This week we’re watching ‘The Classic‘, a 2003 film written and directed by Kwak Jae-Yong. Starring in this romantic melodrama were the then newcomers Son Ye-Jin and Cho Seung-Woo. While not as massive a hit as Kwak’s 2001 film ‘My Sassy Girl’, the movie did very well with audiences, and offered a huge boost to both leads’ popularity.
I have been meaning to watch ‘The Classic’ since I learned that Kim Kwang Seok’s ‘Love That Hurts Too Much Wasn’t Love‘ was included in the soundtrack. The song obviously preceded the movie, having been released in 1994, but I was still curious. And I am glad I did.
The plot
The movie starts with Ji-Hae (Son Ye-Jin) putting away some books and thinking about her mother. When she comes across a box containing letters her mother exchanged with her first love, curiosity wins over. The box also contains a diary, seemingly belonging to a boy named Oh Joon ha (Cho Seung-Woo). As she starts reading them, we’re seeing in flashbacks the story of her mother, Joo-Hee, and Joon-Ha.
In the flashbacks, the two teenagers meet while on holiday in the countryside and fall in love. He gives her a firefly and she gives him her necklace. The unfortunate nature of their romance is revealed when we learn that Joo-Hee is promised to none other than Joon-Ha’s best friend, Tae-Soo.
Son Ye-Jin portrays both young Joo-Hee and Ji-Hae in the present day, their stories told in parallel. As we slowly find out what happened to the pair, we’re also rooting for Ji-Hae’s budding romance with Chang Min (Jo In Sung).
The verdict
This movie had me grinning ear to ear for the first half, and bawling my eyes out in the second. It’s always like this with good melodramas. You may know they’re about to stomp on your heart, but being prepared does nothing to soften the blow. Yes, I admit some of the drama bits felt unnecessary, but they sold it well.
To say that Son Ye-Jin single-handedly carried this entire movie would not be an overstatement. Her performance was heartfelt, powerful, and memorable. This movie is unsurprisingly full of clichés, yet she delivers those scenes in such a way that rises above and hits straight in the feels. It is not surprising at all how her popularity as an actress soared after this. She very deservedly won 3 awards for ‘Best New Actress‘ for this performance.
Now let’s talk about the boys. Cho Seung Woo’s earnest performance as Joon-Ha tugged at heartstrings and truly nailed the image of innocent first love. Their chemistry was sweet and on point. On the other hand, Jo In Sung left something to be desired, but he also only had like 10 lines, so the impact was minimal.
The -very successful- soundtrack by Jo Yeong Wook was simply perfect. I honestly think the movie would not be half as good without Son Ye Jin or this soundtrack.
Overall, it’s a great melodrama. If that’s your thing, you will love this. I do believe it’s also a great K-movie to get parents to watch, because nostalgia. It’s not cheesy, and rather than cliché… well, let’s say it’s more on The Classic side.
