20th Century Girl (2022)

a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon

{It will warm your heart like a cup of tea...with youthful laughter and the innocent blushes of first love...yet you will still feel somewhat sad and melancholy...as one does on a rainy afternoon.}

20th Century Girl is definitely a solid high school, nostalgic rom-com. Admittedly, it is nothing original with a cliche plotline, and typical misunderstandings make up the biggest backbone of the plotline. However, the actors give life to their characters; Kim Yoo Jung's range of emotions never fails to astound me, and her co-lead Byun Woo Seok represents his character's subtle warmth perfectly. (AND OMG all the cameos--Han Hyo Joo, Gong Myung, & Ong Seung Wu--were a surprise to me, and all of them were faves, so I was genuinely happy to see them, too <3)

My only gripe is that I don't think it was quite the tear-jerker like fans on TikTok and other social media made it seem. I was definitely not sobbing or bawling at the middle of the movie, and I was not a puddle of tears at the end. (BUT I DO WISH that we could get a happy ending FOR ONCE in kdramaland 2022. Why do writers hate us this year!? Why WON'T YOU GIVE A PERFECTLY GOOD COUPLE their well-deserved happy ending?!? I'm also definitely unsatisfied with the lingering, unanswered threads at the end of the movie, but I appreciate how other aspects did come full circle. )

Nevertheless, the nostalgic color palette and grading of the film make this movie feel like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon, and the overall production quality raises what should be a 7/10 story to a 8.5/10 cinema. (The silhouette scene of their side profiles in the closet? LOVE.) Because even I, no matter how cynical of a critic hat I pretend to don, am a slave to my feelings, and the predictable plot could not prevent my tears at the end. The simplicity of the dialogue still pulled at my heartstrings, proving that a trope done well...will always hit home.

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a ‘bud’ of a movie

Mayve the fact that I expected a lot of this movie made me so disappointed. The scores and reviews are all good, it’s a Netflix Production, and it’s got a very good cast.. so what could possibly go wrong?

With all those good things I guess the script and writing is what fumbles. It’s a shame because a lot of lower production does things a lot better but don’t get the recognition they deserve. I won’t talk about that anymore here.. I’ll just share my thoughts about the movie

What I liked were the main character trio. I liked them, but unfortunately they weren’t developed at all. The time jump seriously is too harsh and the division is very big between being a high school to an adult. The college scene was thrown in there to make up for it but it failed, it just showed that Bo Ra against gotten over Woon Ho, and it was done with a blind date which I find pretty lazy. There are so many ways to present a character missing someone but trying to deny it, and she straight up said it out loud.

There is a lot of visually stunning moments, the aesthetic is very good with this movie. I just wished they would’ve been more creative other than just beautiful scenes. They couldn’t done much more symbolically.

Woon Ho and Bo Ra had a short romance, but it didn’t get to be fully developed either. It seemed nothing fully bloomed. So I don’t understand why Woon Ho was just pronounced dead- it really threw me off? The time skip didn’t need to happen- honestly I can’t tell what kind of ending to a movie this was other than to cheaply try to get people to cry. Emotional stories can be done better than that, it’s kind of insulting to kill someone off and just say it rather than show or allude slowly or hint it. He was just dead and she never knew.. it felt cheap to me to get me to feel bad. If this movie really wanted a cry and to make a character die at least tell me why he died, instead I’m left feeling like this movie didn’t end, it was very loose and had no resolution. Her friend wasn’t brought up on the future, her parents, her own brother… what happened to those characters that were introduced.

I also understand I’m being harsh. But within a realistic setting and time that I’ve lived through I’m just baffled at this loose approach. It’s hard to have things be so all over the place and unexplained if it’s in a modern setting where answers can be found easily.

So this movie is just a watch- interesting, it was so easy to just do and not make a fuss but it tried too hard and failed for me.

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Sweet and Sad

This is one of those beautiful doses of nostalgia, a moment in the life of a bunch of teens... Reminding me of my own youth, as I too was born 1983, had a heart condition, and had to leave my loved ones behind to move to different country, crying on a plane... longing...

This movie has an amazing cast, great cinematography and some really good characters. There are a few scenes that annoyed me, but they were properly delt with later on showing a teen with a heart condition as... you know a teen with crushes, wishes and desires beyond a cure... Wanting to stay put so she can get close to her crush... As well as some stuff that others take for granted but teens with heart conditions have to del with. + She actually got to have a scar!

" I need a friend not a nurse"

The flirting in this movie is top notch, and though there are moments when the female lead feels straight out of Disney (especially in the beginning) and I do not agree with all of her decisions. She is pretty cool, bad ass and kind all at the same time without becoming a super hero. The male lead is really sweet in every way possible (almost), playful, kind and listen to this he actually respects women, and seems to grasp the notion of consent before people used the word consent 1999.

The friendships in this movie have their good sides and less good sides, just like most relationships do in real life. They are however really well executed except for some annoying overly high pitched crying here and there, which is why this is a 9 and not a 9,5. There is a a pretty high rate of predictability but also some moments that may surprise you (very few though) .

Level of tears- build up and light fog in the eyes but no full blown snotty crying.
Level of cuteness- High, oh so high...

So if you can handle some pain, go watch this movie. If not save it for a day when you can handle it.

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Just another idol film with the intent to sell Kim Yoo Jung.

(1) Story [-]

There's nothing original in the story, so cliche and highly predictable. And there's nothing in the story itself, no message to convey, just bringing the formula of teenage love story that full of misunderstanding in for the actors to play. They try to make a twist but it's a cliche twist, so it's not a twist in the end since audience can guess it right beforehand. However, the feelings between the characters has a solid foundation to be believable. If you also watch Chinese movies, you'd know how unpassionate the production teams are in making a film. They don't care to build a foundation for their stories, so lots of Chinese films are very much superficial and not believable at all. This movie is a good example for comparison. It is a story with nothing but still have a good foundation, so no matter how nothing the story is, as long as the actors can perform, audience can still enjoy it. Thus, higher score.

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(2) Acting [+]

Kim Yoo Jung is the star of the film. She carries the whole team. It's very enjoyable to watch her acting. The ML is so-so. I don't feel right with his smile at times which I'm not sure if it's due to his acting or just the physical feature of his smile. The best friend of ML's acting skill isn't that strong but I'd give him passable. The acting of the FL's best friend isn't real enough. I feel like her true self tries to pretend to be the character, so it feels more pretentious though the character is actually sincere. Anyway, her role doesn't show up much so it's ok.

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(3) Cinematography [~]

Cinematography is upto standard, but I don't really like their dream-like filter. In the scene at the vast lawn, all the colors look obviously artificial.

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As a whole, it is enjoyable to watch, but also wasting time. I wouldn't rewatch it, that's for sure. And if I know it'd be like this, I don't think I'd watch it in the first place.

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Yes, break my heart one more time Korea -.-

Guys, I am writing this as I sob. Not joking. It's been an hour since I finished it and the tears keep coming out. I might die of dehydration while writing this review and I apologise in advance for the typos.

It's the first time in a long time that I watch something without looking at my phone (didn't even realise I had left it in the bathroom) or without skipping forward. I am a sucker for sweet high school stories that take place in the past, but the way this movie was filmed, the nostalgia factor (present even in the filter they chose), the lovable characters and simplicity of the plot just did it for me. This is exactly what I want from a high school drama; not being a high schooler anymore myself there is always that longing feeling towards the past and this movie definitely shoved it in my face in a very beautiful way. The actors did an amazing job at not making it sound cringy or over the top. And that ending will stay with me for a long time, I am sure of that.
I love stories like this: simple yet effective. It might not be all that to other viewers but I do have a tendency to love high school stories (especially if they take place in the 90's or early 2000's) so that probably contributes to my rating. After so many years of watching K-Dramas, it is refreshing to find something that still makes my heart beat fast and makes me feel SOMETHING. I am not a movie person as they often leave me traumatises (lol, this one kinda did too) but I am so glad I watched this movie. I feel like it took something off my chest? Like I really needed to cry and this movie allowed me to do it haha

Oh well, don't expect anything incredibly revolutionary from this story when going into it but I am sure you will at least have a good time with the characters (even in the end).

Am I still a human with feelings and capable of crying like a baby? Yes, I am. Thank you 20th century girl for the confirmation.




SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!












HE WANTED TO SEE 21ST CENTURY BORA GUYS I AM SOBBING UNCONTROLLABLY IN A FETAL POSITION YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND HE WAS SO SWEET AND HAD SUCH A WARM VOICE AND HEART AND HE WAS SO CUTE WITH HIS BROTHER WHY WHY WHY THE HELL BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT MAKES THE MOVIE MEMORABLE AND EVEN MORE NOSTALGIC BUT GUYS WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW-

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The Heartbreak of Nostalgia

This has all the markers of a cliche romance coming-of-age story, but they managed to pull every emotion out of me while doing it.

The chemistry between the main leads was 100% there and I absolutely loved the warm and fun relationship that they had; it truly felt like seeing two high schoolers falling in love, with all the silly things and stressful decisions that usually come with experiencing love at that age, for the first time.

The ending is a little vague and leaves some open questions, but it really doesn't bother me that much when I think about the construction and perspective of the movie; either way I didn't expect it to hit this film to hit this hard but it did and I think it'll go down as one of my favorites.

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Outdated yet bittersweet

Romantic comedies have been both a topic of interest and ridicule over the years. It is ridiculed by those who find it to be a candy-glossed version of reality. It is praised for its heartwarming rendition of romantic fantasies that feel wonderful to witness on a silver screen. Bang Woo-ri’s ‘20th Century Girl’ is a bit of both. The movie seemed to be alternate of Twenty Five Twenty One, with a small change in the end.

The eye to detailing in the film is well done. We are in fact taken on a ride down the memory lane. As heart-warming as the 20th century romances looked like, relationships were also marred down due to lack of cell phones. Relationships were forgotten, first love rarely became last love, friends lost touch and the yearning.. never ending. The climax of the film is a painful example of how things were different back then.However, the film quite stretches itself way more than it should. Quite unlikely for a repetitive culmination of that kind, it’s indeed the climax that works in favour of the film. Although the whole movie felt cliched, it does have some old school vibes and the feeling of first love being a teen.

In short, 20th Century Girl is a one time watch. If you’re a nostalgia merchant and if you dig yearning and doomed romances, the film would work for you. The biggest quip of 20th Century Girl is that its just another forgettable love-story that banks way too much on yesteryear love, since we have seen a few of this kind in dramas over the years, with more effectiveness in the story.

My Rating : 6.5/10

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20th Century Girl

I do not understand why the show has been getting so many bad comments— if you only have bad things to say, I believe you are overcritical and picky.

Why I like this K-movie:

The end was unexpected. Even if you have watched a kdrama or kmovie with a similar ending it does not make it boring in any shape or form. Personally, I never watched a movie with a sad ending, so this came as a shock to me!

Each and every actor/actress really brought their character to live and made it very unique.

The movie basically illustrates the life of a teenager whose love and youth were at its prime on the 20th Century, and that’s where it remained. After the twentieth century, she had to deal with the memory of her first love which apparently left her behind in the 20th century without any sort of contact.

What could be better:

1. I do not understand why they had to make an appearance of teenagers stealing and showing interest for shows Rated R. I do not think that this should be normalised. Teenagers are literally losing their innocence and it is sad.

2. Maybe I skipped some parts and missed it but…. How did he die? Car crash? Natural death?! At least let us know. Apparently he died in 2001… but weren’t they meeting in 2000? Maybe I misunderstood or missed it, so if that is the case, apologies.

3. While the tape of the 20th century was rolling and showing the people, it would’ve been nice if it also showed how they were doing. E.g:. How are Hyun Jin and Yeon Doo as a couple?

Conclusion:

I have no further comments other than “well done”. This was a very well produced movie.

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I cannot stop crying

I am just 21 years old but this made me miss my school days so much . Everything flashed before my eyes i could not stop crying . Eveything is just too fast these days maybe i am an old soul it made me want to go back to those days .Coming to the movie review i liked the movie just the ending .... cant we have a happy ending was it necessary to seperate those two .I really wanted them to be with each other their last moment was my favourite part of the movie brillantly shot ,the emotions were too pure . Why just why ????? I am just to frustrated .... Too many good cameos storyline pretty simple but felt new .Younjung's acting was on point ,the male lead when he was crying in the train i was also crying with him .... allover good movie but i will not rewatch again it will be too hard for my heart

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Okay. Mixed feelings..

I like how the story takes place in the late 90s and it's a romance movie. Although, I was hoping for more romance between the main characters. There was a lot of events going on and it felt really quick. Bora was a great main character. Honestlyyy, I was kind of confused with the guys because their hairstyle looked very similar, so I couldn't tell if she was with Hyun Jin or Woon Ho. It took me the first half to figure out who they were. I was irritated with Yeon Doo when she confronted to Bora because she blames Bora for being in the middle of the mess, but she's always the one who's asking Bora to do things for her. Like sis you better work for it yourself. Later on, she makes up for her petty confrontation, so I guess she was a decent character. Character growth in a few minutes. Again, a lot of things happening but things get resolved really quick. I didn't really care about the music. I wouldn't watch this again because it wasn't much of a happy ending, but I'm glad I've seen it.
I'm not sure how I feel after finishing this movie. I was expecting more chemistry between Bora and Woon Ho. They had their moments several times, but it felt too quick and I wanted to watch them together longer. I wished the guys had more personalities in order for me to tell them apart. The only plot twist I liked was when Yeon Doo told Bora about the guy she likes. Everything else was random and the bare minimum of drama. The story was cute and sad but not memorable.

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First, I'll repeat what everyone else is saying. For the first half of the film, each of us thought that it would just be a cute story with no plot twists and no surprises. After that, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought it wasn't going to be anything special. Just an ordinary movie to relax.

I couldn't be more wrong…

After the first half I thought I could handle this movie even though I heard it was very sad. I thought people exaggerated… And after all those cute scenes, I cried my eyes out. Then I got a few more cute scenes then the ending totally broke me.

I cried more during this movie than during all the movies I watched this year combined.

Also the aesthetics of this movie were really nice and the actors did a great job. I love this movie and highly recommend it.

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