Movie Digest
Four friends Seo-Yeon, Hee-Joo, Ga-hee, and Bo-Yeong, have known each other for the past ten years. Presently in their late twenties, they share a close bond of friendship and custom of venting out their dating life struggles with their respective partners while sipping coffee. The tea here involves a coffee shop owner in a relationship with an indifferent man who lacks empathy skills, a flight attendant whose partner has been persistently taking the Civil Exams for more than ten years, and an average fund manager whose boyfriend never says the magical ‘L’ word and a director of a children’s theater company with awful luck of dealing with her boyfriend and his secret relationships. Yet these four friends of twenty-nine years won’t lose heart in their despair, but figure out their options. How do they do it? only one way to find out.
The Feel-Good Part
You have four best friends, who despite experience and sharing their troubles in relationships are still comparatively different from each other in terms of reactions and independent opinions to the same. There are scenes and plot lines in the film that connect the characters to
the general audience, wherein the film highlights the fact that the element of romance is merely not enough in any relationship dynamic. The lack of gratification of the friends and their partners’ visual appearances, or the depiction of the character flaws is what makes the movie more relatable. The few instances wherein the roles are switched when it comes to the portrayal of emotions and holding perspectives. The male characters can be emotional and open-minded as well as at the same time the female characters can also be emotionally reserved towards their partners or a bit too conventional. The friendships, as well as the relationships, are neither dramatized nor overly romanticized in the film.
The Disappointing Factor
The visual quality of the film gives off the 2010-era vibes with the consistent neutral lighting and camera angles. It lacks visual creativity and the drawback visible is the film’s slow plotline progress. It is a movie based on friendship and drama, yet the execution of the plot is stretched unnecessarily. Though there aren’t any overdramatic punchlines, the comedic timeline within the movie could have been better. Besides that, the movie does consist of a cliche repetitive sequence in the plot, wherein the four friends are constantly hanging out at the coffee shop. The sequence goes along with the story of one of the friends owning a coffee shop but fails to add to the visual creativity. The background musical inputs in the movie though not bad but could have been better in signifying the messy and intense situations faced by the characters.
In-Depth Analysis
The 2021 release South Korean film is a female-centered movie that offers a fresh and unconventional storyline for its viewers. The character dynamics within the film support the movie’s plot and character conflicts. A wide variety of characters in the movie works in entertaining and stimulating the viewers which increases the probability of hitting the viewer’s sore spots with the simplistic and intricate lives of the characters. The directional choice of the movie in moderating the sexual scenes facilitates avoiding the typical cliche baits that are commonly
used in commercial movies. The movie successfully depicts the issues that arise in relationships due to combination and cultural backgrounds.
Star Power
Screenplay writer and director of the movie, Lee Seo-Byeol has appeared in various movies and dramas such as Hospital Playlist, The World of the Married, Oh My Geum, Like a French Film, A Taxi Driver, etc. and takes a further step into her career by directing her movie alongside co-director Shin Hyo Rin. She adds an extra element to the film by casting herself into one of the lead roles of ‘Seo-Yeon’ and delivers a convincing portrayal of a woman who was a former child actress and has the tendency to be the cause of her most issues. The movie also consists of three more talented female leads. Han jo-Na, who appeared in shows like Forgotten, and Memories of the Sword plays the character of Hee-Joo who has been in a long-term relationship in comparison to her friends. Actors Lee Da Hae and Kang Na-ri, play the lead roles of Ga-Hee and Bo-Yeong. Characters that are more relatable to the audience concerning the characters dealing with the messy situations in their lives and learning to acknowledge rather than ignore the barriers and obvious hitches in their relationships. Yang Ji-won, Ji Chan, Koo Yoon Sang, and Seo In Kwon play the characters of the female lead’s romantic partners. They each have a distinctive role that serves as the cause of the female partners’ rising frustrations and distance in their relationships. The actors manage to do justice to their roles in their entire movie. At the same time, the actors through their acting skills gain the viewer’s consideration and patience for the roles that they are portraying.
Overall Opinion
In conclusion, the movie’s directional purpose advances in enlightening the viewers about the character’s cultural background, communication style as well as perspective towards a situation and how it majorly influences relationship satisfaction and friendships in general.
