We’re back with a new review, this time I wanted to write about the Korean film ‘Baseball Girl’.
The film ‘Baseball Girl’ came out in 2019 and was written and directed by Choi Yoon-tae. Despite the film’s ‘small scale’ feeling, it had big names in the cast.
The plot
Lee Joo-Young plays the role of Joo Soo-In, a girl who really wants to get scouted to become a professional baseball player. She’s the only girl on the baseball team of her secondary school and despite all of the odds being against her, Soo-In works hard and gives her everything to play. You know Joo-Young from her performance in the unforgettable ‘Itaewon Class‘.
Lee Joon-Hyuk portrays the character of Choi Jin-Tae. He’s the new baseball trainer and has a rather bleak life. He seems quite depressed and seems to be struggling in general. Jin-Tae isn’t exactly nice to Soo-In in the beginning. He gives her the harsh reality that no one is going to scout her and she’s never going to be able to become a professional.
Joo Soo-In’s home situation isn’t exactly the most supportive either. Her mother seems to be very against her pursuit of a professional baseball life. She’s the main breadwinner of the family and just wants her to have a stable life. But in doing so, the mom is stepping on her dreams and goals without even giving Soo-In a chance. Yeom Hye-Ran does such an excellent performance of playing the mom. It’s rather heartbreaking to be honest.
Overall
‘Baseball Girl’ is a portrayal of knowing what you want and giving it your all despite all the odds. At times, it does move rather slowly, but at the same time it also gives the film a ‘real’ feel.
The plot itself isn’t exactly anything new. We’re all suckers for underdog stories. However, the performances were out of this world and did a lot of the heavy carrying of the story. I liked the fact that there’s no ‘big’ stakes. There’s not a massive championship or anything along those lines. A lot of the story is a mother-daughter struggle and that was really interesting to watch.
Check out the trailer here.
The OST was created by the band Peterpan Complex, which I love. Check it out.
