A rarity these days for film-makers to be proficient in varying genres. Director of acclaimed horror films "Shutter" and "Alone" carves a niche in his first romance comedy showcase that is very much fun and laughter inducing. Fans of Korean pop culture and TV dramas will not want to miss this.
A love story about two strangers who know nothing about each other and fall in love. He (
Chantavit Dhanasevi) is a football fanatic, videogame nerd, social butterfly, comic lover, tired of love stories and a cynic of love while she (
Neungtida Sophon) is Korean soap opera fan, beef lover, devout radio station listener, avid book reader, and homebody. Together, they are perfect strangers who will travel, eat, share a room, and talk about anything and everything including each others top secrets.
Frankly speaking, upon knowing that Director Banjong Pisanthanakun (
of Shutter and Alone fame) is doing a romance comedy, I'm really not that surprised. In fact I held high hopes as I've seen what he's capable of with his comedy-horror film segments in "
4bia" and its sequel "
Phobia 2". With a very good mix of humour and spooks for these two short films, he finally ventures away from horror for the first time with good results.
Capitalising upon his good comic sense of humour, he has written some very engaging screenplay together with his male lead Dhanasevi, which probably explains why he seems so natural in his wonderful role performance as the irritating cynic who meets a pure-hearted homely girl crazy over Korean dramas in South Korea.
Besides the hilarious and sparkling presence of Dhanasevi, new face Sophon (
a.k.a NooNa) earns a great first feature grade for her film resume. Appearing blissful and bubbly while maintaining a
girl-next-door image that appeals to the boys out there, she is one mesmerising newcomer to watch out for. When it comes to the sentimental scenes where she has to get wet in tears, she pulls it off like a seasoned natural (
possibly with an acting coach as credited in the film).
Likely to be a reflection of the current Korean television drama craze that has overwhelmed Asian countries like Thailand, it sets off to be some sort of a Korean drama spoof attempting to poke fun at it through the cynicism of Dhanasevi. When paired with Korean drama lover NooNa, their interactions give rise to an influential synergetic ensemble that easily captivates our hearts. Thanks to some really interesting writing, this film is filled with several comical scenarios that got us blatantly laughing out loud.
It's really all about the fun we enjoy from them.
Of course, what's a
rom-com without the soppy melodrama? Unnecessarily long to cause a minor draggy feel, this is where we discover the Director's limitations of inexperience with romance. However, the romance plot elements somewhat reflect scenarios that are often common of couples in real life. Their development gets me nodding in agreement at times as I can totally relate couples around me to them, a credit that I have to give Pisanthanakun for.
Both of them came to South Korea from different backgrounds under different scenarios, but what brought them together is the tiny but definitive time span that seals their fate together. Two heartbroken persons meeting and having each other in a foreign land to discover true joys of life, every condition that has to be right are fulfilled.
Fate is an uncanny affair (
we know it's scripted but...).
Standing amidst the extensive humour, fun, and melodrama, one gets truly influenced to hold desires to visit South Korea with a prominent feature of South Korean culture and her scenic urban cityscape and snowscape. So that means even if you don't buy the brand of romance and humour that they are selling, you'll still get to enjoy a cultural tour in South Korea.
Fun-filled culture exchange makes for good film material.
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