4 Han Hyo-joo Films

Yes, four is a weird number, It was supposed to be five, but I can't bring myself to finish Love, Lies knowing how destructive and tragic it will be. Anyhow, here any some mini-reviews, a product of my impromptu Han Hyo-joo Marathon last week.

Love 911

A harsh-talking firefighter gets involved with a self-serving doctor. He hates her. Or does he? It follows their lives as she nestles in next to him with ulterior motives.

  I can't say I thought this film would be particularly unique until the half-way point. It seemed like a standard opposites-attract comedy. Yet, I was impressed with how it played out. It was refreshingly to have leads who were somehow charming, thanks to the wonderful actors behind them, but had absolutely horrible personality. The background characters weren't forgotten, the primary conflicts became incredibly compelling, and the romance was surprisingly cute. I think that what the film did best was upping the stakes - often, a drama or movie introduces a last-minute obstacle that you know will be somehow overturned. Except here, they managed to convincingly establish that characters can die (only to turn it over right at the very end by announcing the male lead was invincible.)

Always

A former boxer dragging his feet from one day to the next gets a new lease of life after meeting a sunny blind woman. They make each other's lives better.

  Ugh, I don't even know where to start. Firstly, I am so glad I gave this movie a shot. The tragedy tag scared me away, as it tends to do, but I shouldn't have been so dismissive. The film is not depressive; it's hopeful and healing and uplifting. I can't decide which character I liked more, Marcellino or Jung-hwa, but all I know is that the movie was all them. If they had been cast differently, I'm sure the film would have felt different. I could have done without the reliance on tropes in places (tragic past connection, separation arc and so on) but I'm sure that's mostly fatigue and not any sense that these elements felt shoehorned in. It's a touching, wildly romantic movie that will make you cry like a baby, and you won't regret it.

Beauty Inside

A man who never has the same face and body twice manages to establish a romantic relationship with a woman who sees past the surface of his skin.

  There's obviously whiplash that occurs from a premise like this - obviously, every actor within the extensive cast is amazing, but no two actors can convincingly become the same person. Without any strange and quirky personality traits, it was very difficult to connect to Woo-jin as a character. The movie, however, makes up for this in spades like the way it explores attraction, and how far that it's based upon physical appearance. The plot was cleverly constructed, and I particularly liked how it didn't gloss over the implications of a relationship quite like this and how it could never be understood by society. Reality within fantasy. This really is a wonderful, thought-provoking movie that I recommend (if just to marvel at the star power, or to play a game of Popular Actor Bingo).

Ad-lib Night

A woman is approached on the street by two men, who plead with her to impersonate a dying man's daughter so his last wish will be fulfilled. She agrees.

  This is definitely the weirdest movie on this list, and the most difficult one to talk about. In terms of plot, the least happened, and in terms of actors, Han Hyo-joo is the only person remotely note-worthy. It's a bizarre, dialogue-driven film designed to inspire reflection. Taking place over the course of one night, it's incredibly slow-paced. It isn't until the very end that you feel like you've learned anything substantial over the heroine, when suddenly a billion little pieces of her behaviour all come together, and suddenly the film that was an enigma before makes sense. Am I doing it too much justice? Was it just purposely vague? I don't know, you decide.