The movie was nice--but that's all it was. Just nice.

Predictable plot aside (which I found to be the primary issue), there were still several redeeming qualities to the movie that made it well-worth the watch.

Maybe I'm just a little jaded with the influx of all these (usually 90's throwback) nostalgic movies/dramas coming in--in which the main characters all reminisce the good ol' days of their youth--because unfortunately, the plot just didn't do much for me this time. I think that says a lot, because I'm usually a sucker for these types of stories no matter how accustomed I become with the formula. I just didn't feel any connection towards any of the characters, and there was always this vagueness surrounding almost everything (plot, characters, songs, etc.) that were never really addressed enough. I just felt like, as a viewer, I was set to watch point A, then a lot of filler, then straight to point B--and no matter how sympathetic I knew I was supposed to feel towards these people, I just couldn't because there was nothing really engaging enough. I feel like there were several themes that could have been executed better had there been less filler and more focus on the five friends--as a group and as individuals.

Overall, however, I still found myself enjoying the movie and found it to be worth the watch (the fact that I'm also an EXO fan and Do Kyungsoo has a starring role also helped, of course, ha ha). The acting was great (not one person in the cast was slacking), cinematography was beautiful (you can almost feel like you're there, transported into the island with them), and music was easy on the ears (you best believe I Googled 'The Water is Wide' right after finishing, haha). These factors, I found, were enough to salvage the slow-pace, predictability, and foreseeable ending.

I also found myself shedding a tear or two. As a young person myself, I'll always find stories about close-knit friendships and how they deal with such heartbreaking tragedies and push forward with their own lives afterwards to be topics that resonate with me. The ending was bittersweet and realistic, and the particular loss that they dealt with was one that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to.

If you've been wanting to give this movie a go but felt discouraged due to the less-than stellar reviews, I'd say to just go for it... but maybe only when there's nothing else to watch. Compared to other stories also centered around the similar 90's nostalgia theme, this movie just didn't execute as well. Still, this was a great movie for anyone who can watch it alone for what it is, blocking anything else in mind!

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centering the female gaze and POV... with a disappointing ending

DISCLAIMER: this is a review written with retrospect, after watching each episode on an week-by-week basis in 2021 on netflix (last year). so, details may be fuzzy.

- first half was amazing, well-paced, and eerily realistic. honestly, i still sometimes think about the cinematography and aesthetics of this drama even a year later. i also listen to the OSTs often--either when i'm feeling sad, heartbroken, or need to feel more grounded after being dramatic lol (i lowkey picture nabi needing to calm down, basically).

- second half with the love triangle and with family backgrounds not being explored with enough detail, it definitely felt redundant and draggy in terms of the leads back-and-forth with one another. stakes just stopped feeling high and exciting; everything became more predictable. after episode 5, it's just disappointing, if i'm being honest.

- could have ended this story as a cautionary tale of choosing one's self, dreams, and ambitions over a charming, yet mysterious f*ckboy, but oh well. i can't say i'm 100% mad at the ending either, though, because of the leads' chemistry (and i like them as individual actors as well LOL).

- overall, i had to give this drama an 8.5/10 because you can definitely see how this was directed by women, with a young female audience in mind going through similar life experiences. centering the female gaze, overall, is something i can distinctly register and appreciate, because it validates in a way, these exact experiences we may go through (and i say this, biased as a young woman, after attempting to watch so hee's soundtrack drama which seems to largely focus on the male lead's POV of cringey, disillusioned unrequited love lol).

RECOMMENDED FOR:
- girls and women in their mid-teens and twenties, who have had experience dating charismatic jerks like song kang's character
- for people looking for dramas with young people in university (and not just high school for a change!)
- people who like watching pretty people with great chemistry act like they're in love <3

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