The power of true, unqualified love to heal. Beautiful, sad, but finally triumphant. Sometimes heartbreaking, always inspiring, superbly acted and directed. A bit dated of course regarding HIV treatments and social attitudes, but also with the beginning hints of understanding. South Korea gets it right again.
7 Reviews
A Nutshell Review: You are My Sunshine
DICK STEEL26 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Touted as the biggest love story in Korea in 2005, it is no surprise why the hype. Based/Inspired by a true story (there had been a handful of such movies in the recent weeks), You are My Sunshine is your typical melodramatic romance, with leads so cute and pretty, you can't help but be captivated as you embark on their journey of love.
It brings to mind a frequently asked question, whether it is better to love, or be loved. Seok-joong (Hwang Jeong-min) is a affable, simple minded hillbilly farmer, who dreams of getting married to the woman of his dreams, and settling down in a cattle ranch. Luckless in love, he contemplates going abroad to look for a Filipino wife, just as one of his buddies did. But anyhow soon after, he meets Eun-ha (Jeon Do-yeon), a "coffee" girl who also moonlights as a karaoke hostess, and falls head over heels with her.
Eun-ha is a complex woman with a shady past, but although we were not told exactly what, from Do-yeon's portrayal, it doesn't take a genius to warrant an accurate guess. She's extremely guarded and frosty, having lost hope in men, but eventually gets touched by Seok-joong's sincerity. Who says your average joe couldn't snag that hot babe, if he tries doggedly hard, and is thick skinned about it? And thick skinned he sure is, as he forges ahead in marriage despite objections from his aged mother. The movie then moves onto a different plane, looking at societal prejudices against people of certain trades, as well as misinformation about the disease AIDS. Eun-ha's past catches up with her (shades of Banderas-Jolie's Original Sin here), and Seok-joong learns of her being inflicted with the disease. Eun-ha disappears, and the village folk gets flustered in having to undergo HIV testing, putting the blame of the introduction of the disease on Seok-joong.
It's always difficult when you want to shake off the past, but yet get haunted by its ghost. You're seeking a new and ideal life, and it's always blissful to be with a loved one. You know the romance bit pauses and the melodrama sets in after the introduction of the ex-boyfriend, and the pacing of the movie suffered with the discovery of the illness thereafter.
I was waiting for scenes which will turn on the tear ducts. There were ample potential ones like the uneventful searches, the longing, the loss, but they were all building up the emotions to that one scene near the end, where you really feel the love lost, of being so close yet so far, the longing feeling to hold your loved one in your arms, to embrace them in warmth, to keep them safe from harm and to shower them with your love. Damn power, and really heart-wrenching, although it sort of looked comedic at the start.
As the alternative to another Korean romance Daisy, this one tended to be a little more intimate mature, and being less flashy. If you're up for some good old fashioned weepy, then You are My Sunshine is your choice between the two.
It brings to mind a frequently asked question, whether it is better to love, or be loved. Seok-joong (Hwang Jeong-min) is a affable, simple minded hillbilly farmer, who dreams of getting married to the woman of his dreams, and settling down in a cattle ranch. Luckless in love, he contemplates going abroad to look for a Filipino wife, just as one of his buddies did. But anyhow soon after, he meets Eun-ha (Jeon Do-yeon), a "coffee" girl who also moonlights as a karaoke hostess, and falls head over heels with her.
Eun-ha is a complex woman with a shady past, but although we were not told exactly what, from Do-yeon's portrayal, it doesn't take a genius to warrant an accurate guess. She's extremely guarded and frosty, having lost hope in men, but eventually gets touched by Seok-joong's sincerity. Who says your average joe couldn't snag that hot babe, if he tries doggedly hard, and is thick skinned about it? And thick skinned he sure is, as he forges ahead in marriage despite objections from his aged mother. The movie then moves onto a different plane, looking at societal prejudices against people of certain trades, as well as misinformation about the disease AIDS. Eun-ha's past catches up with her (shades of Banderas-Jolie's Original Sin here), and Seok-joong learns of her being inflicted with the disease. Eun-ha disappears, and the village folk gets flustered in having to undergo HIV testing, putting the blame of the introduction of the disease on Seok-joong.
It's always difficult when you want to shake off the past, but yet get haunted by its ghost. You're seeking a new and ideal life, and it's always blissful to be with a loved one. You know the romance bit pauses and the melodrama sets in after the introduction of the ex-boyfriend, and the pacing of the movie suffered with the discovery of the illness thereafter.
I was waiting for scenes which will turn on the tear ducts. There were ample potential ones like the uneventful searches, the longing, the loss, but they were all building up the emotions to that one scene near the end, where you really feel the love lost, of being so close yet so far, the longing feeling to hold your loved one in your arms, to embrace them in warmth, to keep them safe from harm and to shower them with your love. Damn power, and really heart-wrenching, although it sort of looked comedic at the start.
As the alternative to another Korean romance Daisy, this one tended to be a little more intimate mature, and being less flashy. If you're up for some good old fashioned weepy, then You are My Sunshine is your choice between the two.
Well Made, Very Dramatic
crossbow010624 May 2009
I remember the actress Do-yeon Jeon who plays Eun-ha here from a subsequent film, the uncompromising, depressing "Secret Sunshine". She was amazing in that film and is just as good here, as a waitress/hostess. Jeong-min Hwang plays the fairly naive bumpkin like Suk-jung, who falls for her. It takes a long time for her to warm up to the idea of him as a boyfriend, but she does. Then, it is found out she has HIV. He vows to search for her, to always take care of her. This is the kind of film that only works as a film. I suppose the message is to follow your heart. Many people will be turned off by this film and not only for moral reasons. They may feel it is manipulative. However, the film is never boring and Do-yeon Jeon is a terrific actress. I'm going to see if she has done comedy because she was the lead in two very dramatic, soul searching but sad roles. If you can get past the storyline, the film is well made. Does love conquer all? Thats what this film tries to answer for you.
you are my sunshine
andrew_w_imdb20 February 2006
I'm an American ex-pat living in Seoul.
I saw this movie without English subtitles and still managed to be affected by the story despite just having started to study Korean.
The excellent story, direction, acting, and cinematography carried this film over any linguistic obstacles I had for a great delivery. I can't wait to pick it up on DVD to finally know some of the dialog that had every Korean person in the theta sobbing by the end of the movie. Really, a great story. You Are My Sunshine (English title) covers the issue of AIDS as well as prostitution, two topics that are still a little taboo in Korea, as well as much of Asia.
I saw this movie without English subtitles and still managed to be affected by the story despite just having started to study Korean.
The excellent story, direction, acting, and cinematography carried this film over any linguistic obstacles I had for a great delivery. I can't wait to pick it up on DVD to finally know some of the dialog that had every Korean person in the theta sobbing by the end of the movie. Really, a great story. You Are My Sunshine (English title) covers the issue of AIDS as well as prostitution, two topics that are still a little taboo in Korea, as well as much of Asia.
A breath of fresh air
harry_tk_yung28 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I passed up this not-your-usual Korean romance a few months ago when it came to the theatres, although I did very much want to see Jeon Do-yeon (my second favourite Korean actress) who plays a character named "Eun-ha" (silver river), which is incidentally the same as Shim Eun-ha, my top favorite Korean actress (who doesn't seem to be making pictures any more). The fact that this is based on a true story is an effective vaccination against the plague on Korean romance tearjerkers in recent years sappy contrivances. This movie, which has little by way of plot, is simply the love story between a life-loving prostitute and a devoted, simple farmer. Light-hearted in most parts, this movie is free from the usual shameless emotion manipulation you find in Korean romances in the last few years - a breath of fresh air, sparkling particularly with Jeon Do-yeon's performance.
Too divulging to be sympathized.
luke-3511 December 2005
The story is based on a real gossip some years ago in Korea, and focusing on the eternal, condition-less love between a naive peasant and a bereft ex-prostitute whose past is somewhere under the body of many male CLIENTs. Every love has its own silver line and every lover has his/her own attitude; But, the love between this couple is too candid to be understood but to be appreciated. As no scientific paradigm cannot define THE LOVE, this movie just illustrates what love gotta be even under extreme background.
Nevertheless, the emotion of love affair and the instinct of affection should be separated. This movie, regrettably, fails in the depiction of love itself but concentrates on the struggle for keeping his/her aficionado toward each other against all social rules and interference. Love will shine when it's against all odds. However, these odds are too exaggerated in the movie to be overcome by love itself, otherwise making the love tattered with uncompromising and painful memories.
Director's endeavor to gather every piece of elegiac elements is too evident, and the performances of two actor/actress are very easy going, enough to make audiences lost in the clearly "schematized" sadness.
Nevertheless, the emotion of love affair and the instinct of affection should be separated. This movie, regrettably, fails in the depiction of love itself but concentrates on the struggle for keeping his/her aficionado toward each other against all social rules and interference. Love will shine when it's against all odds. However, these odds are too exaggerated in the movie to be overcome by love itself, otherwise making the love tattered with uncompromising and painful memories.
Director's endeavor to gather every piece of elegiac elements is too evident, and the performances of two actor/actress are very easy going, enough to make audiences lost in the clearly "schematized" sadness.
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