It’s already the rainy season once again here in this side of the world, and instead of watching some feel-good flicks to brighten up the gloomy mood, my masochistic self is demanding me to see a melodrama. So for this edition of K-Movie Corner, we’re gonna witness a sad yet beautiful love story that is so strong it conquered even death. Here it is chingus, please enjoy our movie review of Be With You!
This film stars So Ji-sub and Son Ye-jin as a couple who got separated by the latter’s untimely death but got reunited together with their young son when the unimaginable happened—Soo-ah (Son Ye-jin) came back to life on a rainy day a year after her passing as promised or… did she?
Fun fact: Be With You is a remake of the 2004 Japanese film of the same name, which is based on a Takuji Ichikawa novel.
I have not seen the original film nor read the novel yet so this review is purely based on this adaptation. I consider the movie’s imaginative story and simple storytelling as its main strengths. Though the use of flashbacks in revealing Soo-ah and Woo-jin’s (So Ji-sub) romance is already a familiar style, it still did not feel overused thanks to the effective acting performances of Kim Hyun-soo and Lee You-jin who played the main leads’ younger counterparts.
I thought I knew where the movie was headed, with me even hoping for Soo-ah to stay with her family forever and to never return to the Cloudland, but not until the shocking plot twist was revealed—Soo-ah never really came back to life… she leaped through time!
It’s true that Woo-jin and Soo-ah’s love conquered death, but it’s in the sense that the latter still chose to be with Woo-jin and their son Ji-ho (Kim Ji-hwan) despite learning of her fate to die young partly due to her pregnancy. Soo-ah’s decision gave pure love a whole new definition, and to explain it through words will never give it justice.
Meanwhile, So Ji-sub and Son Ye-jin gave us what is expected from them, and that is fine acting. Though the storyline contains unbelievable circumstances, the two lead stars were still able to deliver believable portrayal of their roles. They are one of the reasons why I’m confident that this movie will be a good one, and I’m glad they did not disappoint.
Fun fact: Son Ye-jin scored a Best Actress nomination at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards for her role in this film.
The film’s good story, storytelling, and acting performances were rewarded with a warm box-office reception. According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Be With You attracted over 100,000 moviegoers on its opening day, putting it at the top of the local box office. It surpassed the one million viewership mark within seven days of its release, a record that is faster than that of its fellow melo-romance films Architecture 101 and The Beauty Inside.
Fun fact: Be With You is considered as Son Ye-jin and So Ji-sub’s reunion project following their 2001 drama Delicious Proposal where they played siblings.
Fun fact: Gong Hyo-jin (Master’s Sun feelz!!!), Park Seo-joon, and Son Yeo-eun appeared in cameo roles in this movie.
Final verdict: Be With You is definitely another classic in the making. 4/5
~All credit for the stills/photos/video used in this review goes to Lotte Entertainment and Movie Rock.
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