Movie Digest
This film is about 12 year-old Seon-yoo whose single mother is drowning in the debt her father left behind when he died of suicide. The movie is centred around Korea’s social issues and how it affects families, especially children.
The Feel-Good Part
The film is incredibly emotional and hits all the right spots in terms of expressing the complexities of the character’s feelings. The movie is quite heavy as it takes on social issues in Korea. The ideas are well expressed and add a layer of feeling to the over-arching plot. The social issues and emotions also act together to deliver a hard-hitting film. The film is shot beautifully, the cinematography really shows the expansive nature the film tries to portray, despite dealing with heavy themes the film is vibrant and full of colour, which is fascinating to watch. The score of the movie delivers the emotion and moves in line with the progression of the story, some of the songs are familiar, which will help the audience connect to the film. The film is simple with familiar plotlines and elements, which may add onto the familiarity aspect of film.
The Disappointing Factor
The themes of grief are very explicitly mentioned, there is no room for subtlety, which can get overbearing during certain scenes as the audience may feel like they can’t catch a break from the characters’ hardships. There isn’t much of a family backstory that the audience can hold onto to completely grasp the depth of the characters’ grief and pain, which could be alienating for certain members of the audience, and hence decrease the emotional impact the film has. The film also gets melodramatic in certain places, especially nearing the end, which could put viewers off as it may become too heavy for some to handle. The film feels more like a generalized story rather than an account of one person’s experience, which means that it lacks detail that may have been required to connect with the characters.
In-Depth Analysis
The film is a very simple account of a young girl’s problems that is either extremely impactful or may fall short on the emotions, depending on the audience and their preferences. The details of the characters’ lives are missing, which may make the feel somewhat empty at times. The mvie has a sound narrative structure and is well-executed for the post part as it uses all the cinematic elements well to deliver a strong film.
Star Power
The film relies on the characters who happen to be children; the young actors are exquisite in the film. They have delivered the emotions of their characters in a way that’s believable without being overdramatic. It is incredible to watch them carry the entire film on their shoulders at such a young age.
Overall Opinion
Please Don’t Save Me is not an easy film to watch because of the heavy themes it explores, but it’s extremely rewarding to watch. The movie is well executed and does justice to the social issues it explores as well as represents the human experience with nuance. This film will be enjoyed by people who love emotional movies.
