La Dolce Vita (2008)

The drama is about a man who commits suicide...
Once you read this you'd think that it's a gloomy depressing drama...but it isn't!
As the name says "A Bittersweet Life" this drama might have a bitter sad moments but it's full of sweet moments too!
The main lead is a mysterious man...he could be sweet and cute as a little puppy in one sec...then he turns to a crazy maniac the following sec just as the other title indicates "Demons Living In My Body"....I think LDW did his best in this role...
his character is what ties the 3 other leads together!
the drama gives equal time to all the 4 characters to tell their story...
All the actors did great in portraying their characters!
The OST is amazing...all the parts are touching and fit with the drama!
I'll definitely re-watch my favorite scenes from time to time!
Finally: this is an unusual drama in all aspects...I highly recommend it for those bored with the normal cliches!

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The term "Don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind when I finished this drama. I find this drama to be extremely underrated. To me, it has everything a drama should have: a good plot, great twists, and well developed characters.


Story-The story is a dark melodrama about when passion spins out of control. It discusses adultery, unrequited love, and (what I would call) abuse. You already know from the very beginning that things will go really wrong with the affair(s). The plot moves from the past to the present which what makes this show exciting.

Acting- I feel that Lee Dong Wook's best role is here. I know a lot of people who have enjoyed My Girl and say that was his best role, but I disagree. I believe his best role was in Bittersweet Life. In this role, he went from adorable and happy, to scary and creepy like that. That made the show even more enjoyable because you would not know how he would react next.

Park Si Yeon did a great job at being a mistress that you don't want to have around. In this drama, her character comes off as money obsessed and annoying. It isn't a great combo, but still I don't think it was her fault for coming off that way. I just think that was the writer trying to make her as dislikable as possible....which honestly isn't hard.

Jung Bo Suk (aka the husband)- succeeds in being a man you love to hate. His character is a control freak who doesn't really care about anybody. He did a great job at making people want to punch the screen.

Oh Yun Soo- Wow. Just wow. She was great! I don't know if it was the writers doing or her own doing, but I felt the character's resentment in a way I can't describe.

Music- The music was wonderful. It was exciting and thrilling and fit well with every scene.

Overall- I highly recommend! Definitely not a drama for kids though.

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I began to get so frustrated with this series but in the end after all is said and done, I have to admit the whole thing hit me as a classic with depth. Perhaps it's that depth that I found itchy after hundreds of modern k-drama makjang and the almost rigid k-drama RC formula I've been gorging on. Although I found it a bit slow paced, I enjoyed seeing such a beautiful but harsh love played out so skillfully by the two main leads. The acting was phenomenal. This is really one of those quality dramas that make you feel like you're watching in a theater with popcorn, an occasional pop sip and an arm around your shoulder instead of from a laptop or a computer screen while lying in bed or on lunch hour at work.

I have to say I have yet to encounter a more jaw dropping character than the one played by Park Shi Yeon in this drama. This character actually turned my stomach. It was so disgusting to watch really. A different type of head space was needed to pull it off really but she nailed it. Oh Yeon Soo's Character was so meek in contrast but thank God she ended on a note of strength. The husband, o God the husband was a nasty dog with absolutely no redeeming qualities. SO WHY WATCH? A Bittersweet life is worth watching for the acting and The very passionate love that plays out. But just beware of the really slow old style pace.

ON THE PERSONAL:
This drama addresses a topic that I will forever find intriguing in that there will never be an answer that will satisfy anyone. Suicide. This very young man found a reason to live but even that reason itself became more of an impetus to complete what he originally decided to do after all. (I hope that makes sense :) Suicide is very a psychologically lonely and introverted decision and that is the reason why it has such a high success rate. If a person feels cornered and feels there's no way out of his suffering/situation and most importantly if " they feel" alone in their suffering (even if the reality is otherwise) nothing can stop them. It's also culture/religion/spiritually related as well. If they feel they'll be in a better place and finally at rest or that they can come back and start all over then why not? Thank heavens I wasn't raised that way. I've been in situations that screamed overdose cure on a daily basis but in the end, I know things would be worst all round if I took the life I was given so I bite down and plunder on by watching K-dramas! hahaha! ;)

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Flawed but worthwhile watch

This show has its flaws for sure: the first few episodes have so many flashbacks the narrative feels choppy, the pace is too slow from episodes 4-14 or so (this would have been great at 16 episodes), the actress playing the FL stays a bit too placid and quietly weepy to sell the desperation and longing and pathos of her character in the final third of the drama. Yet for all these issues when this show is in the groove, it works really well, well enough to justify the 24+ hour time commitment. There are a lot of poignant moments in this drama that will stick with me. The best thing this drama has going for it is Lee Dong Wook's incredible performance as Joon Soo. This character, and his performance, are the highlight of the drama and the glue holding everything together. Joon Soo is so complex and volatile that LDW needs to switch on a dime from the ardent lover to the menacing sleazebag to the suicidal depressive to almost child like innocence and vulnerability and he nails it every single time.

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Tragédia e Redenção em um Drama Intenso

La Dolce Vita (também conhecido como The Sweet Life) é um drama sombrio e psicológico que explora o lado mais obscuro da vida e do amor. A trama acompanha a vida de Yoon Hye-jin, uma mulher envolvida em um relacionamento extraconjugal com Lee Joon-soo, um homem atormentado por seu passado. O drama lida com questões profundas de culpa, traição, redenção e os efeitos devastadores que escolhas erradas podem ter em várias vidas.

A intensidade emocional de La Dolce Vita é o que diferencia este drama de outros romances mais leves. O enredo é cheio de reviravoltas e momentos profundos de introspecção, fazendo com que o espectador questione as motivações e o destino dos personagens. As atuações são marcantes, com Lee Dong-wook e Oh Yeon-soo oferecendo performances poderosas que capturam a complexidade de seus personagens.

Para aqueles que apreciam dramas mais sérios e emocionais, com um toque de tragédia e reflexão, La Dolce Vita é uma escolha impactante e inesquecível.

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It had a good set up to work with but unfortunately it went the full fat cliche melo route which dulled it down and took away from its merits. The extreme over-dramatization stripped away what little emotional impact the characters had built up. It took it down a notch even further for how many chunks in the middle parts that were useless. Dong Won had potential to be a better written character but he ended up being a poorly written one. Joon Soo & Sung Goo dynamic were cartoonish and lacked depth, we were only given a glimpse, they could've done a lot more with their 24 episodes in that regard. In fact, I see the whole thing as a big wasted potential.

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