Architecture 101

I have loved Korean films since like forever. Im not a Korean so I rely on English subtitles to watch Korean movies, usually this is frustrating since it takes a long time for the subtitles to be available, but for this film it took only 3 days! compared to for example Nameless gangster which was released around April but still no subs! This proves how popular architecture 101 must be... and it deserves that attention.

Today way too many films are too cliché and over-exaggerated, there are few films which you can see the reflection of yourself in it, not even a tiny bit. I am not saying that this film is portraying my life but I think few people can deny that you cant relate with any of the characters. How many people haven't once during the course of their life been Seung-min? Having liked someone that greatly but lacking the courage to say it? How may are just like Seo-yeon? Regretting, wanting to go back in time and change everything..

The actors all did a great job, Han Ga In is out of this world pretty and Lee Je-Hoon seems to be a really promising actor together with Suzy. The reason I did not give the film a 10 is because the ending, which, to say the least, could have been much better, and I'm not talking about the outcome but rather the way to end it. However this is still a very very good movie and if you have never seen a Korean film before I advice you to give it a try as it Im sure after watching this movie, Korean films will stick by you forever, just like me who after that rainy day i decided to give the film Brotherhood of war a go never looked back.

Architecture 101 is a restrained romance film that just delivers on an emotional level. Subtle & pure, as the movie progresses the storyline becomes more interesting, characters become imitateley more personal and you become completely vested in their story. Certain picturesque moments in the film will undoubtably find a permanent home in your memories.

If you are a male or female who has ever had a childhood crush, this story is too familiar. Architecture 101 will take you through a painful, realistic, and gut-wrenching memoir of growing up next to the childhood love of your life - those best days of your life. However, I have just one major gripe that ruined the movie for me.

The acting and dialogue are candid, the cinematography beautiful, and the tragic moments are (in the Korean dramatic fashion) unapologetically tragic. It is not the type of movie to make you cry outright, but it will make you breathe quickly and feel a deep, naive longing. The thing that ruined the movie for me is this: in one of the scenes, a drunk girl is presumably taken advantage of while a boy who is watching not only does nothing to confront the aggressor, but leaves the scene and cries about his misfortunes of liking her with one of his friends, who consequently calls her worse than a w****. Doesn't that make you cringe? It's appalling how this scene isn't rectified; if it had been, Architecture 101 would be one of my favorite movies. Otherwise, it makes me uncomfortable to recommend something that advertises such a cowardly and misogynistic action. So if you feel like there was maybe a little something off about that scene, please know that you are not alone.

Would-be 8/10, but marked down for the reasons above.

And for the would-be haters, I am a 19 y.o. male (not that it makes a difference to my review).

6/10

Actually, I have been watching Korean movies a lot so far. I loved the plot; the change of action from present to past and past to present. in contrast i disliked it because i was expecting a huge turn of event at the end but it didn't end the way i wanted. Perhaps, on one hand, this movie depicts that a couple, who loved each other on first sight, can not be together which is quite near to reality. The life kind of separated and forced them to be apart. The man has to earn more money and pursue his career and the woman has to look after his father. On the other hand, this movie is unlike other films. it didn't try to get attention of viewers by having the same old happy ending life.

After so many years, I feel it is necessary to point out for most audience, especially from the West, that the object of pursuit in contemporary Asian tales about "first love", is NOT "love", at least not in the way you understand that term. In fact, it is usually an aspiration, or idealism. Something one has when one is young, and which has since been suppressed, or lost.

Viewed in that light, I hope it is easier to understand the protagonists' motives and actions. The drama comes abundantly in showcasing all the insecurities about social-economic status, peer pressure, sex and more, that one is willing to endure so long as one believes the objective is just around the corner. They end up haunting us for far longer than we want to admit.

Architecture 101 picks an axe to grind. It does so at a sure and steady pace. All along we have just been groping in the dark. We still are. In the end, the only consolation is that we know we miss each other, and the aspirations. We know we missed. We need to let more light into the house.