A masterpiece

One of the best films I’ve ever seen. It has some similarities to Saving Private Ryan except it is set in the Vietnam War and the main “searcher” is a Korean wife. A lot of reviewers didn’t like the story because they didn’t see the point in Sunny searching for a husband who didn’t love her, but I think that is viewing the storyline through a Western lens. Sunny’s sense of duty, and honor, to prove to her mother-in-law that she’s a worthy wife for her son simply have no translation in Western culture and values, which is precisely what made the story so fascinating to me. I felt that the ultimate scene where her husband breaks down crying in front of her was his recognition of her worthiness to be loved, to which he’d previously been blind. Soo Ae was incredible, as were all the other actors. Loved it. But it’s so intense it would be hard to watch again !

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One of my favorite K-dramas !

I’m so surprised that this drama doesn’t have an 8+ rating ! It’s pure perfection to me. Maybe some people just didn’t like the non-standard writing format, but I liked it. Ji Chang Wook at his most lovesick moments is priceless. And I loved the portrayal of friendship so much, the simple moments of deep longlasting friendship. Some very very funny moments too, like the scene in the police station where one of the female leads is semi-passed out on a bench in the station, but responds in a drunken stupor to hearing Ji Chang Wook talking about how pretty his love-interest is, assuming someone must be talking about her. First drama I’ve ever watched with this FL. She is such a great actress.

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A perfect K-drama

My first review on MDL. This is a pretty darn perfect K-drama, thanks to brilliant writing, direction, and acting. What skill it takes as a writer to combine in one drama hysterically funny moments, heartbreak and trauma, and heartwarming moments ! One of the two writers, Park Hae Young, went on to write My Mister and then My Liberation Notes. What a line-up of awesome scripts ! Thank you Park Hae Young. My favorite actress in this series, in spite of the perfection of the FL and others, is Oh Hae Young’s mother played by Kim Mi Kyung. Wow. I’ve never seen someone play how deep mother-love can be, and mother-frustration, like how she does here. And SOOOO funny too. Park Do Kyung’s loss of his father as a child is one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever seen. No second-rate acting in the whole series. Loved the OST also; I’m playing it on a CD in my car as I rewatch the series for about the 5th time. Jung Seung Hwan was only about 18 or 19 when he recorded “If It Were You” about unrequited love. Hard to believe. Nobody does LONGING like K-Dramas.

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