Reviews

A movie that had great potential and wasted it all

NO SPOILER FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEW

The fact that some people are rating this movie higher than a 6.5 is honestly baffling to me. I don't write reviews that often but I had the urge to do it for Midnight because of how big of a letdown it was. So, here's my review of a movie that had amazing potential and could've been a really good thriller, but unfortunately ended up being a barely decent enough movie.

Midnight is good at first; the plot is promising and there's a heavy atmosphere efficiently set thanks to the scenography and brilliant acting. Many good stress-inducing mechanics are introduced to make us feel the anxiety and distress caused by the main character's, Kim Kyung Mi, deafness (e.g. audio detection devices, lights reacting to sound).
However, despite the potential and innovative ideas it all crumbles down very early on. Sure, I was quite excited when I started watching Midnight, and was even truly enjoying it. But if you have a good time during the first twenty minutes or so of the movie, you'll slowly become too frustrated to think about anything except how dumb these characters all are, completely ruining the thrill.

Every stressful situation is built upon questionable/idiotic decisions that no human being would ever make, even under that kind of pressure, because it simply goes against what survival instinct and common sense dictate. I'm sure there were ways to have the characters be gifted with intelligence and keep an interesting story still.

Overall, the movie is not completely bad and still enjoyable to a degree, simply thanks to the fact that it is entertaining enough to watch until the end. Still, it doesn't mean it's a good movie. The beginning is great, the ending is fine and everything in-between is... sort of a mess. If you were curious about it I'd still advise you watch it but be aware that your expectations will probably not be met, and if you won't be bored, you'll definitely be annoyed.


SECOND PART OF THE REVIEW, BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW

First of all, I'd like to mention that I'm usually not particularly nitpicky. I'll accept a lot of things when watching TV shows and movies, I won't necessarily notice every single detail or plot hole. That being said, even taking this into account and letting my suspension of disbelief play its part, it wasn't enough. This review is not me exaggerating for the sake of it. So let's now dive into it and detail the things that bothered me.

Let's start with the outsiders, aka everyone that's not a main character.
Okay, fine. I'll accept that the police might have some prejudice against disabled people and that they can be utterly incompetent. It honestly wouldn't be that surprising or unheard of. It is frustrating, but not in a 100% unrealistic way.
Fine, I won't argue that it is possible for a crowd to not help someone in distress. Bystander effect, confusion, fear or simply not knowing what to do/how to react can all factor in on this. These people don't have the full story like we do, they just see a panicked girl who is not explaining what the problem is.
Sure, the military personnel bringing back Kyung Mi to Do Shik, thinking they're helping her "brother"... that's barely acceptable, but you know what? Now we're reaching but I'll let it slide because similar things can happen in a very unfortunate turn of events.
Since all these characters are outsiders to the story and only get snippets of what we see, with which they have to piece everything together, I'll be lenient. It's all exaggerated for the sake of the plot anyway.

I won't even mention Do Shik's irrational and erratic behavior too much, for the obvious reason that he is a killer with, more likely than not, many many issues. Him being overconfident, thinking he can outsmart everyone (not like they're making it hard) even when being so careless, and get away with it scot free, is actually not that crazy or unbelievable.

But Jong Tak, this dude! My brother in christ, give me a break. He is by far the most frustrating and dumbest character in this entire movie. Here you have a grown man who has the ability to communicate freely, who knows exactly what's happening, but decides that calling the police is apparently overrated. Granted, they have proved they were dumb and incompetent, but still?
Or maybe that poor guy suffers from a disorder preventing him from doing two things at the same time and I'm just being very mean, who knows? Or well, maybe he can't use his brain, my two cents. I mean, seriously. Why can't he just run to Kyung Mi's house AND call the police at the same time? Same thing when he gives up on her after Do Shik "reveals" where his sister is.
And for the love of god, why does he take narrow little streets when trying to catch up with Do Shik, risking to lose his track, instead of properly following him? How is he even able to not lose sight of him that way? Or maybe he knows the area so well he has a mental map stuck in his head and can predict exactly where the killer and his victim will run to, even without seeing them. But you won't have me actually believe that lol.

Then towards the end of the movie, he fights Do Shik in a back alley but looks away from him TWICE despite having been tricked into thinking he had fainted the first time already (after a 2 seconds chokehold, that is). Brilliant. You might also wonder why he doesn't try to scream/get back to the main avenue to draw people's attention? Well no one knows. It's not as though Kyung Mi can do it for him. If I were that poor girl, I'd rather be stabbed in that alley and just end it already instead of having to be "saved" by someone so useless.

Also, why does no one ever stay together? I lost count of how many times that happened but it was way too much. I don't really get why Kyung Mi and Jong Tak's sister had to split. They were right next to the place where they can press a button that turns on every light in existence and blasts an alarm waking up the entire neighborhood, then puts them in direct communication with the police!
Later Kyung Mi's mother and Jong Tak also split up, and after that him and her daughter did too. And for what? You tell me because I have no damn clue. Could've been a running gag if it wasn't just poor writing.

There are other details I'll skim over because this review is already too long:
-Right at the beginning of the movie, a woman (completely alone outside, at night) is approached by a guy being weirdly insistent about her getting in his car. Nevertheless, she walks to his suspiciously "deserted" van, that totally does not look like a set-up, a few minutes after? I assure you, no woman would ever behave like that. At least call someone at the same time, just to be safe;
-When Do Shik and Jong Tak were fighting in the police station, why did it take so long for Kim Kyung Mi and her mother to bring back the officers inside? It definitely shouldn't have taken this much time as they were standing quite literally 5 meters away from the entrance;
-How did said officers not hear the commotion inside?;
-After that incident, why were none of the characters kept under police protection, at least for the next 24 hours?;
-When Do Shik infiltrates Kyung Mi's house, he knocks many heavy things on the ground... that girl is deaf, not completely numb to the world. She would definitely feel the vibrations or something. I'm pretty sure your other senses are sharpened when you're lacking one;
-I believe most countries have a special number for deaf & mute people to contact the police through text messages. I might be wrong, but I doubt there's nothing like that in South Korea. Kyung Mi and her mother would definitely know about such a thing. Even when panicking, I'm sure that would still come to your mind.


There are still many things I could mention, or some criticism I don't necessarily agree with, but I think you got the rough idea already. Ultimately, I am angry not because of all the inconsistencies themselves. I spend my time watching shows that are full of them and still manage to have a good time. I am mad because this movie could have been something greater. It had so much potential, and seeing it all go to waste like that right in front of my eyes feels like betrayal. This movie has some good in it, but the bad easily overtakes it. Midnight would barely deserve a 5, if not for the atmosphere and acting. And if I'm being honest, I'm betting my life that if Wi Ha Joon wasn't in this movie (but was replaced by an equally talented yet less attractive actor), the ratings would be way lower.

Read More

Can you love and hate at the same time?

One of my favorite Toxic BLs, but it's definitely not for everyone! If you are a fan of toxic - still proceed with caution, cuz this one has it all. So read the TW before watching it.
I am a fan of toxic and I really liked this BL. This crazy story gave me chills. It’s one of those - toxic, but I can't stop watching - I am obsessed with it series. The acting, story and writing are good. It's about uncontrollable crazy love that that makes you insane and capable of anything. It takes you on rollercoaster ride of - passion, angst, anger, jealousy, love and hate. The characters are well established and so realistic. The chemistry is great. The intimate scenes are very well done, even those noncon ones.
Some don't like the ending, but I liked it. It worked for me!

Read More

SUPER-BLAND LIKE A SOUP WITHOUT SEASONING

So, I came across this movie as an explicit BL and the storyline seemed intriguing soI decided to give it a try. But oh, it's just so BLAND. THE STORY WASN'T BAD, IT DID HAVE POTENTIAL BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED INTO A DRAMA. AS A MOVIE, IT WAS SUPER RUSHED. THE ACTING WAS BAD, PLUS THE SUPER FAST PACING MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONNECT WITH THE CHARECTERS OR THE STORY. EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO FAST! OVERALL, THERE'S NOTHING TO LIKE IN IT.
The ACTING WAS POOR, DIRECTING WAS POOR. ONLY THING I LIKED IS THE ENDING (LOL) WHEN THEY REINCARNATED. SUCH STORIES SHOULD BE DEVELOPED INTO SERIES WITH A GOOD CAST.

Read More

Funnier than expected

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I'm not usually a fan of the slapstick comedy which I know is popular in Thailand, so was expecting to find it a bit cringey, but the slapstick comedy was well timed and made me chuckle a few times. The storyline is simple but fairly effective. Acting is pretty decent and comedic timing is good.

I liked that they incorporated some of the social themes and issues in Thailand such as the "rich kid" managing to escape the law (an obvious nod to recent events in Thailand) - played by First who does steal his scenes. I must admit, the boy does have great stage presence.

The story does lose a bit of momentum and steam toward the end. The ending is left a bit open which suggests there may be another film in the works where First's character (called "Great") plays a more prominent role along with the rest of the cast. It would be fun to see where they take it next.

Worth a watch if you have some spare time .

Read More

"The past is past. Now is now."

Director Ozu tackled the very real problem of war orphans in the uplifting Record of a Tenement Gentleman. Ozu used a lost little boy to quietly open the closed hearts of people damaged by loss and deprivation and a cranky widow to shelter one not her own.

Ozu regular Ryu Chishu came home with a lost boy he’d found on a trip. His roommate refused to let the child stay with them. They hatched the brilliant idea of foisting the boy off on the neighbor widow, Tane. Tane was not welcoming to the idea of taking him in but relented for one night. After Kohei wet the bed, she reprimanded him and determined to be rid of him. After finding out the child’s father had apparently deserted him, she tried to desert him herself, but Kohei was too quick and determined for her. Slowly he began to wear her down and after another scolding when he ran away, she dropped everything to find him.

Tane was played by the talented Lida Choko. In her, we could see not only the grumpy middle-aged woman but also a widow making a living out of her home who had closed herself off emotionally. She portrayed a waterfall of emotions as the small boy broke her emotional dam. Seeing the gentleness in the boy she was unwilling to let him live the life of an alley cat. So great was her loving transformation that in the end she could cry generous tears of joy instead of selfish ones. Choko expertly played Tane’s regret at not having treated the boy with kindness from the beginning. It was a beautifully well-rounded performance.

Ozu showed the trauma of orphan children through Kohei. Silent for nearly 30 minutes after he appeared, and with very few words thereafter, the boy held everything inside. His stress over his abandonment and hostile environment came out through bedwetting at night. He observed homeless boys fishing along the water in order to feed themselves. In the final scene, Ozu showed numerous orphan boys at the base of a famous statue in Tokyo.

As always, every scene was composed and shot with exquisite care and Ozu’s teapot had its usual closeup. Not one for talking about the war much, he showed the piles of rubble lining the streets and even used in the tenements. The neighbors dealt with scarceness in post-war Japan, sharing information and food. He moved the scenes further outside as well and there was a gorgeous shot of Tane and Kohei on a beach right before she abandoned him. I admit to choking up watching the little boy race across the dunes to catch up with her.

The film closed with Tane and her neighbors all having been touched by the boy. They came to realize how selfish they had become, refraining from helping those in need. They vowed to be more generous in spirit. Record of a Tenement Gentleman was a film that teetered close to being overly sentimental, but for me it hit that melancholy heartwarming sweet spot.


11/16/22

Read More

There are some things I appreciate about this movie, but...

There are some things I appreciate about this movie because they were good. So I'll start with them. First of all, the actors did a really great job. But I did not expect anything else, because I know the possibilities of each of them. I really liked the transitions between scenes with and without sound. The scenes without sound showed the perspective of the deaf mother and daughter better, and I think it was a well-thought-out move. The last good thing is that the ending was satisfying enough.

Now let's get to the things I don't like about this movie. It was boring until the end when Kyung Mi confused the killer. It was basically a cat-and-mouse chase throughout the movie. With people around who couldn't recognize the situation.

Despite some good things, I'll probably soon forget about this movie. Obviously, a good general idea combined with not knowing how to develop it always results in a boring production.

Read More

When the creators can't treasure such beautiful story...

Story : Nobody can deny that their story is beautiful, from how they first meet to how their story ended, it's indeed beautiful, even those nightmare years of one's selfish mistake, we all want to see the ups and downs of a forever- lasting love...

Storytelling: Now this is the place where my nagging (!) begins. I suppose we only had one main lead (Akira) but it doesn't meam the other character (Yuki) had to be pictured so poorly and 2D, even those monologues of Yuki couldn't fill the big hole of his character's absence, which was damaging the movie.
It was not even consistent in its genre, it can't be a tear jerking melodrama for one half, then suddenly become the romcom where main leads meet again in another continent after 8 years of separation and reconcile with skipping the step of " what the f were they doing this 8 years" for the other half, right??
What a waste of story! Honestly, all the big damages were done by the script and it could be easily repaired if they could be a little less loyal to the original manga, I've read the manga and the movie has the same exact flaws of the manga 😀
.
Directing was really mediocre (we expect this to be a MOVIE, right? we want the standard shots but its shots were of a tv drama) , acting was average...
.
Overall : wasted story, lacking script, not a standard quality production for a movie (but passable for a bl drama)
🌌Recommended if you're here for the fun but if you want something to blow your mind and make a tattoo in your heart, then it's not IT...

Read More

Mediocre

Plot: Two student policemen who went to find girlfriends in a bar accidentally witnessed a kidnapping incident of a woman they were about to hit on. Nothing too deep about the plot, it was rather flat and shallow.

Acting: Convincing acting of everyone. Just two silly students who suddenly found out about their passion and mission in life.

Music: Nothing memorable for me.

Rewatch Value: Not something I would rewatch even on boring days.

Overall: It has it’s funny moments but not exactly light but more on subpar plot and dull flow. 6 stars for the comical sense and acting but not recommendable. You won’t miss out on anything if you haven’t watched it yet.

Read More

If you want to help yourself, help others first

Red Beard was the last film Kurosawa Akira and Mifune Toshiro made together. If it had to be the last one, it was a gentle and glorious way to end their partnership. This film seemed uncharacteristically hopeful and optimistic for a Kurosawa film. I found it to be heartwarming and heartrending.

Dr. Noboru Yasumoto takes what he thinks is a tour of a backwater clinic run by a dictatorial doctor named Red Beard. In a cruel surprise he finds out that he has been assigned there by the magistrate and has no choice but to stay. A graduate of the Dutch school in Nagasaki, this smelly place filled with poor people is not worthy of his skills. He’s in the game to serve a Shogun, make money and live the easy life. In a quietly dramatic scene, he meets Red Beard aka Dr. Niide. It turns out Red Beard’s rules are for the benefit of the patients and staff in order to keep the clinic clean. He serves people who cannot pay in the afternoon and takes a personal interest in his patients. He believes the body and mind must be healed in order for a person to be cured.

Yasumoto arrogantly decides he will treat the homicidal patient locked up on the property nicknamed The Mantis. In a spectacularly filmed five-minute scene with no edits Yasumoto and The Mantis have a dangerous encounter that ends up altering his view of Red Beard. The older doctor doesn’t lecture, he begins to train the brash young doctor with experiences. He asks him to stay with an older man who is dying. Sitting with the man who is gasping for air, the young doctor can barely stay in the room as death becomes too real. When he’s relieved by one of the women he practically runs out only to be called to help Red Beard in a primitive surgery. A woman with a gash on her side and intestines hanging out is thrashing on the table. Yasumoto finds out he’s not as accomplished as he thinks he is and maybe Red Bed is more accomplished than he thought he was.

Through a series of vignettes focusing on various patients, Yasumoto begins to lose his arrogance. Instead of faceless, nameless people unworthy of his attention, they begin to have names and importance. The gruff Red Beard reveals himself to be flawed but also an exceptional man who cares for people. When the local government cuts the clinic’s funding, Red Beard increases the charges for the wealthy. When a young woman married to an abusive husband needs help, he has no problem blackmailing the local magistrate to help her though he does criticize himself for the unseemly action. And in a scene viewers were surely hoping for, he takes down a group of ruffians creating new patients while rescuing a child from a brothel. Red Beard is a genuinely good man yet like most Kurosawa heroes he’s also a rebel, lying outside the norm.

The last half of the film sees the complete transformation of Yasumoto when Red Beard puts him in charge of Otoyo, the young girl rescued from the brothel. In the process of healing her, he becomes sick and she takes over as his caregiver. And in the spirit of the film as she begins to receive kindness and trust, she passes that on to a small thief in need of it himself. The women who worked there went from distrusting Otoyo to protecting her and thrashing the Madame with daikons when the woman came to take Otoyo away. In one of the most moving scenes I’ve seen in any movie, as a boy is dying the women and Otoyo go to a well to call his spirit back by shouting his name into the well. It was haunting listening them to wail in hopes of saving the child and creatively shot by Kurosawa.

Though the movie is called Red Beard the story is about Yasumoto’s journey from self-centered, over-confident doctor to a humbled physician who sees the whole person regardless of their income. Otoyo became the heart of the film as she went from a tiny world where she couldn’t trust anyone to a larger complex world with people she could trust. Red Beard grounded the film with his wisdom and gravitas.

Near the end of the film, I was surprised to see Ryu Chishu make an appearance during a wedding scene. There were two domestic scenes in this film, something rare in a Kurosawa film unless he’s turning them on their head. Ryu made 52 films with Ozu, a director known for his domestic films. It was an odd, but satisfying cross-over.

As he usually did, Kurosawa made his hero suffer and face trials as he finds the courage to help others. In this film that meant small acts of kindness that blossomed into more, slowly changing the lives of others. Instead of trying to transform the political system, it was more about changing the people around them, healing them mind and body. Though the world outside was cruel and filled with suffering the clinic was an oasis of charity and good will. Yasumoto had Red Beard to be his master and show him the way. Yasumoto returned the favor by helping others.

The music was beautiful, heavily influenced by Brahms and Hadyn. Natural sounds and bells were often interspersed with the moving score. Kurosawa also used long wordless scenes layered in deep meaning. The actors expertly played their parts. Mifune portrayed the wise older doctor with a gentle flair. I did, however, enjoy him going into action mode, doctor style, even briefly. Kayama Yuzo took Yasumoto from an unlikeable petulant jerk to a compassionate and more open-minded adult. Niki Terumi as Otoyo showed a traumatized young girl and then one learning confidence in herself and others convincingly. Kurosawa also had some great shots, one I have to mention is when a female character walks out of a cloud of dust after an earthquake, devastation all around and in the distance a line of people scurrying away. Magnificent.

The only detractions for me were in the first half of the film, there were four perfidious women who caused some of the characters man pain. I’m often not a fan of Kurosawa’s view and portrayal of women. He did redeem himself some with Otoyo’s story and the women who worked at the clinic who often formed a sort of Greek chorus or cheerleading squad for the other characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable film. Despite the cruelty humans caused one another, the people in the clinic reached out to heal. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, this movie took me on a three-hour ride that was over too quickly. This film was Kurosawa’s final hero film and Red Beard and Yasumoto were deserving heroes with which to end that era. Red Beard’s advice to help others in order to help yourself is still a worthwhile sentiment.



11/15/22

Read More

Nice movie with battle between good and evil

This was an ok movie. The storyline of a battle between two dragon-sisters fighting for good and evil isn’t exactly new. The fight scenes and scenery is beautiful (for most parts).
Character wise we get an evil sister helping a man to become emperor and a good sister helping a young man try to fulfill his destiny.
Acting wise this is pretty good but I couldn’t really feel the chemistry between FL (good sister) and ML (Hong Ji) - at least not until the last scene. The chemistry between 2FL (evil sister) and 2ML (King Ning) was way better.
Well, if you like fantasy movies and have an hour or so to waste, this is not a bad watch.

Read More

The saving grace is Shinobu who was such a great friend so of course I was upset that they killed him off. When asuka planned to die for the demon the demon ended up taking another causality to death which made no sense when she already agreed to be it’s sister. If you look at the Japanese predecessor “Dark Waters” the mother agreed to die and be the demons mother..and she was able to spare her innocent daughters life.

It also didn’t make sense that a ritual was happening to save them and it had zero effect on the demon at all. If there was a sequel it’s obvious that the demon would still follow around Asuka since she’s who it made the promise with.Unless they were able to rid of it but it isn’t clear in the ending at all.

Asuka was so off psychologically that it made ZERO SENSE why she was even living alone. Only towards the end we see she actually has some support system yet they only stepped in when she was already double traumatized to the point of no return.
The elderly deceased spirit next door had more effect on waking her up more than anyone else. Also makes no sense she didn’t realize she was in a time loop even after admitting to her hallucinated parents that they were repeating themselves every morning.

From the very first scene I already knew the main character was going to be dreadful. Her poor decision making skills despite her ptsd was frustrating. She couldn’t realize that it was odd a child was playing alone with no parents and continued to befriend the kid demon. Even if it was a normal kid she didn’t question this at all. Maybe her trauma caused her to loose brain cells as well…
It was a good one time watch with a good twist however

Read More

I have mixed feelings about this title.

If only people could speak and talk through the problem before it escalates too much...

I felt it was really stereotypical. Role of man and woman... She expected her boyfriend to do everything, preferably right away, despite the understandable fatigue after work, getting up early and a very long commute. Also, he was always supposed to come to her, she never even offered to visit him. They never talked to each other about their expectations and problems. They just had an argument when the situation escalated.

The very beginning of the movie was cute, then it got a little creepy but still sweet, and then it got sour at the end and we got a plot twist.

This movie tells a very real story that could happen in real life. However, I have mixed feelings about this title. For me, the first part of the movie was good enough, but then it got worse. I don't feel like this plot twist is needed, but it's easier for me to accept, knowing that such things also happen.

The execution was definitely missing something. The whole movie was very superficial. I couldn't get into the characters' stories.

Read More

A BL short film with a message

Filipino filmmakers have proven that they are able to tell a complex story or/and convey an important message in a low budget short film, and ”Hidden” is another example of this.

Let me summarize the plot first. Ivan, a kind hearted young man, by mere coincidence met Dante, who was drunk, a month ago and stayed with him for some hours because he was afraid something bad might happen to the drunk boy. Now Dante has invited Ivan to his place, and after some talking to get to know each other better and exchanging compliments, the two boys get closer. Although Ivan is reluctant at first, he then agrees to make out with Dante. When one of the boys is hurt and bleeding, Dante turns into his second personality, Diego. He yells at Ivan and attacks him because he doesn't remember why the two of them have been intimate and are half naked. Ivan is scared as he doesn't understand what is going on. Then Diego realises what Dante has done, and he explains to Ivan that Diego and Dante are one and the same person. When Ivan is about to leave, Dante takes over again, and Ivan kisses him good bye and promises to meet him again.

The actors, Jesler Bernard as Ivan and Jason Real as Diego/Dante (the credits of the movie don't say who plays whom, but I found it on facebook. Unfortunately, the credits don't reveal the director and producer's names either) are handsome and do a good job – they seem to be newbies, but they are talented, so I hope to see more of them in the future.

I appreciate the good intention of the movie which combines a BL love story with an explanation of the rare dissociative identity disorder. The message is obvious: this disease exists, and people who have it can be loving and caring like ”healthy” people, and they want and deserve to be loved like everybody else.

The execution has some weaknesses, technically as well as script-wise. For example, in some scenes the actors aren't perfectly lip sync, which can be explained by a low budget, but could be fixed with simple means. Another point is that I would have liked to see a little more of the condo – instead of Dante saying he didn't clean it, a short shot could have shown it.

Now to the script. Like in some other low budget productions, the backstory, i.e. the first meeting of the two boys, is being told instead of acted. I don't like actors speaking to the fourth wall unless necessary, and I don't like voiceovers of their thoughts either, and in this case it would have been easy (and not very expensive) to film Ivan and Dante's first encounter.
Another thing that I would consider as a missed opportunity is the fact that the point of the story is already being revealed in the title. If the title had only been ”Hidden”, the switch from Dante to Diego would have been a surprise to the viewer, and thus much more effective, as it was perfectly done in the Pinoy BL series ”The Shore”, which had a similar subject.

My nagging may sound like I didn't like the movie, and reading all my complaints, I must admit they sound too harsh even to myself, because all in all I liked the movie. The intention to make the viewer familiar with DID and using a BL story as a pretext is commendable, and the movie is worth watching. I am glad that it has already been watched by 75,000 viewers on youtube, which is quite a lot, bearing in mind that it wasn't promoted much.

All in all, this is another example of an innovative Pinoy BL short film, and if you can do without rich Thai boys driving around in expensive cars, I can only recommend you to watch ”Hidden”.

Read More

My high rating is for the child actress

I seldom watch movies, but I decided to watch this one because I read that it was a tearjerker. I geared myself up to be touched and to cry, but things are like that, the more you expect, the more something will not happen, in the end I cried only at the last scene, which if you read other reviews, was a climatic one indeed.

Positives:

1. My high rating of 9/10 is for the child actress, Jung Seo Yeon, who acted really well, like really, really well in this movie. She was convincing as a visually handicapped given her relatively young age of 7. And the last scene had a close-up shot of her wailing, tears running down her cheeks, etc., crying so pitifully that my heart really cried with her. The male lead, Jin Goo, also did well. I had nothing to criticize about his acting in particular.

2. This movie brought attention to people who were both blind and deaf, double handicap and how to communicate with them.

3. I liked the way the director shot some of the scenes, especially that related to the little girl, some were shot from her angle, something different.

Negatives:

1. Maybe it was a movie, so everything was fast, the development of the relationship between the little girl and the male lead was too fast for me to feel much throughout the movie, except the last scene.

2. I did not quite understand what the male lead’s job was in the movie basically, but those scenes were not important because they did not contribute much to the story of him and the little girl. Again, if they were not important, they became fillers which could have been better replaced by more scenes of him and the little girl’s interactions.

All in all, I would recommend if you are looking for a tearjerker, it was touching, but somehow, I would have liked to see more interactions of the male lead and the little girl, a somewhat more gradual development of their relationship.

Read More