What Is the Story About?
Set in 1999, the story centers around Na Bo-ra, a 17-year-old high school student who keeps an eye on her best friend Yeon-du’s crush Baek Hyun-jin, a boy from the same school who she only knows by name as Yeon-du moves to the U.S. for a heart surgery. Life has different plans for Bo-ra as she eventually finds her first love. Years later in the 21st century, news about her first love hits her in ways she never imagined.
Performances?
Kim Yoo-jung as teenager Na Bo-ra is the star of the film. It is her story, her yearning and her love. She gives a cute, bubbly and honest portrayal of a teenager caught between friendship and love. Han Hyo-jo as adult Na Bo-ra also gives a brief yet moving performance. Byeon Woo-seok as Poong Un-ho doesn’t have much to do in the proceedings, but he still manages to hook the audience with his charm and effervescent presence.
Analysis
Bang Woo-ri writes and directs 20th Century Girl, an ode to the bygone era of first love and friendship. She has done a decent job for a debut feature film.
The film opens like a typical mushy K-drama that lingers nostalgia. During a 21st Century snowy night Na Bo-ra’s father recieves a letter from a stranger. A grown up Na Bo-ra who is now running a radio takes a look back to her school days chancing upon the letter. The colour palette fades to 1999, Na Bo-ra and her sick best-friend are shown to have a conversation where the latter recounts an encounter with Baek Hyun-jin, who she describes as her first love.
The set up is great. By now we know that we are in for a nostalgic triangular love-story between Na Bo-ra, Baek Hyun-jin and Kim Yeon-du who left to the US for her treatment. Things take an expected turn due to predicable misunderstandings where Bo-ra confuses Baek Hyun-jin with Poong Un-ho. Things get a little more complicated as Bo-ra discovers she’s in love with Poong Un-ho. The predictable triangular love story now becomes rectangular.
What follows is a set of warm and feel good scenes where the trio spends time with each other. We are shown of how romances bloomed during the pager era, how different were the meet-cutes, the butterflies of first love, friendships, yearning and even posters of the 1999 epic romance ‘The Harmonium in My Memory’ flashes across. Kdama fans most likely had a ‘Twenty Five-Twenty One’ deja-vu moment.
The eye to detailing in the film is well done. We are in fact taken on a ride down the memory lane. As heart-warming as the 20th century romances looked like, relationships were also marred down due to lack of cell phones. Relationships were forgotten, first love rarely became last love, friends lost touch and the yearning.. never ending. The climax of the film is a painful example of how things were different back then.
However, the film quite stretches itself way more than it should. Quite unlikely for a repetitive culmination of that kind, it’s indeed the climax that works in favour of the film. As it lends the otherwise plain writing a touch of melancholy and pain. As the end-credits roll, there’s a bittersweet after-taste after all that cliched scenes of good-byes. The writing quite does injustice to the characters in the film. Every single character including the main leads have dated writing. They’re under-developed in a template love-story of ifs and buts. Nevertheless the actors are charming and so pleasing to look at. They carry their under-written characters and a dated storyline well.
In short, 20th Century Girl is a nice watch. If you’re a nostalgia merchant and if you dig yearning and doomed romances, the film would work for you. The biggest quip of 20th Century Girl is that its just another forgettable love-story that banks way too much on yesteryear love.
Other Artists?
Besides the two main leads, none of the characters really register. Park Jung-woo plays Baek Hyun-jin and Roh Yoon-seo plays Bo-ra’s best friend Kim Yeon-du. Although the actors also aren’t given much to do, they’re very pleasing to watch. Rest of the supporting cast also fit in the yester-year world so well. Jeong Seok-yong who plays Na Bo-ra’s father has very few scenes, but is one of the sweetest characters of the movie.
Music and Other Departments?
The colour palette of the film oozes nostalgia. So is the cinematography by Jo Yeong-jik. Dalpalan’s music is another huge strength of the movie as it does an impeccable job in transporting the audience back to the 20th century.
Highlights?
• Nostalgia done right
• Charming cast
• Climax
Drawbacks?
• Dated writing
• Dated characters
• Too long
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. But with little reservations
20th Century Girl Movie Review by Binged Bureau
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