One Spring Night - An Emotional Journey
My interest towards Korean content began from the Best Picture winner 'Parasite.' My introduction to k-dramas began from the worldwide famous 'Squid Game.' But upon a close friend's recommendation, I watched the 16 hour series 'One Spring Night', and I have to say, I've not been on an emotional journey with such compelling characters in a while.
We follow our protagonist 'Jeong-in', a librarian in a relationship with 'Gi-Seok', who falls in love with a pharmacist 'Yoo-ji-ho.' But the series isn't just about that. It's also about tackling the taboos in Korean culture, which many Indians like me, can relate to as well. Issues such as being a single parent, and being a divorcee are often used to judge the moral character of a person, and we see how these characters have to face these issues.
Obviously, we root for Jeong-in and Yoo-ji-ho to end up together, but she has to also break up with Gi-seok. Now the series could've easily made her boyfriend a character to be hated, but that would've been too easy for her. Instead, Gi-seok is indeed a nice man. He's flawed, but honestly, who isn't? He's admirable, respectful and somewhat empathetic. Despite this, we love the Pharmacist Yoo-ji-ho more because we know he's the right one for Jeong-in. Of course, he's charming and handsome, and has a lovely smile that can melt any heart, but we care for him, because he too has been through something rough in his past.
The series does have characters that I hate. Jeong-in's father is a man who believes in the ancient traditions followed by many. He wishes to marry off his daughters and maintain his reputation, without once thinking about them, and what they really want. He's strict and mean, but I didn't completely despise him. When he's in front of his boss, he loses all of the power he shows to his family. He's trying to impress others, and worries about what others think.
Jeong-in also has 2 sisters who are every supportive of each other. One of them is 'Seo-in', a well respected new anchor, who's stuck in an abusive relationship with a partner she was forced to marry because of her father. We hate her husband 'Nam-si-hoon' for being a greedy and abusive towards his wife. And 'Gi-seok' begins his path to jealousy once he learns his girlfriend has feelings for another man. Slowly, he becomes unlikeable as his actions cross the ethical line. But I didn't completely despise him either because I could understand where he's coming from, although I disagreed with his actions.
The beating heart of the series is the relationship between Jeong-in and Yoo-ji-oh. The scenes they share are my favourite because its full of romance and intimacy. They talk about their feelings for one another. Their flaws, what they're worried about, and what they're thankful for. It feels the most human as they're people who make mistakes, but continue to love each other. There were many cute and adorable scenes that just made me gush, along with the gorgeous visuals that added to the feeling. The musical theme of the show is also something I love. It's the voice of an angelic woman singing as the couple share their love for each other in the little moments. Now, I do believe it to be overused, but it wasn't a major issue.
The series isn't perfect. I found it a tad bit baffling how many times the characters met each other in various restaurants. Realistically speaking, our jobs would often come in the way, but the characters felt like they had a lot of time on their hands to always keep meeting in restaurants and coffee shops to talk about something or the other. It mildly took me out of the experience if I'm being honest.
But despite it's few flaws, I'm in love with this show. I felt like I learned something about Korea, it's places and it's culture. Our characters houses and the places they visit had become so familiar to me, that it felt like home. I had felt emotionally attached to the the people, and I didn't want the series to end. I wish I could see their struggles and triumphs forever. But all good things come to and end, and this one did too. But I'm thankful I got to experience this magnificent story.
Thank Your for Reading
I hope you liked this blog review, please make sure to comment about your thoughts on the film, or on how I could possibly improve. Also follow my YouTube Channel "Detox with P-Talks Official" where I analyse movies and do other movie related content along with short films, etc.
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