Move to Heaven (2021)

It was rare to see a drama tackling the story revolving trauma cleaners; like the first time I've heard of the term it was on some detective story I think and it was a minor mention, so it was great to see one drama that touched this topic.

This drama was really soothing and comforting... especially for people who may have a hard time dealing with deaths of people dear to them and how it affected everyone around them. And I like how the drama had been written and how layered the stories were. Like on one hand we get to see how and what was involved in the trauma cleaning work as well as the untold stories of people who may have died alone with no one to take care of the things they left behind. On the other hand, we're also seeing how through the trauma cleaning work, Geurum and Sanggu were also indirectly attempting to accept the death of their loved ones.

I especially love the focus on Sanggu's character. Like at the beginning he wasn't too keen on becoming a guardian to his nephew and helping out with the trauma cleaning job. Yet as time went on we get to see him getting used to the job and clear his misunderstanding against his deceased older brother.

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A story about the redemptive power of empathy

Ok, so I just binged the first 10 released episodes and I am consumed by the lingering feeling of dissatisfaction that it went so quick, it was just not enough!! This drama tells the story of a group of "trauma cleaners", people who are responsible for the proper disposal of the personal possessions of the deceased. They do so with deep sensitivity and care, providing the last shred of respectability which life may have stolen away from . The drama deals with the victims of the various malaise of society like economic inequality, homophobia, gender violence etc , the misery of the sufferer and the numbness of society towards them. Society guided by petty self interest denies them their basic dignity, and the trauma cleaners step in to restore some of it after their death. In this process, the cleaners work through their own problems and learn to value what is important to them.
It s directed and acted magnificently. The acting is understated and natural and there is hardly any dramatic hyperbole for sensationalism. You can savor each episode slowly as it draws you into its world leaving behind a bittersweet aftertaste and loads of food for thought. A must watch as a serious but deeply entertaining drama.

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Por fin he visto Move to Heaven. Cuando lo puse por las historias, dije que me había gustado pero que no era lo que me esperaba así que voy a intentar explicar qué me ha pasado con el drama.
El problema principal que he tenido con este drama es que pensé que la historia se centraría más en el trabajo de las mudanzas y las historias de los fallecidos y sería bastante triste la serie. Sin embargo, me llevé una alegría cuando me dí cuenta que el tono en general no era tan triste sino que también mezclaba un poco de comedia, lo que hacía más llevadera la historia. Peeeeero, el problema es que al mezclar historias como, por ejemplo, la de las mudanzas junto con la historia del tío, me ha dejado bastante fuera de ambas historias sin llegar a simpatizar al 100% con ninguna de las dos. Creo que el principal problema, al menos para mí, es que no se cuentan ambas historias a la vez sino que a mitad de la serie, se centran mucho en una historia y tras un par de capítulos, medio la abandonan para seguir con la principal. Creo que me hubiera gustado mucho más y hubiera simpatizado mucho más con ambas historias si se contaran de manera uniforme. No se si me explico, quizás algo más parecido a la historia de Woo, una abogada extraordinaria, donde contaban a la vez los casos judiciales y el problema de la protagonista para desenvolverse en el mundo.
Sin embargo, esto no ha quitado que la historia me parezca maravillosa y haya echado una lagrimilla por aquí y otra por allá. La verdad es que lo que más me ha gustado es el desarrollo y crecimiento de los personajes a lo largo de la historia.
Por lo tanto, si te gustan las historias con una mezcla de tristeza y comedia y con un desarrollo personal de los personajes, te animo a que veas Move to Heaven.

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Moving and touching with lighter moments

Wonderful acting from both Lee Je-hoon and Tang Jun-sang in the main roles; the latter must have researched Asperger Syndrome to give such a credible performance. LJH played his troubled, detached and tough guy role really well, being a selfish, but kind of lovable, if grungy, rogue. A very different look for him!
There are some violent scenes that are a hard watch, but fit the story rather than being for shock effect.
The stories that emerge of those that have passed, whose effects it is also the job of 'Move to Heaven' trauma cleaners to pack up and dispose of, are varied and very moving.
With Geu Ru's amazing memory, observational skills and ability to connect clues, they are able to provide closure for those who cared about the deceased.
In tandem with this, are Geu Ru and Sang Gu's own personal issues, which are revealed at a perfect pace.
Na Mu, well played by Hong Seung-hee, can be an irritating character at times, but her care for Geu Ru is plain to see and she is protective of him, even though she has an overly vivid imagination at times! She can also be quite fearless... or possibly stupid, depending on how one looks at some of her actions.
There's a great supporting cast too and I particularly liked the lawyer, Oh Hyun Chang, perfectly portrayed by Im Won-hee, whose no nonsense approach and sometimes disdainful looks, are a great source of amusement.
I also liked the lighter moments in the relationship between Geu Ru and Sang Gu. The latter does not pity Geu Ru and treats him as a means to an end initially, but can't help gradually seeing how incredible a person he is.
There was a glimmer of romance for him at one point too, which I was rooting for.
Geu Ru is so likeable and whilst he communicates differently, is quite inspirational at times. He steps out of his comfort zone on occasion too and when he fixes on something, is an immovable force.
There are several aspects to this drama that are additional stories crying out to be taken further, especially one character and their hinted affect on Geu Ru, at the end.
That's where the story's conclusion, for me at least, is exceedingly frustrating. It's not a case of an ending where imagination can fill in the 'what happens next', but a real "what?!... you're leaving us here?!"
If a series 2 was on the cards, I'd be fine with it, but whilst the writer has said they'd like to carry on and has the apparent agreement of the cast to return (I read in an article), nothing has been said or planned by Netflix.... yet.
We live in hope.
Were it not for that, I'd have rated the story a 10.
I also liked the music a lot; some beautiful and fitting classical pieces.
One I'll watch again.

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Recommend!

Very good drama. The acting from the main character was amazing, and I loved the character development of Sanggu. I also loved seeing so many familiar faces. It was amazing in the beginning but I kind of didn't like the fact there were so many different guest characters and different plots in each episode, it felt like a drama that didn't have a set plot but just revolves around a random guest character but it got better again towards the end. I know the drama wasn't about love but I would've loved to see Urim (Sooyoungs character) and Sanggu have a relationship, it felt like there should've been something there, not a big deal but it would've made the drama better. I really enjoyed how they wrote Namu, the line said at end by her father was also cool, how they wrote her and Geuru to have similar names. The ending confused me quite a bit, I'm not sure what it meant, but that's probably the point. Anyways I recommend this drama it was quite good and touched on certain topics like gay relationships, suicide, etc. I enjoyed it!

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somehow my fav kdrama ever

i didnt have to tooo high expectations for this drama since i watched so many good and popualr oens i didnt think any drama could surpass them but i was wrong. such an underrated drama, i cried every episode but like in a good way. it teached so many lessons and was so heartfelt anytime i need to just cry to feel better this is the show i will forever go too. i miss it so much qand i think the episode that was the best and i cried the most too was with the bl couple, i cant even imagine how that must of felt, i dont write reviews but this show DESERVES it if you are thinking about watching it, trust me do it not even the first episode is boring none of it is. I would try to stay as long as i could to finish the episodes bc i couldnt wait but i also didnt want to finish it. If they come out with another season that would be the happiest kdrama day ever to me, i love this drama so much tis so personal to me..

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EP 5 A Masterpiece.

Spoilers ahead : ep 5 is better than most the korean bls oit there. Fact. I watch all of them. I need this episode to become a whole drama even tho I know it will only make me cry my heart out. The script, the acting, the details! I figured out everything from the moment they entered his room, the "pray for orlando" poster make me sure. Only someone that knew about it will get it and i was suffering from that moment on until the very end! The flashbacks where so hurtful!! And what the protagonist said stayed with me " It's a shame when you aren't capable of loving, not when in love, isn't it?" He is so pure, I wish more people would see the world like he does...

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SO MUCH LIQUID CAME OUT OF MY FACE HOLES

Thank god there were only 10 episodes...I think I'd probably die from dehydration if there were more than 10 episodes of this drama. Every minute of every episode is a tear jerker. Good grief, I didn't know I even HAD this many tears to cry. Basically everyone is sad and the world is a sad shitty place. I mean clearly they make the show mostly about finding peace amidst the pain, but gosh is there so much pain represented here. Though, even with all the pain, I did like that we weren't forced to watch countless unrealistic happy endings; everything was bittersweet, it doesn't try to fill the sorrow holes it creates with bunches of fake flowers. My advice, if you watch this drama, make sure you drink lots of fluids.

The drama itself had a pretty basic storyline, it was well crafted but not complex. There were a crap ton of social messages, but they weren't invasive and were well integrated. Nothing about this drama was invasive at all. It didn't really ask you to think or figure things out, it basically only asked you to cry along with everyone else watching it as events unfold. The acting was decent, the main character did a pretty great performance as an autistic kid, especially with not making eye contact. There is generally a lot of criticism when actors try to play autism spectrum roles, "he didn't do this right or that right"...but the reality is that there are so so many different points on the autism spectrum and not every autistic person responds the same. This actor hit enough of the right points to make the character believable without being overacted, gimmicky, or grotesque.

Really, the main character being autistic was convenient for the story because it separated out emotional response from logical response and allowed the viewer to consider both aspects. It also gave the viewers a refuge from the constant pouring rainfall of sadness and allowed them to experience aspects of the story they might not have been able to experience without that sort of grounding logic-based reasoning. They played off this really well throughout the drama, allowing the side-characters to react emotionally and leap to conclusions while the lead character always brought everything back down to earth with a more macro view of the situation.

Overall, it was a really well executed simple drama. I see a lot of reviews wanting a season 2, since it's a Netflix drama and the ending is left sort of open for a sequel. If they end up dropping a season 2 I will watch it....but I will definitely pick the right day to watch it when my poor sensitive heart won't bust in two. SO MUCH LIQUID CAME OUT OF MY FACE HOLES....

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not as good as expected

I am very surprised reading other reviews that so many people were so touched they cried their eyes out.... it wasn't my case. the story is interesting, unique. I love the way the autistic person is described. I like the complicated story the uncle had. it was dense and emotional, but some way I managed to stay out of reach. I think there were too many little odd details that kept me from diving all in. maybe is it because this show is like an advertiser about dysfunctional families. and I think the uncle is too extreme.

when to watch? I don't even know if I would recommend. if I could go back in time and give myself the advise to watch the show or not, I would advise myself to not watch it. there are so many other shows out there, and a lot of them better than this one. it took me almost a whole month to watch the 10 episodes. and the only reason why I didn't drop it is because there was only 10 episodes. a few days after I came across the story of yanxi palace, and watched the 70 episodes in 10 days. there is no comparison between these 2 shows. this one is just bland.

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