20th Century Girl Review: This Korean Film Is TwentyFive TwentyOne All Over Again
"20th Century Girl" movie review. Warning: Potential spoilers ahead. When I first started watching Korean dramas and movies, the biggest attraction was the idea of a happy ending, as strange and unrealistic as it sounds. The ending is magical, a reminder that things in my life can be chaotic, I know Opa on screen had a happy ending. However, this year, South Korean writers seem to have opted against the glossy finish. A list of shows and movies have been chosen to give the story a more realistic and believable conclusion. The latest addition to this list is 20th Century Girl.
Starring Kim Yoo Jung, Byung Woo Seok, and Ro Yoon Seo, 20th Century Girl is a South Korean life lesson film in the late 1990s. The film is about a girl named Na Bo-ra (Kim Yoo-jung) and her promise to her best friend. Bo-ra is loyal to her boyfriend and thinks about keeping enough distance from her best friend (played by Park Jung-woo), but also about getting enough information about him. In the process, he falls in love with his best friend Poong Won Ho (Byeon Woo-seok).
© Image of a 20th century girl courtesy of News18.The spark is when they exchange glances over ice cream and pick plums from the tree Won-ho planted with his father when he was young. However, life takes a sudden turn when Na Bo-ra's best friend returns and a shocking revelation comes.
A 20th century girl puts her heart in the right place. It lets you relive the memories of your first love with a touch of nostalgia, gives you butterflies in your stomach and makes you smile at every frame as you watch Kim Yoo-jung and Beon Woo-seok create magic on screen. Yours. Chemical substances. Their innocence is the foundation of this film and makes you root for them until the last minute.
While the main couple hook you up, the on-screen bond between Kim Yoo-jung and Ro Eun-seo shines through in the film as well. I wish it had been explored a little more. If given the opportunity, I would love to meet them at a series of fun friendship-based events.
Kudos to writer and director Bang Woo-ri for his narrative style. At first, you think the movie is told from the perspective of Na Bo Ra, played by Kim Yoo Jung. However, when the final scene plays, you'll realize that you've seen the film through the eyes of Poong Woon-ho Baeon Woo-seok, here's the title. Very clever story.
I've always been fascinated by the way South Korean movies and shows portray the small towns of the 90s in their shows and movies, and 20th Century Girl did not disappoint. Colorful vintage scenes, cherry blossom gardens, and audiovisual media such as VCRs and school radios combine to create a quintessential '90s vibe.
With all these dopamine-boosting novels and images, the movies come across as real, and that's when problems arise. While I have no problem bringing movies to mind, this one does. It is understandable that a 20th century girl does not want to delve into the past, trying to show that everyone is unconsciously moving forward and shortening time. So instead of giving answers through discussion, they let the audience decide the possible events.
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This creates a basis for debate among viewers, but somehow defies logic. When Na Bo-ra found out about Poong Woon Ho's fate, my first thought was why didn't they ask her how everything worked out. This is very human, isn't it? The film tries to answer the question as if it is nothing, but the elephant is too big to ignore.
Despite all that, if you want a simple Korean romance movie, I recommend 20th Century Girl. This movie brings back memories of Nam Jo-hyuk and director Kim Tae-ri's Twenty-Five-One with its tragic ending, unanswered questions and positive emotions, but still manages to make its own mark.
The film is now available on Netflix.
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