U-ri Yeong-hwa

That rare case when, instead of the usual review: "It's too long, it would be nice to reduce 16 episodes to 12", there is a regret: "It's a shame that there are so few episodes, I watched and would have watched further." The drama is addictive, despite the fact that the shown love story is emotionally saturated with philosophical overtones on the difficult topics of the meaning of life and the acceptance of death. The brilliant play of the entire acting ensemble is impressive. In addition to Nam Gun Min and Jung Ye Bin, who know their business well, I remember the work of the actors who created bright secondary characters: the general director, the investor and cameraman of the film, the head of the acting agency and the father of the main character. From time to time, an obsessive association of the image of the character of the actor Nam Gun Ming with the image of the character of the actor Bae Yong Jun from the recently watched "Winter Sonata" involuntarily arose.

This lovely, sweet, sensitive, and haunting drama, Our Movie, available to watch on Disney+ / Hulu with excellent English subtitles, reminds me in many ways of the classic romantic Korean dramas I first watched twenty+ years ago when I became a fan. Now over 1400 of them later I am still thrilled when I find a special gem like this one, that gives me the same feelings I experienced way back then when I watched unforgettable classics like Winter Sonata for the first time. Even the way Nam Goong Min, our leading man, is dressed in Our Movie reminds me of Bae Yong Joon in that drama. I have savored every moment of this drama and even marveled at how poetic the first kiss scene was! South Korea continues to make the very best television series in the world.

The lines below are printed in the book shop from White Love and I would say a poem fit for Daeum:

I should have been born the sea, moonlight ripples endlessly across the ocean's surface, is it the night? The tide, my heart? I keep wavering, like today everyday were filled with only what i love, with things like you, the moonlight and the sea.

I'm not someone who usually enjoys slow-paced plots, but I don't know why watching Our Movie had me hooked from the very first episode. I was genuinely curious to see what would happen next. The acting, the storyline, the cinematography, and even the OST were all amazing in my opinion. Almost every episode had scenes that moved me to tears.

Since we already knew about Daeum's illness from the start, I found myself overthinking about when he would pass away, almost as if I was there accompanying him. By episodes 10 and 11, it truly felt like we were witnessing his final moments-deeply emotional and heartbreaking. The ending in episode 12 showed everyone moving forward with their lives, but still carrying an emptiness without him. That absence was felt not just by the characters, but also by us as viewers.

Seeing Jeha continue with life yet still have moments of breaking down, moments she never had while Daeum was alive, was such a realistic portrayal of grief. Losing someone you love means life goes on, but that empty space remains. Sometimes, you just can't escape those waves of longing and sadness. And I couldn't help but wonder... does the meal reminder for Lee Daeum still go off on Lee Jeha's phone?

Our Movie is a well-produced drama that excells in emotional impact. Its exceptionally sad, but it achieves that beautifully with its cinematography and complex character development.

It's still very much a "K-drama", but it takes itself seriously enough to make a meaningful impact on the viewer given the nature of its story. The leads are excellent in this series, but so are the supporting characters. It seems everyone has some amount of character development - something you don't always see.

If I had to pick one thing that could be improved, its probably the soundtrack. At times I feel it leans too heavily on string instrumentation to evoke emotions when simple piano or silence would have a stronger effect, especially given the talented performance of the actors.