Amor e Outros Dramas

In the in the 1960's French filmakers created masterpieces centered around interactions of famiy's, their villages. They were perfectly nuanced, true. Korea has taken over the genre . Netflix has presented these to a global market and I am grateful. Korea has incredible actors, writers, directors... to me a KO is step beyond US, China, Japan...on the par or better than Britain, Scandinavia.

Each actor in 'Our Blues' is spot on. Hard to favor one over another, but Lee Byung Him(?) des Qqq a masterful job. Compare this role to his restrained, disciplined Officer in Mr. Sunshine . Here he plays, an angry manchild, unable to form a meaningful connection to others.

What a beautiful drama. Everything was done subtly, realistically, with simplicity and yet lots of depth. I don't think there's ever been a better cast in a Korean drama, the list of A-list stars in this is hard to believe at first. Episode 15 is a must watch, could probably be seen on its own.

Wow.

I just watched the final episode. I don't think I can properly put into words how amazing this show has been, but I'll give it a shot.

So Our Blues is a series where they follow a close knit group of people who live on Jeju. Where we get a number of episodes each which mainly focus on a couple of them and something dramatic which happens to them. And oh boy does it get dramatic. In the absolute best sense of the word.

The actors, all of them are amazing in their roles. Even the child actors are fantastic. Every one of them does a great job to drag you into their emotional situations and make you believe it's real, and makes you understand the character even if their choices would not be your own and empathise with them.

The stories are amazing. Every time you they changed the spotlight to different characters, I wished for it to remain with the ones we had before as I liked them so much, only for the new characters to become my new favourites. I didn't really care for the two teens at first, untill we got to their story and some of the most intense scenes I have ever seen when they talked to their fathers. Luckily most characters are seen throughout the series even when their story is done. So it's not like their story is done and then we don't see them again.

I laughed, I cried, and then I cried some more. The scene where Lee Byung-hun's character films the snowy mountain.... I think this will hit everybody more as they get older. I don't think I can watch that scene without getting teary eyed.

I can not stress enough how much I loved watching "Our Blues". This is must see tv. With one of the most perfect endings I have ever seen. Watch it, watch it, watch it!

Not a character miscast. Not an emotion overplayed. Not a storyline over-told. Absolutely flawless.

The technical details - not a single goof. The cinematography... breathtaking. The writing: quite nearly voyeuristic as we share these lives and learn their most intimate secrets.

That exceedingly talented (adorable!) little girl. The heartbreaking revelation of domestic violence. The genius introduction of a gifted artist. The profound bleakness of depression. The stigma of teen pregnancy. Through it all, the poignant need of a neglected boy who only ever wanted to hug his mom. Even after all those years.

And how all of those tragic elements pale in comparison to joy of belonging.

This entire show can be summed up in one word. Exquisite.

From the beginning this series involves the viewer in the characters. This series boasts insightful portrayals of romances and friendships that is in turns dramatic, laugh out loud funny and touching. The characters are flawed and human and their problems including financial and mental and many hardships feel real and universal. An enchanting Continental accordion soundtrack and Italian songs add to the island atmosphere. The director is good a keeping the different characters and flashbacks clear and avoiding confusion.

The cast is so perfect it's almost like the roles were written for them. The central character played by the bubbly Lee Jung Eun is lovable. Han Ji Min also looks pretty and sweet here. There are terrific appearances from Cha Seung Won who plays depressed better than any actor and Uhm Jung Hwa who is just perfect as a pretty friend. Among the male leads, Lee Byung Hun is totally convincing and the intense Kim Woo Bin makes a strong return to the small screen.

The writer of this show previously did Padam Padam, It's Okay That's Love and That Winter the Wind Blows. Those shows lost steam during the series. Our Blues has so many characters and different stories that things never drag. Also even if some issues have been done before the way the director and writer handle them in Our Blues makes them fresh and moving. This omnibus format is a welcome change from the series format to keep things interesting.

Didn't imagine a show about seafood market workers in Jeju could be so good. This is a must watch show and one of the finest K dramas ever made.