Love with an obstacle This is not a school story, as it may seem at first glance. It is a story of friendship that slowly grows into something more. The film is about how destructive jealousy can be, and how important it is to take the first step in time to stay true to your feelings. Kim-suk and Hae-rim were born on the same day, and they also live next door. Boy and girl, boy and girl – they spend time together all the time. Together they experience and rejoice for each other, share impressions, watch movies, go to the library. But in his final year at school, Ki-seok realized he was in love with his neighbor. However, he could not confess his feelings to her. What if Yeon Hae-rim rejects him, what if he turns away and shuts himself up? It is better to remain a friend and wait for the right moment to confess. However, it is at this point that the third student of the class appears. More confident, determined and purposeful. Hae-rim as he can let Dong-gyun know that he does not feel the same feelings for the beginner, but his assertiveness is stronger. And all that remains for Ki-soku is to watch as happiness and hope slowly turn away from him.
The classic story about heroes-neighbors and a love triangle has repeatedly become the basis for such films. Suffice it to recall "Get Me Crazy" (1999), "At Any Cost" (2000) and hundreds of other films. In contrast, the creation of Kang Su-yeon takes much less screen time, but no less powerful and dramatic. For obvious reasons, the director focused on the development of the line of main characters, from the fact that if secondary and appear, they seem only background, mostly not affecting the fate or decisions of the main three characters. It is a pity, of course, that due to the limited time (already the film was originally shot for TV and had clear requirements for itself), the creators did not pay them due attention. The same school friend Lee Jon-ho is a very funny and funny character who, if properly developed, could make a noticeable stream in the film. Actor Koh Gong-han is very good at such roles, which he once again proved in the notorious drama “I am not a robot”, released in the same 2017.
By the way, in the same drama starred actress Chae Su-bin, also performed there at once two main roles – a robot and a real girl. Her Yeon Hae-rim is an honest and open girl who, however, quite often suffers from this. It is amazing how subtly and accurately the 23-year-old actress managed to embody the role of a teenager, to convey the inner world, habits and behavior of her heroine.
The film is very powerful in dramatic terms. The creators made the main bet not so much on the development of the event series as on the transfer of the inner state of the main characters, how they react to what is happening, perceive it. From that, even for an hour while the film is going on, you have time to understand the characters, to look at the world through their eyes. The story doesn't seem complete at all. Moreover, Kang Soo-yeon and Lim Ye-jin deliberately do not place accents, and the viewer in the end remains somewhat perplexed. Where did the third character go, disappearing so suddenly that the characters did all summer, what will happen a year later when the heroine returns, and will she return at all, although she made a promise?
A distinctive feature of the film is that the characters in it say so little about love directly. It's not in words, it's in actions. Caring for each other, sincere affection. Perhaps that is why Hareem so often confuses this feeling with friendship, the habit of seeing his neighbor, sharing with him the most intimate, while remaining constantly at a distance? It is impossible not to worry about Lim Hee-sook, watching how the guy always shows sincere affection for the girl, without thinking about how Hareem interprets his actions. That is why he invariably gives the impression of an honest, decent person, not only in relation to his love, but also to his friends.
An interesting technique was the association of the internal state of the heroes with the seasons. Hope and feeling with the flowering of spring. Extinction and awareness of gradual loss with the onset of sleepy and rainy autumn. Staying in “hibernation” and despair associated with an attempt to forget everything – frosty winter. Summer is just summer...
The film is not bad and makes you think about those who are nearby, care about them, and give yourself a chance for hope. It is pleasant to watch when the soul requires food, but also when you just want to see something easy and pleasant.
Some interesting points:
Writer Lee Ye-jin, actors Chae Soo-bin, Jin Yong, Lee Jun-hyuk have previously worked together in the drama Moonlight Painted by Clouds (2016).
- Work on the film was completed quite quickly. In mid-June 2017, the casting of the main actors took place, and by August the film was ready for screening.
The South Korean TV drama was filmed as part of KBS2’s Drama Special project. The project screens short 70-minute dramas (usually individual episodes), each episode features different plots, actors, director and screenwriter.
8 out of 10