Always

"Always" (aka "O-jik geu-dae-man") is the type of movie that you simply owe to yourself to watch, because it is a beautiful and touching movie, up alongside "Failan", "Oasis" and "Fly Me to Polaris".

What makes the movie sink right in is the storyline and the detailed characters. This is a love story that will sweep you away, and the characters are ones you take to heart and bond with. As such, then South Korean director Il-gon Song really managed to put together an unforgettable movie.

And the actors and actresses in the movie also have an immense credit for making this a beautiful movie. Especially the two leading talents Ji-Seob So (playing Cheol-Min) and Hyo-Jo Han (playing Jeong-Hwa) were fabulous in the movie, both together and on their own.

"Always" tells the story of ex-boxer Cheol-Min who works at a parking garage where he happens to meet the blind telemarketing woman Jeong-Hwa. A friendship sparks and blossoms into love.

It should be said that "Always" is likely to have you in tears, so you might just want to have a tissue within arms reach. Yep, the movie does have that strong of an impact, as it a very emotional movie.

This is MUST watch if you enjoy the South Korean cinema in all its diversity.

This movie may appear to be like any other bittersweet love story as for example the Hollywood drama "The Notebook" which is widely known for the tragic tone entangled with the lives of the two lovers. This one is different. This story is ruthlessly heartbreaking and at the same time mesmerizingly beautiful. It will play with your feelings, it will make you hide your head under the pillow, and it will make you laugh hard for it's innocent approach to life. It will make you agitated, it will make you anxious. It will make you feel like a heavy load has been lifted from your chest after the happy scene which will bring out yet another denouement which isn't the last one. This story will maybe disappoint the ones who seek for something different, something utterly tragic, or on the other hand, it will surely touch the hearts of the emotional ones and make such a strong impression that it will last for some time... Anyhow, it will make you remember that life and love should never be understated, never!

How many of you will see this? I am someone who now realizes that Korean movies are now worth paying attention to. On one level this movie is pure melodrama. But when you think about it, melodrama goes back to the beginning of film. And the plot of this movie, comes directly from Charley Chaplin's "City Lights". So the story works here precisely because this kind of film has disappeared from mainstream movies. I hope you remember how Steven Spielberg broke through by harnessing the power of the cinema to make us feel. I have no idea who this director is. But what I do know is that he is a master of a very old kind of storytelling and he is hip enough to kick the whole story up to modern times in a scene so violent, well, we won't go into it...but hide you eyes if you have to. The lead actors, indeed, all the actors, are so good that they make you feel things despite a language none of us hear very often. And they are not over doing it, in a story that could have been destroyed by their lack of subtlety. Seeing this movie with a crowd of young Asian Americans at their festival in San Francisco was a special treat. Do not miss this, it is one of the best films of the year for those of us who love pure cinema. Hats off to a culture and cinema production style that could allow this to be made. You will not see anything like this again anytime soon.

OK, it is easy to guess the story but I must admit that it is very good directed. The actors are terrific in performance and appearance. Ji-Sub So is very handsome (his face is one of the prettiest Korean faces I have ever seen combining good looking with deep voice and attractive sportive image) and his acting is pretty good, specifically at the end. Jeong-hwa is the sweetest girl I have ever seen in Korean movies and her performance is excellent as well. I thinks she has a big future as an actress. The directions is very touching and manages to describe the depth of the characters. I am a 33-year-old-cynic female pig but I cried because of the movie.

The Koreans do melodrama better than anyone else on the planet. I wish I had known about Korean movies years ago. (I saw "Always" four years after its release. When will a Korean movie get released in the US?!?)

The plot here is reminiscent of "An Affair to Remember," the quintessential Hollywood romance. But the feeling and cinematography are pure twenty-first century. Though it's a 100% melodrama story- line, the style is low-key and on the naturalistic side. It's never overwrought.

So Ji-Sub is a favorite of mine from seeing him in K-drama "The Master's Sun." Here he plays a very different kind of man, but with equal skill and charisma. His character barely talks, but still feels three-dimensional. Han Hyo-Joo is excellent and her character is refreshingly outgoing despite her disability.

I had to close my eyes for about 5 minutes when things got violent, but that was inevitable given that So Ji-Sub plays a fighter. If I have any complaints, it's that I wanted to know so much more about the characters, and the denouement is on the quick side. I still have questions. But the emotional aspects of the story were handled perfectly.

If you haven't started watching the good Korean stuff yet, you should. It's worth the subtitles.