy to help her adapt to her new situation? Why didn't they use journals or her phone or computer to record what she needed to know to ease her into the new world each day? She'd made a few sticky notes but didn't seem to read them and some were in ridiculously obscure hiding places. Neither knew anything about the other, but at least they could have worked toward written shared memories. This lack of communication and understanding left the characters feeling flat.

Silent Rain was a languid walk through the daily lives of two awkward, kind people dealt a life altering blow. As often happens, it was the mundane daily events and interactions that slowly drew them together. Their behavior could be perplexing after Koyomi's accident, as they never felt pressured to find answers or change their lives in any meaningful way even when it could have made things easier for both of them. Perhaps neither was ready to come to terms with their new reality. It would take a series of cathartic events for these two loveable and socially inept people to find their way out of the rain.



8/31/23

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