Neoneun nae unmyeong

The power of true, unqualified love to heal. Beautiful, sad, but finally triumphant. Sometimes heartbreaking, always inspiring, superbly acted and directed. A bit dated of course regarding HIV treatments and social attitudes, but also with the beginning hints of understanding. South Korea gets it right again.

I'm an American ex-pat living in Seoul.

I saw this movie without English subtitles and still managed to be affected by the story despite just having started to study Korean.

The excellent story, direction, acting, and cinematography carried this film over any linguistic obstacles I had for a great delivery. I can't wait to pick it up on DVD to finally know some of the dialog that had every Korean person in the theta sobbing by the end of the movie. Really, a great story. You Are My Sunshine (English title) covers the issue of AIDS as well as prostitution, two topics that are still a little taboo in Korea, as well as much of Asia.

The story is based on a real gossip some years ago in Korea, and focusing on the eternal, condition-less love between a naive peasant and a bereft ex-prostitute whose past is somewhere under the body of many male CLIENTs. Every love has its own silver line and every lover has his/her own attitude; But, the love between this couple is too candid to be understood but to be appreciated. As no scientific paradigm cannot define THE LOVE, this movie just illustrates what love gotta be even under extreme background.

Nevertheless, the emotion of love affair and the instinct of affection should be separated. This movie, regrettably, fails in the depiction of love itself but concentrates on the struggle for keeping his/her aficionado toward each other against all social rules and interference. Love will shine when it's against all odds. However, these odds are too exaggerated in the movie to be overcome by love itself, otherwise making the love tattered with uncompromising and painful memories.

Director's endeavor to gather every piece of elegiac elements is too evident, and the performances of two actor/actress are very easy going, enough to make audiences lost in the clearly "schematized" sadness.

I remember the actress Do-yeon Jeon who plays Eun-ha here from a subsequent film, the uncompromising, depressing "Secret Sunshine". She was amazing in that film and is just as good here, as a waitress/hostess. Jeong-min Hwang plays the fairly naive bumpkin like Suk-jung, who falls for her. It takes a long time for her to warm up to the idea of him as a boyfriend, but she does. Then, it is found out she has HIV. He vows to search for her, to always take care of her. This is the kind of film that only works as a film. I suppose the message is to follow your heart. Many people will be turned off by this film and not only for moral reasons. They may feel it is manipulative. However, the film is never boring and Do-yeon Jeon is a terrific actress. I'm going to see if she has done comedy because she was the lead in two very dramatic, soul searching but sad roles. If you can get past the storyline, the film is well made. Does love conquer all? Thats what this film tries to answer for you.