This week’s K-drama Review is all about the Netflix hit series ‘Move To Heaven’. If you want emotional stories and wholesome character development, keep on reading
Plot
‘Move To Heaven’ centers around Geu-Ru who has Asperger Syndrome and his uncle Sang-Gu who just came out of jail. Geu-Ru’s father has just passed away and Sang-Gu is asked to step up as his uncle to become his guardian. He hasn’t exactly been on the best terms with Geu-Ru’s dad.
Part of the deal is working for the family business; ‘Move To Heaven’ which is a trauma cleaning company. The company cleans houses and rooms of people who’ve recently passed away.
The story is based on the essay ‘Things Left Behind’ by Kim Sae-Byul, who was a trauma cleaner himself. The script was written by Yoon Ji-ryeon who also wrote the cultural phenomenon ‘Boys over Flowers’. Kim Sung-Ho was the director.
Geu-Ru performed by Tang Joon-Sang who you might know from ‘Nobody Knows’ does a really great job. His portrayal of a person with Asperger Syndrome was well done and felt very humane.
The role of the uncle went to Lee Je-Hoon who you probably know from series like ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Signal’ and the film ‘Time To Hunt’. Sang-Gu is a boxer in an illegal gambling den and went to jail after he punched Lee Jae-Wook’s character into a coma.
Ji Jin-hee plays the role of the father of Geu-Ru. I loved his character! He played such a sweet, caring dad and I really enjoyed their father-son chemistry.
Short but sweet
With its ten episodes, the drama felt rather short. Each episode had its own little arc and I really enjoyed how they used the stories of the people who passed away to build the characters further. Because sometimes, someone’s opinion on something reveals more of their character than anything else.
What I also enjoyed was the fact that Geu-Ru had an entire support system. The neighbour’s played by Jung Suk-Yong, Jung Young-Joo and Hong Seung-Hee especially.
Hong Seung-Hee’s character Yoon Na-Mu has a bit of a crush on Geu-Ru and has been a solid, reliable friend. She helps out and is very protective of him, even to the extent of following Sang-Gu around.
Overall
‘Move To Heaven’ is a very enjoyable series to watch with some beautiful classical music embedded into the show. The story is wholesome and very humane. It could have benefitted from an extra episode or two, to further some of the storylines. I was very curious about the leader of the gambling den; Madam Jung. Who is she, why is she that badass. I really wanted to see more of her.
There was also the crush Sang-Gu had on Son U-Rim, played by Sooyoung. It would have been cute to see that developed further. Let’s hope for a season 2. Apart from Sooyoung from SNSD, there was also Yang Hong-Seok from PENTAGON. His character could have been more developed.
The last thing I wanted to write about is the beautiful aquarium scenes. The opening scene with the manta ray was stunning and a great piece of CGI.
Go ahead and watch the trailer here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-er_AJioOA
