b_velkova

A couple trying to stay authentic under the pressures of 'normalcy' - from the weight of expected success to the subtle policing of behavior by "Everyone Else." The director captures human gestures with remarkable intimacy, without moralizing or pushing any agenda. The male-female dynamics feel raw, honest, and recognizable - not what you wish them to be, but exactly as they are. After Toni Erdmann and now this, I'm in awe of Maren Ade - still have to catch up with her directorial debut, Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen.

This film popped up on a list of "overlooked" gems, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it's overlooked for a reason. Pretty on the surface - beautiful Korean leads and dreamy visuals - but it's a hollow teen romance built on every Western YA cliché: misunderstandings, obstacles, and grand gestures. The heroine is impossibly perfect - beautiful, smart, happy, a little boyish (because, as we well know, that's what makes a girl "special") - and everyone adores her. Despite the few teary moments designed not to touch on any real drama, her love story is equally flawless: she only shares a brief kiss with her boyfriend, while the rest are just fantasies the plot assures last forever.