Drama Digest
Kang San Hyeok appears to have it all: financial prosperity, beautiful looks, and intelligence, but he’s tormented by an incident that causes him to forget his history. Despite his success in business, he leaves it all behind to serve as a rescue worker in the countryside. Jung Young Jae is a bright young surgeon at her hospital, but her upbeat appearance conceals a childhood tragedy that prevents her from completely focusing on her future.
Kang San-Hyeok and Jung Young-Jae meet in an enigmatic woodland. They must live together in the unknown forest, against their wishes. They discover tiny delights while living there. Kang San-Hyeok and Jung Young-Jae quickly discover a mystery about themselves and the forest.
The Feel-Good Part
The relationship between the main characters in this series was lovely. Their partnership talked about becoming stronger together and the healing power of love. The symbolism of the forest’s healing power was clear. Park Hae Jin and Jo Bo Ah performed an outstanding job. Both the main characters had these walls around themselves. Yet, spending time in the wilderness and with each other eventually, let them free themselves. But to be honest, the forest was the true star of this series. The beautiful green valleys, rolling hills, magnificent mountains, and clear streams where many shots are shot. The stunning outdoor surroundings for this series, really bring the whole production to life and set it apart from other dramas. It was wonderfully shot, and time appeared to slow down anytime somebody entered the forest. Along with the characters, you will feel yourself unwinding.
The Disappointing Factor
Although the shooting location for the drama was exceptional allowing for some phenomenal shots, the overall editing was not up to the mark. Perhaps it was the flow of the script that led to the weird progression of the plot. It felt like the creators were rushing and jumping from scene to scene. Moving on to the actual story itself, “Forest” had all the K-Drama cliches that we see in memes today. The partial amnesia caused by childhood trauma, the rich guy meeting a poor (middle-class) girl and the somehow-ended-up-living-together tropes is the base for this not-so-unique drama. Therefore, the story is quite predictable and in 2022, it is certainly not that appealing.
In-Depth Analysis
Despite the obvious minus points of this show, “Forest” does make for a compelling watch. Even though the writers have probably written in all the possible cliches they have left out what is possibly the most frustrating cliche – the love triangle. And this fact is enough to make most viewers like this show already. At the core of it “Forest” is meant to be a drama that allows us a few moments of respite from our stressful lives. With the symbolism of the struggles faced by the Main Characters and the setting of the beautiful forest, we are drawn into another world.
Star Power
“Forest” had major star power in the form of Park Hae Jin. As always, he had a dominating presence and worked well with the scenes and writing. Whether in mega businessman mode, loving lover mode, or action-man rescue squad style, Park always delivers a blockbuster performance. His female counterpart, Jo Bo Ah also presented an outstanding performance.
Overall Opinion
Despite being a melting pot of cliches, “Forest” had a lot of potential as a story. Due to the actors’ efforts a quarter of this potential had been reached making it an enjoyable experience.
