★ 8 / 10
A short review.
minandmeg
I watched this for the first time with my south Korean house mate.The video had no subs for me to read but that didn't matter because the acting was so great…
I watched this for the first time with my south Korean house mate.The video had no subs for me to read but that didn't matter because the acting was so great and the story so well written that you knew what was happening. I did have to ask my house mate to translate a few things here and there but for the most part i just loved watching the film with out the distraction of subs. I especially loved the scene in the ballet school and the scene in the hospital. Both these scenes are beautifully shot.
I loved the way the two lead characters interact. There is non of the usual sloppy, fuzzy, cheesy romance that south Korean films do so well. There is a sophistication or maturity to the relationship developing during the film.
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★ 8 / 10
Seemingly typical melodrama, but more than what it seems
refresh_daemon
So the title of the film, I'm guessing, has to do with the present moment, as in how you use the suffix "-ing" to make a verb in the continuous present tense.…
So the title of the film, I'm guessing, has to do with the present moment, as in how you use the suffix "-ing" to make a verb in the continuous present tense. The story uses a popular Korean melodramatic cliché terminal illness (don't worry, it's not a spoiler because you learn it early on) as a means of exploring human relationships and the value of life.
All this is done with fairly slick directing and cinematography, with a touch of lame CGI and a surprisingly attractive soundtrack. The protagonist shifts over the course of the movie, but is primarily a sickly young high school student, acted naturally by the lead sister of Tale of Two Sisters. She is moody and withdrawn, but early in the film encounters a young man who stubbornly refuses to let her be.
Of course, there's a little love story involved, but surprisingly, the love story is a smaller factor than the the young Mina learning how to appreciate the life and the people in her life that she has. Another wonderful portrait is the relationship between Mina and her mother, Misuk, who she refers to by her first name (an astounding device, as few Koreans would ever call their parents by their first names).
The film still suffers from a little manipulativeness and the humongous cliché of the terminal illness, but despite it, manages to be breezy, cool and at the same time poignant. The ending of the film drags a little and the recent Korean desire for "twists" even seeps its way into the film (M. Night Shyalaman, what have you wrought??), but the film still carries enough weight and an excellent atmosphere that keeps it enjoyable, despite these problems.
And did I mention that I simply adore the soundtrack? Where can I find Korean music like that, rather than the overglossed pointlessness that is Kpop? I might have to make another purchase from Yesasia.com.
Good. 8/10.
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Dot doesn't work well with file systems. There is an ellipsis (…) character for that purpose.