Chiamalo Amore (2023)

profound <3

personally I adored it.

it was simple and beautiful from the first to the last episode, it was magically slow often, it was painfully heart-wrenching at times - it made me feel so many emotions. we’ve all experienced loss, anger, longing and sorrow and this drama depicts those feelings so well. 😭❤️

really wonderful acting from the main leads and very poetic cinematography - you cannot stop feeling all of the feelings thanks to both.
like most kdramas it was a little predictable at times but it doesn’t make it any less wonderful. The ost and support characters added charming touches throughout as well.

love is so many things at once. the main leads went through so much and them connecting was not without its load of pain but the healing that came from it was a wonder to witness. all these complex emotions were portrayed so well by the actors. thank you to everyone involved in Call it Love!!!

of course i highly recommend it - not everyone will appreciate this drama but if you do, i hope you feel as much as I felt.

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Teaches you that revennge is not always the best option

I have this on my playlist for awhile and readin reviews,it gave out "My liberation notes" which is also on the list.
If you want something fast and furious drama,this is not your drama.its one of those quiet,slow burn,with a melo music
The storyline is beautiful,the characters are recovering from the sins their parents commited
one is out to revenge the other is runing away from the past and they meet in the middle and it turns out to be an epic
journey that leaves you at the edge of your seat.
I loved the growth of both characters,one made the other come out of his shell and the ML made her heart soften
It was really a match made in heaven.
To be honest I dont have much to say about the cinematography and the OTC cos i was so emmersed in the story that
I hardly noticed.. That's how deep this drama was.

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Goodbye Concentration Camp ⛺️ Hello Glamping °8.4° °excellent°

CIL is a show that shows us what happens when a stormy cloud latches on to a gloomy front and electrifies it. It brings together the manic and the depressive in nature's way of bringing balance to the force. Sim Woo-Joo hates her father, who had abandoned them (her, mom, sister/Sim Haesong, and brother/Sim Ji-Gu) for his mistress (THAT woman) years ago. Watching her is like watching the backstory of a supervillain. If she had a theme song it would be The Rolling Stones’ Paint It Black. She attends dad's funeral. (in a leopard dress and red spiked heels) and lets it be known. Han Dong-Jin is a slumped pile of suffering on long legs. He exudes depression more than Joni Mitchell or Radiohead. More than Eeyore, even. His one love is camping. His company brings together vendors for outdoor living fairs and exhibitions. (He does all the work and his partner does all the golfing). He is also the son of THAT woman. Crashing the funeral wasn't enough. SWJ decides she's bringing HDJ down.

Soon, SWJ realizes she'll have to queue-up to bring HDJ down. He's down already because of his ex. The only thing he has going is his company. The crows and raccoons have rifled through most of that already. As she's implementing her plan she grows more uncomfortable with her goal. HDJ is not the bad guy. All the critters around him are. Though morose, here's a handsome, perfectly good man. He's been dropped in the dirt, but all she needs to do is brush him off alittle. To begin, all she needs to do is take his hand…

CIL is a 2023 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 60ish-minute episodes. The directors are Lee Gwang-Young (The Secret Life of My Secretary) and rookie Kim Ji-Yeon. The writer, Kim Ga-Eun, is another rookie. If this is what they can do right out of the gate, we can look forward to great things from them.
SWJ is played by Lee Sung-Kyung (She's marvelous in Cheese in the Trap as the borderline Baek In-Ha). SWJ let heartbreak make her hard and mean. She decided to be hateful. Sis, Haesong, put her efforts into becoming lovable. She looks to boyfriends as substitutes for her father's love. Brother, Sim Ji-Gu, is played by Jang Sung-Bum, who has a voice like an angel. He's the baby and is somewhat insulated from the pain by the women in his family. He dreams of a singing career while SWJ insists he spend all his time studying for the Civil Service exam. THAT woman is portrayed by Nam Gi-Ae. She's a force. Playing #313 guest in 2015's Oh My Ghost10 led to 25 mostly bit parts. Next, she is the ML's mother in When the Weather is Fine9 & quite a different Oma in 2020's Flower of Evil8.9. Since then she's been in 19 not-bit-parts >8/yr. I'm not the only one who thinks she's capable. HDJ is played by Kim Young-Kwang. His hands are often bleeding. He's always getting cut. His mother abandoned him when he was a kid and his GF dumped him a few years back. He's been slowly bleeding out for most of his life.

The Romance is a tranquil campsite with a warm kindling fire... And a river of lava flowing 10ft beneath the surface. The two leads are under a weight of grief. There's a China-sized wall between them. She's been out to destroy him over his mother’s transgressions. He promised himself he would not be hurt, nor would he be abandoned, ever again. Will we get to see them smile freely? The audience knows her secret, and we know that the truth will come out. As we get to know all the characters more, the more wary we are of the truth being told - It is going to hurt. The more we know, the more we know it will hurt. Romance is in the eyes, more than anywhere else. In ep15 he manages to go from gloomy eyes to lovey-eyes - he does it better than my cat, and that's saying alot. My kitty has the best lovey-eyes. In ep16 we get to see some smiling eyes.

CIL is a thoughtful commentary on human relationships. The show is quiet. The viewer feels like s/he is watching the grazing heard from the quiet of the woods. Wolves are prowling while the prey are tending to their daily routine, mating up, and vying for power. The themes revolve around hurt, revenge and weakness - and the enslavement those bring - but also endurance and forgiveness, with the freedom they bring.

Revenge. ‘Do you crash your ex's wedding?’ He sincerely wants to know. Her: ‘Yes, you get revenge by any means possible. You trip your ex if you have a chance.’ Him: ‘No, you'll have to live with that horrible memory and that empty feeling the rest of your life.” Oprah is attributed with stating that if you're 40 and people call you “nice” there's something wrong. “Nice” is often substituted for “weak”, and weakness invites aggression. She tells him this. She tells him people are trying to take him down and pick his bones because he's too easy. He's been focused on pain. Endurance. Pain. ENDURE! “I keep going back and forth.” “Just deal with it,” she says. Athletes know all about it, she'll tell us. So does he.

CEO Shin let wounded pride fester inside of him. He, perhaps unwittingly, let a desire for 1up-manship take over his life. He was the original malefactor. HDJ simply reacted accordingly and left his company. CEO Shin then let a desire for “revenge” take over his life. He allowed HDJ to live in his head which prevented him from moving forward freely. HDJ enslaved himself in grief. SWJ enslaved herself in rage, grief, and vengeance. CEO Shin enslaved himself in pride and vengeance - false vengeance, at that, as he had no valid complaints. “I've been living like a crazy person as if I was possessed by something. I ended up coming this far. I wanted to stop, but… I don't know what else to do with life. I'm so terribly sorry.” In the end he was left with regret, which leads us into ~>

Forgiveness. CIL is satisfying and inspiring and as good as it is because it has a true and positive message. It offers solutions that we all can use. All of our protags are called upon to forgive. They aren't called on to forgive small things, either. We see how forgiveness brings release, Forgiveness doesn't mean we let go of justice or proper punishment - That is not a requirement. Forgiveness is us releasing ourselves along with the offender. It's stepping out of the cage of bitterness and hate. It is freeing ourselves, though it ain't easy. I find that trail too rocky and difficult without a lot of prayer and divine help.

Our leads are no lazy slouches and neither are the directors. The filmcraft is excellent. CIL drops tasty tidbits along the trail to keep us following along. There's connections made with good use of dialogue, camera shots, and the actors themselves. Many lines have double meanings. Juxtaposition is used cleverly. CIL is often accompanied by pensive, somewhat melancholy piano and the whole show is like a concerto of such music. It's sad, hypnotic, emotional, and oddly relaxing. What Can I Do, by Hyunji, is Spotifyable. They do some fun shadow animation as HDJ conjures up some of his favorite camping memories. The well-off people drink at a bar that looks like it's on the inside of a cob of roasting corn. “I think I'm going to cry,” Haesong says happily, because she sees SWJ holding a man's hand. The camera pans to a woebegotten pharmacist… In one episode, Haesong is wearing a top that has two fabric straps hanging from her left shoulder, and her work name tag is pinned in such a way that they make a big “A” on her chest, resurrecting Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter. Haesong has dated alot of men. She is looked at, by some, as tarnished. By ep15, Jun and Haesong are unconsciously matching their clothes. Quality touches such as these turn a good feature into an excellent one. CIL is excellent.

As moody and methodical as the pace is, there's smiles to be found. “His house is big, but there's nothing in it. Just like him.” HDJ‘s misery is reinforced to the point of humor throughout the show. “How could you 3 make so much drama every day? You guys make trouble one after another. It's almost like teamwork, ” remarks Jun. SWJ isn't much of a people person. “I'll pretend being ignored is all in my head,” is cheerful CEO Sun-woo's response to her non-response. ‘It's good to be gathered with you all - You who trust me least in this world, but cherish me most,’ Jiju quips at one point. It's all good for regulating the pressure valve and providing sufficient release.

HDJ and SWJ are seen walking alone in every episode. One beautiful irony is that his mother had been an obstacle in all of his relationships, but she ultimately brought him together with SWJ. She is the broken road that led them to eachother, and forgiveness paved the road. God bless that broken road - They don't have to hike alone ever again.


〰️QUOTES〰️

Do you know what the most loyal thing in the world is? A sense of foreboding. Animals know that an earthquake will happen and take shelter. Even animals are able to protect themselves.

If an issue can be solved with money and time then it's not a problem.

Nobody cares about loyalty anymore, so why should I? It only stabs you in the back.

✏〰 IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 8.3
Writing 8.5
Acting 8.5
Romance 7.7
Flutters 7
Art 6
Sound & music 7.8
Ending 8.5

LEVELS
Warmth 6
Action 1
Laughs 3.5
Tears 4
Fright 2.5
Tension T Anxiety 4
Gore 2
Thought provocation 6.5
Snores 1

📣8.3 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓7.7 🦋7 🌞6 🎨6 ⚡1 🎵/🔊7.8 😅3.5 😭4 😱2.5 😯4 😖2 🤔6.4 💤1 🔚8.5


Age 13+ with the following cautions: This is an adult romance that is mostly quiet and respectful and conservative. The benefits outweigh the liabilities. Not much physical contact is even depicted throughout its entirety, but we do see couples kissing in bed. A man invites a woman to spend the night. There is violence that is depicted without being fully shown as the screen goes black. The ML's mother always has a man in her life. Language: PG-13 here and there.

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

Re-watch? Very likely

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For Lovers That Bloom In Spring

Lee Sung Kyung & Kim Young Kwang have completed their circle of genres as professionals (in my opinion) and Call it Love is one of the most interesting additions. It starts off as a revenge tale that slowly turns into one of the best slow-burn romances that I think we will have the privilege of watching this year. It was a soft piece to help transition from the winter blues into blooming spring, showing healing in the most aesthetic and healthy ways possible.

One thing I loved was the writer's ability to portray relationships WELL, in every aspect I think the dynamics were fully met. It showed the dynamic of siblings in a home of infidelity and divorce, how it affected their relationship with each other, how it's impacting their current lives, and their ability to love others. The toxic yet endearing relationship of Dongjin and his mother (whom i hate with passion) and the amount of things he had to give up because of it. The love and understanding of a family allowed time to heal their wounds and move on with their lives without holding on to the past and the grace that comes with honesty to oneself and to the ones they love. More importantly, the character growth was the chef's kiss! you could see how they changed over the course of the drama and how they re-discovered themselves in a place of peace and stability, for Woo Joo it was finally letting go of the pain and desires of revenge and for Dongjin, it was living the best way he could, for himself. That growth allowed them to heal fully from the evident pain that they had at the start of the drama.

At first, when I began it bared a too similar resemblance to My Liberation Note, with the 3 odd but fascinating siblings, an older sister who longs to find romance at every corner, and a brooding but intriuging male lead. I am happy to say it is nothing like My Liberation notes. But its nothing of the sort, in its own right it is beautiful and engaging, more than I would've thought

The color grading in this drama is one of the best I've seen so far, and how it changes as the characters warm up and fall in love was storytelling to the next level. And the quality as well!! Damn, everything a close-up was shown I had to search what camera it was filmed on. Apart from the quality of the performances and cinematography, the music was also top-tier, not any to my taste but it was the best use of a soundtrack so far this year. Watch it, it will not dissapoint.

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My

After a long time, a series attracted me and I finished it in two days
It's a light melodrama that I think you have to be in the mood to see
For months now, no series attracts me, not even one episode
But this series was interesting to me from the very beginning...
The acting of the actors was very good, even the secondary roles
The good thing about this series was that it cared about my subs and treated them well.
The main roles were great for me, who was not a fan of Lee Sung Kyung at all and I always saw her in the role of squealing girls, this series was great.
Symbols, color of clothes, lighting, everything comes to the series
It reminded me of Liberation Notes, but I personally did not like the story of that series at all (some things were similar).
Overall, I would like to give a score of 9/10

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This drama is a welcome antidote to all of the revenge dramas out there. Watching revenge dramas such as "The Glory" or "Vincenzo" is vastly entertaining and satisfying. "Call It Love," on the other hand, shows the emotional costs to one’s humanity and to innocent bystanders when one seeks revenge. Refraining from seeking revenge after one has been deeply wronged can be a sign of strength, not cowardice or weakness, and choosing to forego revenge can paradoxically leave one satisfied and more at peace with oneself. I’m glad that this drama shows the other side of revenge.

Shim Woojoo’s and Han Dongjin’s stories and their developing attraction to each other are beautifully told. I was impressed with Kim Young Kwan’s acting, which nails the still waters run deep-personality of Han Dongjin. Too often such attempts result in wooden acting (like Bo Hyun Ahn in "See You In My 19th Life"), but Kim Young Kwan is excellent. Even his back does a great acting job (you’ll understand if you watch this drama).

I watched this on Hulu but the subtitles were pretty bad and too often unintentionally funny. For example, when a tall, broad-shouldered, deep-voiced guy would laugh the subtitle would show, “Giggles.” Someone would cry and the subtitle would say, “Sniffles.” Big sigh. Or, as the subtitle would say, instead of sigh, “Snort.”

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Beautiful Leads drowning in Melodrama tropes

Melodrama is not my thing but I've been waiting for this pairing so.... I powered through.

Positives:
1. ML & FL pairing. He's tall & a model. She's tall & a model. It's basically hotness overload.
2. Sibling dynamic
3. That Rich Friend

Negatives: ALL the Melodrama tropes:
1. The walking dead. Sad people living but dead inside
2. Slow .... everything, talking, walking, reacting.....
3. Standing & staring .....
4. Wrist pull & save you from some kind of running vehicle
5. The comeback desperate ex
6. FF flashback moments overload

Yes I get it, it's supposed to connect 2 lonely sad people making their slow burn love more beautiful. I think the pair worked for melodrama lovers.

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This show made me buy a years worth Disney+ subscriptions, and I absolutely don’t regret it

Honestly I've kept my eyes on this show ever since Disney announced it their 2022 December promotional events in Singapore (the synopsis they gave back then made sure this show was going to be in my watclist)
Not since last years' My Liberation Note I've see a slowburn k-drama done right until this dropped in Feb this year.
Please don't all consider it an overrating when I say that Dongjin has made it to top 4 in my list of Best-kdrama-men-ever list (you'll know why he has become such a favourite of mine, if you decided of watching the show)

The CINEMATOGRAPHY- This is best I've seen in any show in any language.. seriously its stellar... the framing and shots contribute to the chracters development and understanding the chracters feelings...it will be hard for other shows to top this level of intricacy..

The OSTs also were an achievements especially Roy Kim's Flower and Moon Song...

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Only watched it for KYK

So dreamy, KYK. I only watched the drama to watch him. Kdrama fixation.
Don't care if he emotes two dimensionally or whatever else people are complaining about. Just happy to see him glide by and watch that face!
The FL was also lovely and the rest of the cast was the good, underplayed k drama actors who are actually the unsung pillars.

I must commend that lady who plays the wicked mother.
Did not check what her actual name and age is, but she is gorgeous.
Not sure how she ended up consistently playing a philandering wicked mother - have seen her in atleast 3 dramas doing the same wicked stuff.
But she has the courage to continually play the terribly villainous mother and excels in her negative craft.

This drama needed a lot more intimacy because the slow burn is fiery but ends with cold water.
There was ample room for it but it was wasted with just despair longing.
Needs a serious fix.

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What a drag

I am baffled by the way this story was told. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to buy this main couple when their interactions were mostly just them staring sadly at each other and sighing with the occasional wrist grabbing. There was so much potential here, but this story dragged so much. Endless scenes of no dialogue or dialogue that the characters took ages to utter. I have liked both main actors in other dramas and think they could have done much better with a better script. There was some chemistry there, but it was completely wasted and I actually bought the secondary couple a lot more than the main one. They actually enjoyed each other's presence and had fun together instead of just moping and being sad together. This should have been a lot shorter than it was or 16 episodes, but with a much better script and interactions between the main characters. Very disappointed in this.

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It's okay, if you are in the mood for some moodiness.

Honestly this is nowhere near as bad as the makjangish and super silly setup would suggest.
I have two big problems with the show.
The first is that the OTP romance is not very believable. I think acting shortfalls are definitely part of this issue & the chemistry was just not enough for me to fully immerse myself in their relationship.
The second is that the ending is extremely low effort. There was all this crying/suffering/hardship & then everything just worked out senselessly, also following the always annoying separation followed by a 1 minute happy ending formula. It's better than people dying I suppose, but not by much. I don't know if this was live filming or not, but it sure feels like it. Then again, it's quite normal for kdrama writers to not give a fork about well thought out endings, so that could be it. (This is pretty much the industry standard now, if anything.) On a positive note a well thought out, reasonable ending would've been exorbitantly difficult with the setting we've had, so perhaps embracing the silly is not the worst thing in the world. I would hugely prefer though if writers made scripts that can be wrapped up in a way that makes sense, instead of making convoluted messes & then just yolo-ing the ending.

As for what I liked.. There is a lot of reasonably well written dialog existing outside of the plot-driving conversations. I liked the moody presentation & the pink filter was part of that too I suppose. I liked the visuals on my color calibrated displays, but I can see why someone would hate this, if watching the show on an LG oled TV or a Galaxy phone..
The OST is pretty good too!

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Emocionante

Primeiro quero dizer que esse drama é uma obra prima, e dizendo que esse não é meu gênero favorito. Melodramas são sempre parados demais e nada acontece, e sim, geralmente acho cansativo.
Agora esse?
Maratonei os 10 primeiros episódios em 24 h, foi muitíssimo intenso a minha imersão na história deles.

Já conhecia os atores principais em dramas de comédia, e a princípio foi estranho ver como eles conseguem passar tanto, no silêncio, no olhar, ... amo isso.
Mas o principal aqui que me fez viver nessa história é o quanto ela é imersiva. Talvez eu esteja em uma fase que me identifico um pouco com os 5 personagens principais. Então sou um pouco influenciada.
Mas tendo consciência que sou apreciadora de cinema, gostar de plano sequência, bela fotografia e um som bem trabalhado.
É tudo tão lindo.

A música de fundo preenche um vazio que cada um deles passam, e tem um ruído que lembra muito uma notificação. Como se uma má notícia tivesse chegado. No entanto, tudo continua igual.
Acho isso maravilhoso!

Já citei o quanto os atores se entregam aqui. É tão bonito de ver. E não tem choro (pelo menos comigo), é melancólico, sim, mas não de chorar e se compadecer por cada um.

Agora a fotografia é uma das mais bem trabalhadas de tudo que vi.
Cada frame bem escolhido.
Como o posicionamento dos personagem onde estão mais próximo do outro e eles são enquadrados a direita e esquerda da tela. Como uma foto dividida, onde as pessoas estão bem pertinho. Ou quando no início são indiferente e um está no centro e o outro mais a borda da tela.
Ou quando eles estão a frente da porta e a luminaria parace um infinito corredor, em alusão ao caminho que ainda tem que percorrer.
E ainda tem toda uma paleta de cores mudando as estações, nos fazendo perceber que o tempo mudou não só pelas peças de roupa, mas também pelas cores.

Posso ter viajado um pouquinho, mas essa é uma obra prima. Ainda não sei como vai terminar.
Bem ou mal, tudo está sendo nem construído. Cada um com seu momento de tela.
Só estão vivendo como nós com todas as dificuldades.

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