Sweet & Sour

Love the cast. The writing could have been better, but I thought the "twist" is actually quite clever and appropriate to the plot and its theme.

The title of the movie tells it all I guess, I should have known, but I was hoping that Jang Ki-yong would have played a more sweeter character than a scoundrel boyfriend. I searched for him specifically; I like his acting and hope to see him cast in something else soon. When the movie first came on, I was suspicious and expecting something like this, but the twist was actually different than I thought in the end.

(SEMI-SPOILERS AHEAD)

I have many problems with this film. But I will start with the positives. The acting is pretty decent and the writing is not bad but could be improved. I like the humble start to this film. But there are many, many problems. The TWIST to this film is very forced and surprisingly bad! I felt like the writers and director were going to make a simple, cliche type of romance comedy film. But when they didn't know how to end the film..

They just rewrote the whole film so that the twist could work. I liked how the start of the film was going. It was not amazing the was done well. But the third act really made this whole film tumble down. The twist is very confusing and because of how the film is set up to be.

Also some characters are left out that were great in my opinion. Like the parents, they were great side characters! This film leaves you feeling very empty and doesn't really establish a good moral. Overall I do not recommend this film unless you are REALLY bored and have nothing to do. This film represents a good start, but a bad ending.

The themes presented in the movie are the reality that face most of Asian country workplaces, especially Japan and South Korea. Endless working hours, being bossed around without guaranteed of being a perm, and work affecting relationships, etc. Certain companies are moving forward on focusing on the well being of their employees. But this movie still show what is currently still the society. The note for me is reflecting what this movie is showing. It does it's job if you just want to see the truth.

In the third act, the viewer will just feel like the movie is weird or unfinished. We can think there are still questions left. But deep down, they all have been answered.

Just feeling disappointed because i'm not watching a movie to see it telling me what people are facing in the real world. I don't care about that. There are documentaries for that. Ain't people watching movies because they want to evade the real world? Would have liked a better ending.

Based on the novel 'Initiation Love' by Kurumi Inui, Lee Gye-byeok's 'Sweet & Sour' is well-constructed and well-acted, but lacks deeper and moving emotions when it comes to its narrative. The writing feels repetitive and stretched out at times but delivers home the point. Though rushed, the movie's twist offers a powerful ending that may stick with some viewers and reinforces the thoughtful themes displayed in the film.