When I found this movie on Netflix, I had just finished watching SungKyunKwan Scandal. Having thoroughly enjoyed the 4 actors who make up the main cast of that drama (review coming later) I was keen to see what else they had been up to. Song Joong-Ki, who you see in the picture above, is an excellent actor and I was curious about a movie that described itself as a supernatural love story.
Soon-Yi is sitting at a breakfast table with her children and grandchildren when she gets a call from Korea. Surprised by whatever she is told over the phone, she informs her family that she has to go back to Korea. Once there, she meets up with her granddaughter and goes to a property that she used to live on when she was a girl. The movie then goes back in time as Soon-Yi remembers moving to the property as a girl with her mother and little sister. Helped by a spoiled rich brat who considers Soon-Yi his, their family soon settles into their new home. While there, they discover a young man living as a wild animal on the property. Cautious and starving, he allows the family to take him in and care for him. He can’t speak, has no manners and acts no different then any dog. Soon-Yi is at first repulsed by this ill mannered mongrel but soon warms up to him when she realizes that he possesses a gentle nature and is willing to learn. Ji-Tae, the rich brat with an inferiority complex, views this new male in the household as a threat to his claim on Soon-Yi as it becomes apparent that she prefers the mongrel to his money and said mongrel will protect his new family against him. Jealous and angry, Ji-Tae starts causing trouble for the family which brings out the boy’s protective instincts with unintended consequences.
Park Bo-Young plays young Soon-Yi beautifully. Yoo Yeon-Seok plays our rich brat and I was surprised to see him in this film. I had just watched him in Gu Family Book where he played a more loving character and so to see him cold and jealous was a hoot to see. Joong-Ki performance as our werewolf boy was amazing. You have no problem buying that he is a child brought up as an animal with animal instincts. From his eyes to his body language, he completely sells the character of Chul-Soo.
The pace of the movie is very good. The romance between Soon-Yi and Chul-Soo is understated but very real. You feel the bond between them in every glance and the body language is unreal. My only beef with the movie comes with the ending, which in typical Asian movie fashion is on the vague side. I’m not sure why they feel the need to obscure endings, but it seems to be a cultural thing since its so wide spread. However, the love and longing of Chul-Soo infects every moment of the movie with heart and you are right there with him, even if the story is technically told from Soon-Yi’s perspective.
If you like a warm love story that has a mild supernatural element, great story telling and a cast that is easy on the eyes, then this is for you. Nothing is graphic so its safe for all audiences. As for myself? I’ve seen this movie several times since I discovered it last year. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this movie a 4 because I prefer more concrete endings.
