Derek Childs (totalovrdose)
Partially similar to A Walk to Remember, though at the same time incredibly different, the genres, comedy and drama, are efficaciously combined to produce My Girl and I. The film's beginning sees Soo-Ho (Cha Tae-Hyun) attending his school's ten year anniversary, this introductory component potentially having the capacity to be accused of giving too much away, revealing the passing of Soo-Eun (Sing Hye-Kyo), his first love, during his final year of school. However, at the same time, this heightens the sympathy and appreciation we feel towards her character, instantly revealing the affect her existence has had upon Soo-Ho.His character's ignorance and immaturity does, on more than one occasion, get the better of him, as evident in his inability to originally recognize Soo-Eun's affection, later, his selfish self-centered attitude occasionally inflicting pain on her, during instances when he in fact should be continuously appreciative of her compassionate interest. Though Soo-Ho's feelings for her are unfathomably strong, as depicted throughout the narrative, his inability to honestly convey this can easily make the audience become annoyed with his attitude, an aspect of his character which is not helped by his friends, who exhibit characteristics of jealousy, and mockery, in regards to romance.The continuous return to the ocean not only represents the beauty of the sea-side town, but compliments Soo-Eun's admittance that Soo-Ho, in her eyes, looks just like the sea, this being additionally heightened at the beginning by the loss of her beeper when she rescues Soo-Ho from drowning. Although the device is no longer in her possession, its ability to retain its message storage capability plays a large role in the feature, especially towards the end, as the leads exchange messages to one another after Soo-Eun provides Soo-Ho with the number so he too may access the device.The conversations that take place between the leads often includes beautifully poetic and romantic dialogue, the well written material sweeping the audience along, while the impressive acting talents of the main characters furthers the legitimacy of their convictions. Some of the issues that transpire between them are representative of other, similar films, though the predictability rarely plagues the audience due to the uniqueness the creator's employ. A scene where Soo-Ho throws a pebble at Soo-Eun's window to grasp her attention one night, a technique formerly used in other features, hilariously, leads him to cause damage to her residence.As Soo-Ho and Soo-Eun begin to spend time together, after committing to a relationship, the locations that the couple visit, including a pier, the beach, and a gorgeous island off the coast, heighten, visually, the beauty of their relationship. The soundtracks that accompany many of the scenes are as equally enjoyable, scaffolding not only the happiest moments of their love, but the saddest instances as well, the audience's awareness of Soo-Ho's loss providing a sense of tension, as we question if the pleasant moment we just viewed is the last they shall experience. With this thought in mind, My Girl and I reflects the traditional melodramatic material South Korea is known for producing, so be prepared for an emotionally poignant narrative, that becomes especially prominent upon the realization that not all is well with Soo-Eun.Moving on, perhaps the most enjoyable character of all was Soo-Ho's grandfather Man-Geum (Lee Soon-Jae), a funeral director, who helps scaffold the relationship between the leads with the revelation of his own first love experience. His heartening story of love and loss is developed over the duration of the feature, being as passionate as it is well developed, further realizing one of the film's endeavors - to make the characters and viewers alike believe in a romance that continues long into the afterlife. Moreover, Soo-Ho's mother (Kim Hae-Sook) and Soo-Eun's father (Han Myung-Goo), provide an equal measure of comic relief and emotional flare, Ms. Hae-Sook's inclusion in the story assisting in the depiction of pain felt after a lover's passing, while Mr. Myung-Goo admirably portrays a father who deeply cares for his daughter, the helplessness and acceptance he later conveys being especially well delivered.The stories of romance that occur around the leads will potentially remind viewers of Lover's Concerto, while at the same time, the feature reveals an honest depiction of adolescence and adulthood, and the differences that separate the two. Although a criticism could be made about the short amount of time dedicated to the relationship, in actuality, the plot is neither too long, nor too short, rewarding the viewer with a touching experience, that, although not entirely original, is still capable of bringing a tear and a smile.
Chrysanthepop
Jae-young Kwak's previous film 'Yeopgijeogin geunyeo' (aka 'My Sassy Girl') is one of my all time favourite romantic comedies. With 'Parang-juuibo' (aka 'My Girl and I') he tells an intense love story of two teenagers. This film very much reminded me of 'Love Story' but the director interprets it in his own unique and sincere way. Set against the spectacular and beautiful Korean landscape, with stunning cinematography and a lively background score, it's indeed a treat to watch. The director pays attention to detail, makes use of symbolism and tackles issues such as life, death, afterlife without derailing from the main story. Just like 'Love Story', 'Parang-juuibo' has some excellent dialogue that speak volumes with just a few words. While many have tagged the film as a sobfest, there's just so much more to this film than mere emotional manipulation and the director deserves immense credit for his honesty and authenticity in presentation. Clearly he's put a lot of heart into it. Tae-hyun Cha is more restrained here and gives a wonderfully intense performance that reflects his growth as an actor. The beautiful Hye-kyo Song too does an outstanding job with her balanced performance. The supporting cast make their presence felt. The entire cast and crew have done a superb job in making this magnificent little movie. Whether people will like it or not there is something the viewer will take away with them that will stay long after the closing credits have rolled and this is reason enough for anyone to watch a movie.
bretw
I'm not certain why Korean audiences are going through the "sappy love story" phase that the United States had to endure in the 1970s, but "My Girl and I" follows the same dubious steps as "Ryan's Song" and "Love Story" complete with heart-wrenching tragedy, young love, class struggles, and with the oddly Korean addition of broad comic sidekicks without which the film would be unbearable. Beautifully shot, and acted with a heavy gravitas, the script is the biggest fault in the movie, with overly-ripe dialog which becomes more earnest and overbearing as the film progresses. The music is similarly unsubtle, with thundering strings and a solo piano line increasing in volume whenever a tragic scene raises it's head. Perfect date movie for the romantic sentimentalist foreign-film enthusiast (you know who you are).
