One Fine Spring Day (2001)

Sometimes love sweeps you off your feet when you least expect it. It takes you on a roller coaster ride of high emotions and make you see things that may or may not be there.

I often have a sneaking suspicion of Korean romantic dramas because I'm always expecting someone to die. As a result I didn't think I'd like this movie, but I did. We have all experienced the story before: boy meets girl, they fall in love ... maybe one more so than the other. Nothing special. What made it good was Yoo Ji Tae. He did a really good job of making me empathize with his character. I felt his struggle, so much so that I wanted to reach into the movie and give him a hug. Haha.

The supporting cast, esp the hero's family, were pretty good too. Grandma gave one of the best piece of advice about women I've heard in a long time.

I also loved the scenery in this movie. Due to the nature of our hero's job Korea's natural beauty was very much emphasized here. The more I watch K-movies the more fascinated I become with its culture, its food and its people. My mind's now made up: the next vacation will be to South Korea.

Finally, the ending of One Fine Spring Day was very appropriate. Life is rife with tough decisions, but we gotta make 'em and rock on.

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I am writing this review after watching the movie 3 days ago and thinking about for a bit. And as the headline/title suggests, its an alright movie to watch. Compared to the standard mainstream stereotypical Korean romance genre (from the hand full of movies I have seen) full of it's cliches it much much better, with great character development making them feel relate able and tangible. However, the plot of the movie is extremely predictable. After "problem" arises in the middle section (in terms of story telling: beginning, middle and end) the resolution the said problem and eventual climax of the movie is foreseeable from a mile away. Personally, I have watched this story line in different form from other countries and therefore it might skew my opinion of this movie. However, from the Korean genre this my first, so that a definite plus. However, despite saying all this I think the performances of the movie are strongest aspect of it, but again to reiterate the character is good as well. Overall, I would recommend this movie if you haven't watched it before.

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An awesome, awesome movie

This is my favorite movie by one of my favorite Korean directors, Hur Jin Ho. It's also perhaps my favorite Korean movie in the love story/romance genre (although there's some stiff competition).

But beware, it's not for the typical MDL user. It's a slow, serious, realistic movie that doesn't try to manipulate your emotions and make you feel good. Because it's so realistic and truthful, I can really relate to this. If you've ever fallen head over heels in love with someone who had any kind of independent spirit or whose goal in life wasn't exactly to be your perfect love slave, then I bet you would be able to relate to this too. If that sounds good to you, then this gets my highest recommendation.

Also, I generally pay no attention to soundtracks for Korean movies and dramas, but the end credits song in this movie--A Spring Day Is Gone by Kim Yuna (no, not that Kim Yuna)--is my very favorite of any Korean movie or TV show. It actually isn't a perfect fit for the mood of this movie, but it's such a beautiful song, I don't care.

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