mademoisherl

Frank Dillane's raw performance gives this film a punch of realness, as if you're truly watching someone's life unfold before you. Mike's reactions towards his own ups and downs make you simultaneously sympathetic and frustrated towards him.

On that note, the same thing can be said for Harris Dickinson's direction. Perhaps this being his debut film as a director, he was overjoyed to incorporate a lot of elements into this; yet personally, when the ending credits rolled, I didn't feel the coherence as there's always some kind of duality in the presentation of this film. Is this a surrealist or a slice-of-life? Did Dickinson want his film to be a social commentary on how the government fails society, particularly the vulnerable group, by not giving them the full protection and support system that is essential to the rehabilitation process, or did he want to say that a piece of trash will always be a piece of trash?

The overall tone is just uneven for me. Nevertheless, I'll surely tune in to whatever Harris Dickinson cooks in the future.

The third act is full of onions being cut. The main premise of a terminally ill kid loved by the parents and the parents' fight to prolong the kid's life may not be anything special or new, but the cast ensemble's performance truly sold this not to be just another stereotypical sappy movie.

Jo Sung-mok brilliantly portrayed Ahreum. He was a 13 y.o. Boy playing a 16 y.o teen who looks 80; enduring a daily 5-hour-long makeup process. And you can feel just how much wiser Ahreum is compared to his real age, considering he has a manchild of a father. But when Ahreum is exasperated by his condition, you're quickly reminded that he's a kid who desperately wants to be a kid. He just wants to make friends and be able to see his parents happy and worry-free about the medical bills. The bit when he said he wants to be like his father in the future so he can understand things from his shoes? That's how pure Ahreum is. The love of his parents touched him incredibly.

Song Hye-kyo is undoubtedly amazing as a mom who has two children in her household, despite only having one son. While Gang Dong-won is surprisingly amazing as a dad who will give anything to see his son happily healthy, despite characterized as such terrible father-husband material on paper. I don't know how his character is written in the novel, but personally, Dae-soo is laid out as a semi-pervert, careless, childish person who don't have his life put together here. Usually this kind of character is unbearable to me, yet Gang Dong-won works his charm that I still root for him despite everything. His scene with his own father was the start of my crying rally while watching this. Prepare your tissues, folks!

When they turn Wolverine for the male gaze and make it a testosterone (or rather, steroid) fest with a touch of camp, you've got this movie.

Poor James Howlett only needs therapy, yet that sucker traumatized him even more. Logan has been gaslighted and gatekept his whole life, only fitting he girlbossed at the end of the day.