Navillera (2021)

The drama that made me cry in episode 1

Navillera is the beautiful, heartwarming story of a man in his twilight years trying to finally pursue his dream. It's a show that embodies the mentality "it's never too late to start." It's also the story of the most unlikely of friendships as SDC, a man in his 70s looking to pursue ballet, and LCR, a man in his 20s who excels at his craft but is too lost and unmotivated to give it his full attention meet. These two make this drama. The supporting cast is amazing, too, with characters that each have their own personal growth and stories throughout the series, but it's the leads that steal the spotlight. Their interactions are some of the most wholesome things I've ever seen, they're inspirational, and seeing them help each other get back up when they've been kicked down is enough to bring you to tears.

That brings us to my gripe with this drama. The tears, or lack thereof. This is really going to be dependant on your tastes so you may have liked this, but personally, I was turned off of the series by the shoehorned-in Alzheimer's plot. I'm fine with Alzheimer's being present in dramas and I think it's an important talking point because it affects so many families worldwide, but I wasn't particularly fond of the way it was implemented here. In this drama, Alzheimer's is mainly used to up drama and make the viewer emotionally invested. That's fine in other narratives, but I feel that it just wasn't necessary here. I felt emotional in the early episodes before Alzheimer's became the main focus. I teared up in the beginning because the story was just so beautiful and inspirational. It didn't need more drama, it didn't need more angst and it was already making me cry. Navillera thrives on its very human, everyday atmosphere. Sometimes ordinary life is heartbreaking enough. You don't need to have a terrible illness or disease to go through hardships in life or to make the viewers feel for the characters. So when ballet started taking a backseat to characters having revelations about SDC's condition, characters crying over SDC, and SDC himself reminding us that he doesn't have much time left, my eyes dried up. Yes, it was sad, but it made me feel like those scenes were added just to pull at my emotions, so I didn't get teary-eyed or emotional over it. I haven't caught up with the webcomic yet, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain that Alzheimer's isn't a plot device in the source material and it was just added into the drama for, well. Drama. Again, I've started reading it but haven't caught up, so I could be wrong here.

I wish that the writer and director were confident enough in their story not to add in little melodramas like that. There were other instances, like with the youngest son's backstory of being a doctor who left his field after his patient died or the situation with LCR's dad, that were just added in for what feels like the same reason, but the Alzheimer's took up a large majority of the plot in the second half of the drama so it was the most glaring. The simple story of a man trying to pursue his own goals at an age where most people would have considered his life over was powerful enough on its own. The relationship between him and LCR as his instructor was amazing and heartwrenching all on its own.

Despite my gripes, I still love the drama. It's different and unique, and I do understand why dramas have such a tendency to fall on these tropes and cliches. It's a drama. It needs to be dramatic. But if the addition of the Alzheimer's subplot doesn't deter you, it's still a great story. The ending is satisfying, not great but it doesn't leave you wanting more, and the characters will stick with you for a long time afterwards. Give it a try.

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such a beautiful slice of life drama :)) I enjoyed it but I wish it's not too slow. I watched this ongoing for the first 6 episodes and forgot about it until it's finished. the drama was good but since it's too slow to my likings I forgot about it. anyways, this is suchh a beautiful drama, from the first episode till the very last moment, it was very heartwarming, loving and basically soothing. The grandpa's character was a wholesome, you know it's one of the characters in this kdrama world where you just want to protect him at all cost. My favourite part of the drama is of course the grandpa and chae rok chemistry as well as the hardworking grandpa who never gives up on ballet. Also, this drama is full of beautiful messages and motivations, very uplifting and positive. the only downside would be it is too slow for me andd im not really interested with other characters stories huhu so i find it wasting my time during those part. but i enjoyed it regardless

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Inspirational, Emotional and Hopeful

There are certain movies, series, books, etc. that come into your life at the right time, this series was like that for me, probably at any other time anyway it would have seemed beautiful and emotional, but in the present circumstances of my life and I imagine that in those of many (in partly because of the situation of global chaos that we live today) each of the messages of the series reached me deeply. The series has a very clear and strong message: "It is never too late to start living your dreams", which is presented in a very beautiful way.

The great virtue of the series are its characters, they all have something to say, a story to tell, here we do not have villains, or heroes incapable of making mistakes, each one, whether main, secondary or supporting, feels like real people, with problems, guilt and dreams, in each of them you can see your friends, family and yourself reflected.

The series does not throw blame towards anyone, and makes it clear that despite the circumstances in which you exist, at some point you must take responsibility for your own life and decide from there if you are satisfied or not with it and if you should go ahead or give it a spin.

It is so emotional because it touches very sensitive fibers for everyone, in modern life we ​​have less and less time to ask ourselves how “happy” we are with our own life, things move so fast and all the time we have these non-existent voices that demand every more and more of yourself; "You have to study, get the perfect grades, go to college, get the best job, buy more and more and more things to be successful," and in this roller coaster of responsibilities and obligations there is very little room to question whether everything really this makes you feel at peace with yourself, probably not, and you probably only realize it in a strong moment of crisis. Precisely this series, presents this to us, "what if you stop for a moment, just a second, look around and question your own life."

Shim Deok Hwan is one of the best characters I have seen in my life, he is a catalyst character, because rather than developing as such (which if he does) he drives all the characters around him to question everything; Deokhwan lived a life where he could not carry out his great dream but despite that he did not live a bad life, he loved and was loved, he built something good and above all he reached a point where he could leave behind grudges and pain, forgive and understood the decisions of the people around him, but now at this point in his life, in his 70 years, when his obligations and responsibilities to others have been covered, he decides that it is time to move on with his dreams, regardless of what he the rest of the world creates; this is how he embarks on this hopeful journey.

Chae-rok is a beautifully constructed character, initially plunged into a depression, acts rude and cynical but as he begins to spend more time with Deokhwan his barriers are gradually being destroyed, Chae-rok knows what he wants and also knows that he is good at it, but he is alone, his loneliness eats away at him, and also lives with guilt that is not his; in Mr. Shim he finds a family, people who support him and love him unconditionally and little by little he opens up to these people that he loves him, and learns to forgive those who hurt him by discovering how deeply human they are, which eventually gives the strength to fly, to achieve your dreams and push higher and higher. As a symbol, it seems to me, it is much more, it breaks in many ways the stereotypes of "masculinity" of the protagonist to which we are accustomed, he suffers, cries and cries seriously, in an emotional way, in front of other people, he is affectionate and fragile in sometimes, it's refreshing to have characters they exist so naturally in his world.

When you find what makes you happy, what you feel you were born to, it does not mean that the rest will be simple, even if you love it, you will have to work hard every day, to become better little by little, every day will continue to be a struggle, but at least it will feel like it is a fight on the right path and Navillera also presents that, for nobody is easy; Chae-rok is talented, yes, but even so he trains hard and many things are still a challenge for him, the rest of the characters experience a similar struggle.

Eunho and Seong San are two other very interesting characters due to their similarities, despite the age difference neither of them has found what makes them happy, and they live in the "right" way just because they think that's what they should do, their ideal of success is a good education and a good job, It doesn't matter in view of whom should bend the knee, but in the end they discover that it is not what want, that life is more than that, and that maybe it is time to stop a bit, to relax and experience success on your own terms. That's why that last scene of the two of them chatting at last, after spending the whole series without knowing how to communicate is so powerful, now they have each other to support each other in the difficulties they will have along the way.

Seong Gwan is also a character with many nuances, for years he has lived with a very great guilt for not being able to save the life of one of his patients, which prevents him from moving forward, he intends to record a documentary about life of that person to somehow make it important, but throughout history and as he lives more and more with his father, he realizes that instead of just thinking about the life he could not save, he can help others to having more time, he faces himself and his guilt and returns to the job that caused him so much fear, but now from a different perspective to help others.

One last character that I would like to address is Chae-rok's rival: Ho-beom, a young man full of anger, who abandoned his dreams and fills his existence with hedonism and resentment, little by little he comes to understand that everyone continued ahead in his own ways and he is the only one who is being left behind locked in his self-pity and that perhaps it is time to let go, so that he can start living again. As I mentioned, this series does not have villains, they are flesh and blood humans, and as humans we must recognize our ability to do evil, but also our ability to compensate or at least try to do it, we can change and we can be better, forgive ourselves to oneself is sometimes more difficult than to forgive others.

Seung Joo (Ballet teacher), Hae-nam, Seong Suk (Deokhwan's daughter) and Moo Young (Chae-rok's father) are also deep and interesting characters, who face their own challenges and dreams and further enrich the Navillera's world (but if i spoke of everyone, I'll be here for four years).

Each and every one of the characters, you are facing your own losses and broken dreams, but somehow you are all trying to build something else; at the end of the series, all the characters have grown up, but this is not a "they lived happily ever after", no, in the end everyone will have good and bad moments again, face other broken dreams and create new ones, the characters have matured.

Another point that I would like to touch on is the issue of Alzheimer's and old age, in my personal experience, especially with the second point, they are not topics that are very much covered in the Asian series, at least as far as the mainstream is concerned, especially for the importance given to aesthetics and beauty; aging is not a very pleasant process in most cultures and around this a phobia about aging and the people who live it has almost been created; in the series this topic is treated with great dignity, and yes, it is true that as you grow, your body and mind do not have the same capacities as in youth, but this does not mean that you become a useless person, nor does it take away the right to want to achieve your goals, there are venerable people from all ages we should pay attention to; with Alzheimer's a similar situation happens, there are many products that address this issue, some in a good way, others not, some from the perspective of the person and others from that of their close ones, the way in which Navillera does it is a perspective very early in the disease, where we are given glimpses, but in itself we do not see the hardest part of it, but in the same way this is treated with great respect and dignity and where the reactions of the people around the affected person they are very honest.

Finally, the performances, the truth is that everyone does a wonderful job, but for me all the palms go to Park In-hwa and Song Kang; every time Deokhwan went into a crisis, you could feel in his eyes the despair and fear of not knowing who you are, or where you are or who those around you are, I don't think it is an easy job to have convey those emotions to the public. I also think that physically it must have been a demanding role and the performance that he gave us was incredible; speaking of physically demanding, Song Kang… wow, not only in the ballet parts, that despite having a body double for some scenes, he does it wonderfully, but everything else, his acting is impeccable, you feel each of the emotions of his character, you see through his eyes the struggle and pain and passion with which life is faced, and the chemistry between the two actors is so tender that you really feel this kinship between them. I would also like to give a big applause to the montage, for obvious reasons, as neither of the two actors are professional Ballet dancers, the dances themselves are not presented one hundred percent, but because of the way in which the scenes are mounted make you feel the beauty and elegance of the Ballet.

Navillera is a very beautiful series, of course it is optimistic and sweet, but sometimes you need to see things like that, it is a series made with a lot of love, which talks about the deep experience of being human, I hope that people who see it can feel a little of what I felt and how much it inspired me to just keep going, but above all I hope that everyone has the opportunity to find what makes them feel proud of being human and that everyone can fly, even just one once in your life, i hope.

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Şaheser.

Bu dizi gelmiş geçmiş en iyi Kore dizilerinden biridir. Oyunculuk, senaryo, sahnelerin çekimi, kurgulanması, Oyuncu kadrosunun muhteşem. İşin, okulun, ilişkilerin ne kadar güzel olursa olsun, hep eksik bir şey vardır. Bir kez geldiğin bu hayatta artık kendin için bir şeyler yapmanın zamanı gelmiştir. Yürüdüğün bu yolun beki de daha başında çok çetin savaşlar verirsin ama kimse seni durduramaz, çünkü artık bunun için yaşıyorsundur. Seni gerçekten anlayıp, destek olanlarsa her şeyden değerlidir, sayelerinde daha da güçlenirsin. Hatta bazen kendinden çok onlar için başarmak istersin.Karşılaşacağın tepkilere kendini hazırlayıp bunu ailene, çevrendekilere kabul ettirmeye, kendini anlatmaya çalışırsın. Her seferinde daha da hırslanırsın. Tüm bunların etkisiyle bazen umutsuzluğa kapılıp, pes edecek olursun. Alternatif yollar aramaya başlarsın. Hayaline doğru attığın her adımda kendine daha da inanır, güçlenirsin. Çünkü sen her şeye rağmen bu yola çıkmaya cesaret etmiş, pes etmemişsindir. Bu yüzden bunun için çabalamak bile sana huzur verir, elde ettiğin en küçük başarı bile senin için dünyalara bedeldir.Ve en önemlisi sonuç ne olursa olsun, geriye dönüp baktığında hayatında bir 'Keşke' olmaz. Çünkü senin hayatın; amacı olan bir hayattır.

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movie-firecracker

movie-firecracker
This is my first ever review so I can make a lot of mistakes, sorry. I feel like saying a lot, but I will try not to spoil it, so keep it short.
I've been watching Korean dramas for a year. Now and can't mess around with Hollywood and European productions (they're weak compared to that), but this series is a movie-firecracker.
A delightful story of relationships and beautifully shown how the past can overwhelm and how as you go through life, this burden can be lifted off your shoulders thanks to the people you meet. Of course, you have to be able to listen and hear, and in this film, young and old and even "bad people" know how to listen
Greatly chosen actors (all of them) for their roles. In fact, it's hard to say that someone plays the best, because even small roles are great in this film.
Sound and music and light, the next three actors who starred in this movie thanks to all the people in the production, wow but how brilliantly they are used ....
It terrifies me how mean parents can manipulate their children and adult children ruthlessly manipulate their old parents. After watching the whole movie, I learn that you have to take the man as a whole and not just focus on his faults, there is a place for everyone.
(I translate from Polish thanks to Google Translate, so maybe not everything is as I would like).

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Sonhar não tem idade e realizar os sonhos também não.

Navillera é uma história de superação, amadurecimento e amizade. O enredo mostra a construção da amizade entre Deok Chul, um senhor de 70 anos que decide perseguir o sonhos de dançar ballet, e Chae Rok, um talentoso bailarino com um temperamento forte e alguns problemas pessoas. A ideia de um senhor de 70 anos começar a fazer ballet pode parecer estranha para muitos, até mesmo porque essa é uma atividade com muitos tabus por parte dos homens, por isso, a série aborda vários questionamentos importantes e como nossos julgamentos podem ser preciptados.

Assistir Navillera é receber uma lição de vida gratuita, ela nos faz lembrar que quem impõe limites somos nós mesmos e que eles existem para serem superados. Além da história cativante dos personagens principais, vale destacar que todos os personagens secundários também possuem conflitos e que estes são trabalhados no decorrer da série e não fica nenhum fio solto no final da trama. Muitos desses personagens secundários são cativantes e nos recordam de pessoas reais, conhecidas.

No quesito estético, a série foi muito bem produzida. As cenas de dança são lindas e é importante lembrar que nenhum dos atores é bailarino, mas eles conseguem transmitir as expressões, formas e linhas da dança. Na minha opinião, o Song Kang se superou nessa atuação e Park In Hwan está fenomenal! A forma como ele transmite as emoções do personagem é incrível e várias vezes me peguei com os olhos cheios de lágrimas sem saber explicar o porquê.

Por fim, a trilha sonora se encaixa perfeitamente com a série e, particularmente, eu dou pontos a maios por ter o Taemin cantando uma das faixas. Eu recomendo essa série para pessoas que gostam de histórias de superação, que abordam temas mais cotidianos e mostra a evolução dos personagens. Se você for assistir já prepara um lencinho. É uma série muito bonita que vou sempre levar os ensinamentos comigo, afinal todos podemos planar como uma águia.

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Must Watch ...!

Just simply one word to describe Navillera, - "Excellent"..

I always had that faith in these type of melodramas, with a very intense slice of life story telling that will not let u feel disappointed. It has many thing to say to you, It will teach you so many things.

Here Its an adaptation of a popular webtoon, the story of a friendship between a young ballet dancer and a old fellow who dreaming to become a ballet dancer. Its sounds very strange that an old man learning ballet at that age, but this whole drama make this strange thing impossible..

The bonding and the family relationships are one of the best factor that the drama tells at it's best and very beautiful way, you will get so emotional especially when coming to it's finale Episodes. There are so many beautiful moments that u cannot forget that easily. Song kang done an absolutely brilliant job to deliver those wonderful emotions with that character, learning ballet was not an easy task but i heard he spent almost 6 month to do that, his efforts are paid off, that Haraboji and his family was also amazing. That climax was so touching and heart warming... You must watch this drama if you are a slice of life drama fan.. Full satisfaction

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Butterflies and Ballet

Much like the image of the butterfly and the soul in poetry and art, this series is superb, sweet, and compassionate with the grace and elegance of ballet as the frame for the deeply touching real story. The cast, direction, cinematography, and writing are outstanding: not a misstep anywhere as all involved work to tell the story of discovery, friendship, love, support, forgiveness, and healing. Filmed with such love and gentleness, this is one of Korea's finest series in its relatively short but brilliant history. I cried a lot, especially in the second half, but the tears were because I was so moved by the script, actors, and story they told so well. Strongly recommended.

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What a beautiful, heartwarming, inspiring drama!

Navillera is the kind of drama that tells you that your dreams are valid, no matter how out of reach they might appear, Navillera tells you that if you give it your best and hold onto it, you can return to them and fulfil them one day.

Adapted from a manhwa, I felt that the creators did a beautiful job portraying both the characters and the story. From a well written plot to complex characters whose relationships with each other are filled with growth and hope, we have it all. My favourite character was of course the seventy year old lead, Deok Chul. Such a positive, hopeful man always empathetic and understanding of everyone around him. He was such a comforting personality to be around — especially to the younger generation around. I absolutely loved his dynamics and friendship with Chae Rok (his young ballet instructor). These kind of dramas are hard to come around, and I’m so glad it was made.

Having read the webtoon before watching this, I was a little nervous about the casting, but they chosen actors were perfect for their roles! From main characters to the supporting characters, no one felt out of place or incomplete. I also loved the OST, it perfectly went with the story and added onto the emotions.

Finishing this was a sad feeling, saying goodbye to these beautiful characters was hard. But I came out of this experience with a lot of comforting thoughts. In the end, this drama is a warm hug that everyone needs.

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Deeply moving and inspiring

"Did you soar?"

I would say „Navillera“ is no light watch. Of course, there are some funny scenes and happy episodes, but as the drama progresses, it becomes increasingly somber and in the last few episodes I cried my eyes out. You should go into this drama with the right expectations - don’t expect romance or a comedy.
But if you are ready for a story about dreams, friendship, family and finding happiness, it will touch you deeply.

I am not sure what kind of action-packed dramas people who think this is „boring“ or „slow“ are used to, because I thought the pacing was perfect. There was never a dull moment or a filler episode and the drama had the perfect amount of episodes. I wish more dramas would cap at 12 episodes, because after episode 12 is often when they become dragged out and the writers add unnecessary drama.
The ending scene was absolutely perfect!! Everything about it: The cinematography, the dialogue, even the styling! I cried like a baby!

The performances of Song Kang and Park In Hwan are incredible. On top of their acting, I have so much respect for them for learning ballet for this drama, when they have never done it before. I know that they used body doubles for the more challenging scenes, but you can tell that the actors put a ton of hard work into credibly portraying ballet dancers.

Stories about friendship between someone young and old are always very touching and inspiring, and „Navillera“ is no different. The impact Chae Rok and Deok Chul have on each others’ lives and how it transforms not only them but the people around them, is beautiful and heart-warming.

Initially, I thought this was about an old man fulfilling his dream. But it is so much more than that. Every character is a little lost and looking for their happiness and they all eventually have to make a decision - to continue living life they way they are used to or take a chance and do what makes them happy. Coming from a country that is very much about corporate careers and performance, this drama feels very important.

All the characters go through credible character development and enrich the story with their own personal journeys to happiness. I really enjoyed Chae Rok’s relationship with Eun Ho as well. They mostly bond because of Deok Chul and there is no forced romance but they are important to each other. In the end, it is up to the viewer to decide whether they might find love in the future. I personally like the thought that they will fall in love at some point and Chae Rok will become a forever member of the family.

Like I said, it is no light entertainment. It made me think a lot about my own life, about the transience of all things, my aging parents and unfulfilled dreams. But it ends on a very hopeful note and leaves you inspired to find the thing that makes you happy and soar yourself.

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Sad, funny and absolutely beautiful

This drama is a bit like the last walk on a gorgeous beach att sunset with the dog you love but have to put to sleep... Its a walk you will remember, the scenery is breathtaking, the waves will tickle you and make you laugh, the dog will look at you with its sweet innocent ayes reminding you of the joy and laughter you have sheered all while you are constantly aware of the end a head. While eating Ice cream (one each, since its the dogs last meal) some bird will scare you and make you angry... but you will also feel comforted by the dog, the taste of the ice cream, the last warming sunbeam and the sound of those amazing waves... or something like that... what I am trying to say is that this is a drama that will simply make you feel allot of emotions while beautifully portraying some of the worlds most important and relatable issues.

To be honest I do not really care to much about the message of it never being to late or what not that many seem to appreciate NO, I fell for its humor and its way of portraying both gender issues, ageism and ableisem in a humanizing and humoristic way. Showing that people of all ages and ability can be competent, fragile and have hopes and dreams...

This drama is packed with witty dialog such as:
70 yr old: What about your parants?
23 yr old: My dad lives somewhere else and my mom is dead
70 yr old : I se both my parants passed away
(Yes this mad me laugh, and is just my type of humor)

Confronting gender issues:
23 yr old: When a man announces he is going to do ballet his family's response is similar to that of the five stages of grief

I love also the way it shows different kinds of relationships and the importance of finding at least one person who believes in you and is willing to support you threw hard times, as well as showing the other side of the coin. Conveying the importance of communication and beautifully showing the negative effect lack of support from the people we care most about have on us. No matter how much we try to deny it or look away we get hurt (even injured) and accomplish allot less if the ones we care about do not support us. Oh And we also get to learn a bit about ballet.

There is one side story that feels a bit unnecessary that could bring down the score and I won't say this drama is perfection or even close to it but as a whole this dramas extremely beautiful cinematography, representation, dialog and feel to it makes up for all that and makes it worthy of ten stars and a place among my favorit dramas.

So yes this is definitely a must watch!

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