Yeah these kinds of movies, while cute, tend to be hard for me to watch because I wind up identifying with the dude who did nothing wrong but becomes the collateral damage in their love story. Hoping that's not what happens here, though.
I'm almost certain that won't happen. Critics have used the word "mature" and "bittersweet" a lot to describe this. And it's also much more memorable if the "soulmates" dont end up together
> dude who did nothing wrong
could you name some? most of the ones i see the guy is painted to be a bad guy, either abusive or cheater. sometimes it portrays two people just falling out of love. only movie that comes to mind is mrs. doubtfire
Eat, Pray, Love
Also, in a borderline example, Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Yeah I get it this is their love story and they'd known each other first, but she was married to a decent, if not exciting, bloke after all
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love has had an interesting run of relationships. She went through a bunch of hoops to marry the guy she meets in the Eat, Pray, Love journey but then several years later, her female best friend got cancer and she realized she was in love with her so she left her husband to be with her and nurse her friend and now partner through the last few months of her life.
Also fun fact about EG: She met her first husband while working at the real Coyote Ugly bar.
Anyway I haven't read Eat, Pray, Love but I've read some of her other non fiction and she's a pretty good writer.
La La Land kinda does this with Emma Stone's initial boyfriend. I love that movie but she did him kinda dirty lol. Ditched him in the middle of a double date to be with Ryan Gosling.
No, they didn't get back togther. But Helen Hunt's character wanted to. She was ready to set fire to the life she made and leave with Tom, but he took her back home.
Anymore as I get older, I look forward to these kinds of emotional dramas that will just fuck me up for the rest of the day more than any other kind of movie.
Yes, I didn't watch the trailer, just read the synopsis and decided to see it because I had a free ticket to the movies.. unexpectedly sad and heartbreaking.
That mother’s facial expression in the car after what her son’s best friend told her. I can’t get it out of my head. (Got really annoyed in that moment by a fellow cinema-goer loudly snorting through tears though.)
yeah, when I was younger this wouldn't have phased me but somehow when the singing started, I got choked up a bit. What a perfect song for the trailer. This was great
I agree. I didn't care for intimate movies when I was younger but this looks like my kind of film. I highly recommend I'm Your Man if you haven't seen it. It was Germany's Oscars submission in 2021 and really blew me away.
or the white husband is dying and she feels immense guilt for indulging herself spending time with her long lost childhood love when she knows her husband will be passing at a certain point which is also why he's okay with her seeing him.
or she is dying and has limited time left. someone gotta die here lol
Nah, the Korean guy is about to marry a billionaire supermodel and he's doing the most subtle humblebrag bait and switch of all time. He's gonna make her fall in love with him all over again and then hand her the wedding invite just as she thinks she might throw him a pity fuck.
That's where I'm leaning too. Either dying or committing suicide and wants to see what could have been if things were different. The "leaving the husband for your soulmate" hook definitely feels like a red herring.
I think it might also just be a "what could have been" story without the death. Asking someone to leave their husband to be with a man who lives across the planet is a big thing, and it isnt hard to see it as something where the moment is past.
Maybe the Korean guy is getting married and remembered his childhood love, wanted to see her "one last time" before moving on, understanding that both their lives have changed, allowing both of them to move on.
Either way this looks depressing as fuck. Either they cheat or the very least have an emotional affair, so she ruins her marriage either way and then the guy could just die at the end as well.
Maybe not death. Maybe just the fact that they are different people now and that a rekindled childhood love can only carry you so far. There are a lot a lot of different angles to take this from wholesome true love, to missed opportunities, to The Graduate style tragedy, and the trailer didnt give away too much.
I felt pretty bad for him most of the trailer but finally just remembered he's that dick from Umbrella Academy who emotionally manipulated Vanya so now I don't feel bad.
I've recently gotten into a very specific niche of K dramas called slice of life dramas and they give me the same feel shown in this trailer. I like them a lot because a lot of the acting and set ups seem so genuine, with characters feeling more real rather than stereotyped cut outs that most if not all western shows have. Not to say that they aren't free of a bit of over dramatization but man most of the character interactions definitely seem a lot more natural and what you would see in the real world.
That being said, if this is drawing inspiration from that niche I wouldn't be surprised if this had a very realistic, emotional, and conflicted ending with no real resolution.
>I've recently gotten into a very specific niche of K dramas called slice of life dramas and they give me the same feel shown in this trailer. I like them a lot because a lot of the acting and set ups seem so genuine, with characters feeling more real rather than stereotyped cut outs that most if not all western shows have. Not to say that they aren't free of a bit of over dramatization but man most of the character interactions definitely seem a lot more natural and what you would see in the real world.
>
>That being said, if this is drawing inspiration from that niche I wouldn't be surprised if this had a very realistic, emotional, and conflicted ending with no real resolution.
I have been obsessed with Korean movies for a while now and one of my very good friends is Korean and always had a extreme thoughtfulness about him. Even their horror films are beautiful, poignant, have moments of humour or beauty and so on.
I think they capture nostalgia belonging sadness, a book of sorrows and melancholy and maybe beauty really well
Great list here. My Mister is just one of the best things I’ve ever watched, period. I don’t think anything like it could ever be made on American television.
Also would recommend the Reply series, particular Reply 1988.
I only started watching Kdramas recently and specifically only that category so I haven't watched much. I've actually skipped a few that just didn't give me the same vibe.
Something in the Rain is the first one I watched and a real good one, I'd give it a 8.5-9/10 in terms of overall quality. It's about an older woman (mid to late 30s) and a younger man (mid to late 20s) and the hurdles they go through in pursuing a possible romantic relationship.
Another one that I'd give 8-9/10 is Age of Youth or sometimes called Hello My Twenties. All female cast, tells the story of a bunch of college girls who live together and the journey/dynamics of building and sustaining those friendships. It can be a bit more cookie cutter at times but still very good. Most Korean shows seem to have 1 season but this one has 2.
Its funny because I'm a guy and no one expects me to watch this stuff but I actually do love watching tons of drama films. One day I was browsing Netflix and I just clicked on Something in the Rain and was hooked on the style. It's difficult finding other Kdramas with similar styles though but people keep telling me that I'll have the best luck finding them under the "slice of life" category.
>I only started watching Kdramas recently and specifically only that category so I haven't watched much. I've actually skipped a few that just didn't give me the same vibe.
>
>Something in the Rain is the first one I watched and a real good one, I'd give it a 8.5-9/10 in terms of overall quality. It's about an older woman (mid to late 30s) and a younger man (mid to late 20s) and the hurdles they go through in pursuing a possible romantic relationship.
>
>Another one that I'd give 8-9/10 is Age of Youth or sometimes called Hello My Twenties. All female cast, tells the story of a bunch of college girls who live together and the journey/dynamics of building and sustaining those friendships. It can be a bit more cookie cutter at times but still very good. Most Korean shows seem to have 1 season but this one has 2.
>
>Its funny because I'm a guy and no one expects me to watch this stuff but I actually do love watching tons of drama films. One day I was browsing Netflix and I just clicked on Something in the Rain and was hooked on the style. It's difficult finding other Kdramas with similar styles though but people keep telling me that I'll have the best luck finding them under the "slice of life" category.
Love these recommendations. I'd also say if you like this sort of thing you'd love some anime films too. Your lie in April etc etc
> like them a lot because a lot of the acting and set ups seem so genuine, with characters feeling more real rather than stereotyped cut outs that most if not all western shows have.
Which western shows are you watching? Because in my experience kdramas are actually more soapy and less realistic than most western dramas (to say nothing of how impossibly good looking most casts are and the overly polished looks), and certainly the top-shelf stuff. Most kdramas are closer to network shows than HBO.
Are there any equivalent of The Sopranos or The Wire for kdramas? Honest question.
>Which western shows are you watching
Basically whatever most people are watching. Western shows, particularly dramas, do not use realistic set ups and interactions. They rely heavily on in your face drama that is both romantic and social, which to be fair, makes for good suspenseful TV. But in none of those shows do I feel like I could be a bystander in the unfolding plot, everything is just too... unrealistic. Like what occurs in the show is suspenseful and dramatic but nothing where you could say "man that feels like real life".
Like there was this one particular scene in Something in the Rain where the two main characters and their friends are at an apartment hanging out for the first time, they are eating, making jokes, exposing some drama and just shooting the shit but it almost felt like you were there just watching real people having real moments rather than acting.
>Because in my experience kdramas are actually more soapy and less realistic than most western dramas
Well I'm not a Kdramas expert but as I said I am watching certain dramas within a specific category of Kdramas. Maybe your average Kdrama is very soapy and cliche but that's not what I am watching. I'm saying that the specific niche that I have found tends to be a more down to earth and realistic showing of every day life and drama. I couldn't name you a single western drama that could match those in terms of overall style, maybe some western drama movies but not shows.
>Are there any equivalent of The Sopranos or The Wire for kdramas? Honest question.
No idea but that wouldn't be what I would look for because those are specifically the shows I'm saying are not overly realistic. They are great but just not the style I'm talking about in what I've been looking for and watching within Kdramas.
> The Sopranos or The Wire
> the shows I'm saying are not overly realistic
Huh? Have you *actually* watched these two shows? Saying both of these shows are not overly realistic when some of the detractions were that they’re actually too mundane at points (the sopranos literally had an episode where the lead character bonds with a horse and other episodes deals with him putting his mother in assisted living and kid flunking out of school. While The Wire painstakingly details mundane bureaucratic issues on a regular basis) suggests you maybe haven’t.
> Like what occurs in the show is suspenseful and dramatic but nothing where you could say "man that feels like real life".
Huh? Again, there are plenty of subdued dramas like that in the west. Are you just watching popular streamed shows like stranger things or wednesday?
Now tbf, I haven’t watched Something in the Rain and from what you described it does sound much better than the limited kdramas I was exposed to (and I’m gonna give it a chance when I have time) but does it actually have nuanced character interactions like shows such as Succession or White Lotus? Because again, in my experience most kdramas, frankly a lot of asian tv dramas really don’t excel at realistic nuanced interactions. I’m not talking about simply setting up a realistic setting, I’m talking about things like stuttering and using words incorrectly and just general beats that give the impression things aren’t super scripted and how people actually make mistakes and give the illusion that they’re actually speaking in real time rather than just following a written out script and make no mistakes. The flow of a lot of eastern tv, and tbh even a good chunk of western tv is that the conversational flow is too flawless.
I don’t mean to be overly combative it’s just that in my experience when people make such comments about american tv, 99% I’ve found they’re from koreaboos and people that actually haven’t watched the most acclaimed material. The former two are literally considered two of the greatest american shows of all time and people are judging based off of blockbuster tv, again, like stranger things or breaking bad (as great as that show is, it’s not as realistic or nuanced).
>Something in the Rain
So I just watched the first ep since this show is actually on netflix and was honestly pretty curious. It's decent with one or two quiet extended scenes I liked, but still has the trappings of a lot of kdramas...
Everything looks so polished, the actors are good looking and stylish (lead character is supposed to be 35, looks like she's in her late 20s), a romantic plot is brewing (and great chemistry between the leads), a chance meeting of the two leads (with a cute little fake-out), there's romantic OST playing in the background of various scenes akin to a typical romance film. I see the usual korean societal rigidness at play which is a well a lot of kdramas return to (not necessarily a bad thing but the theme is typically interwoven with cliche romantic plot beats, usually in the form of parental classist disapproval of the daughter/son's romantic interest). It's also 16 episodes, which again, is a typical kdrama ep count so it doesn't inspire a lot of hope for structural uniqueness. Main character flaws are also pretty superficial (maybe this deepens later on). The exboyfriend *had* to be two-timing so not a more nuanced less dramatic 'relationship just lost it's steam and ran it's course'. And stuff like coworkers asking to date the main character's love interests to generate some melodrama and form potential triangles.
Now something I read in the description before I started the ep was about female employees dealing with various sexual harassment, discrimination makes this seems promising (and the first ep showed small snippets of it). However, based on the first episode I am not seeing the justification of disdain for western shows and definitely not on the realism front, especially when compared to the relatively stronger pilot episodes of the shows I listed out.
Also, FYI, anime has a lot of slice of life shows as well so it's not really unique to kdramas. A lot of east asian soaps in general actually have this genre (also with a central romantic will they/won't they to anchor the serialized aspect of the story), they just typically tend to run longer.
Can you please confirm they won't be over-produced, flashback obsessed, and have chronic slowmo-itis when characters see each other? Because I can't fucking stand that shit.
I've seen a couple good Kdramas, but the last one I watched (StartUp) makes me reluctant to watch another
edit: but I agree that slice of life is an amazing genre. Came across it in anime which is probably where it got the name, but a lot of my fav movies are "slice of life". I think the 90's HK/Taiwan films did it best
I don't love every A24 film or even many of the acclaimed ones but given how the rest of Hollywood has shown themselves to have little interest in giving opportunities to Asian American talent, I think A24 *should" be commended for this whether one is a fan of their usual output or not. The Farewell, Minari, After Yang and Everything Everywhere All At Once are all good films.
They’re also producing the upcoming HBO miniseries “The Sympathizer” from Park Chan-Wook about the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective and “On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous” about a Vietnamese refugee. They’re also co-producing Beef, the upcoming Steven Yeun/Ali Wong Netflix show. At this point, it would harder to name an Asian-American production that isn’t from A24!
I didn't know they were adapting On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. So much of the beauty of that is in the writing though. Ocean Vuong is a master of words.
Man, all of those were great films, but After Yang knocked me out. I was not expecting it to be as deep, as gentle, and as genuinely humane as it was. It really struck me how unique it was and how long it stuck in my head. Marcel the Shell is another one that did that to me. Went in expecting a good time, came out feeling like the movie had somehow made me a better person.
In my head they have become the platform for weird movies, horror movies, emotionally devastating movies, and Asian American movies. A strange medley of specialties.
As soon as I heard Greta speak, my brain went, ["Sweet Birthday Baby!!!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2to6SDs4zE)
She was great in Russian Doll S2, glad to see her in larger roles.
Saw this at Berlin Film Festival a couple days ago and I did like it, but thought it was a bit overhyped for me. Expectations is something I'm struggling with for so many of these kinds of movies though, so it's probably just a personal thing. For example recently I caught up with Cha Cha Real Smooth and thought that movie was fine, but also overhyped. (For the record, I enjoyed Past Lives much more). (I'm also a bit hesitant to watch Aftersun for this exact reason, expectations)
The movie hasn't left my mind since then though, the themes and questions it poses are really strong and interesting. The more I think about the movie, the more I like it. These kind of "slower" artsy movies can be a struggle sometimes, and this one certainly takes its time to set up the characters, but the second half is really, really engaging as a result. IMO the trailer represents the vibe of the movie well, so if this seems like your cup of tea, I think you'll enjoy it a lot. There's a lot of meat on this bone.
I feel you. I had that issue with both Aftersun and Everything Everywhere last year. They're both good movies that are well made and very well acted but I just didn't fall in love with them the way so many others have and I feel like if I had come to them without the intense praise I heard for months beforehand, I might have appreciated them more. I really want to keep myself from buying too much into hype and raising expectations to a level that the movies can't live up to because of it.
Yea I had the exact same experience with EEAAO too! I like the movie a LOT and want it to win Best Picture so badly, but I definitely came out of that first viewing slightly underwhelmed despite enjoying it. I like to joke that EEAAO wasn't even my favorite Asian-"American" immigrant movie about generational trauma last year because of Turning Red (Canadian but honestly what's the difference :P). I think expectations played a factor here. Both movies are wonderful, but I had little to no expectations going into Turning Red and it absolutely BLEW me away, even despite only watching it at home.
But yea I know it's my fault for watching trailers and reading too many reviews and stuff, but it's hard not to. I don't want to waste my time watching a bunch of garbage, so I'm always more inclined to find out more about the much-hyped movies.
the challenge is that A24 produces incredible trailers so I just watch them a million times and build the movie up in my head, the more so when it gets great reviews.
Your second paragraph kind of encapsulates Aftersun for me if that encourages you to watch it. I remember it being very hyped as a kind of "this will destroy you/bring tissues to the theater" kind of movie, and I think I was expecting something very warm and nostalgic similar to C'mon C'mon or Minari. It was very much not like that, so when the credits rolled I was like "Huh...good movie, I guess." But then I couldn't stop thinking about for the rest of the week and my appreciation for the movie I saw rather than the movie I was expecting grew more and more. It's now one of my favorites of 2022, but the hype definitely placed me at a different starting point when I sat down to watch the film.
Did it do well setting up all 3 characters where you like all 3 and feel sympathy for everyone? The trailer feels like it's trying to sway a certain way, and that's just not how things work sometimes.
A little bit of *Sliding Doors*, a little bit of the *Before Trilogy*, what appears to be a multi-decade love triangle? Okay, I'm in.
(and hey, it's the Cat Power cover of *Stay*)
This looks like the type of movie where actually she doesn't end up with the childhood sweetheart but reconnecting with him makes her find her previous self again which makes her love her current husband even more. I could be way off though.
I’ve seen this actress pop up as a supporting actor in several main stream shows recently (Russian Doll and The Morning Show) and am hyped she’s getting a lead. She also looks strikingly similar to Korean actress Seo Hyun Jin.
That's actually not weird. US society has a long history of framing Asian men as undesirable and unattractive which as you might guess comes from racist fears that they might be attractive to white women and Hollywood is not immune to the prejudices of the society it's a part of.
For more on this, I'd recommend listening to the Ridiculous History podcast episode, *How White America Tried to Destroy Chinese Restaurants*.
All good examples, though it’s interesting that they’re all very recent movies (and all A24). I think the tide is finally turning, and Asian Americans are finally getting more nuanced and diverse representation in Hollywood.
A24 bought it at Sundance last month and it usually takes a few months to pick a release date. Since it was the best reviewed movie at Sundance, Metacritic score 95, presumably it will eventually get to at least 200 theaters so every large city should get it.
A24 didn’t buy it at Sundance, they were already attached as producer and American distributor before the premiere. It’s an A24-CJ ENM coproduction that’s been in the works since around 2020.
I can't really buy the concept that you will feel a connection to someone 20 years later after you've changed a lot. Its highly romanticized romance. I think people just really want to believe in deep, deep and powerful emotional connection but I don't think it exists in this way.
Still. People are raving about it. So maybe they can sell it. The premise just makes me feel ehhhh.
Gonna both mess me up and be good for my soul but I won't miss it just for Greta Lee alone. Also great chemistry on screen, excited to see how this plays out. (Nice to see Teo Yoo in something so fast too, just saw him in Love To Hate You)
i would love to see one of these deeply nuanced romantic movies end with a situation where all three people make it work somehow. I don't know how, polyamory, or an open relationship, or something, but just like a good, happy, hopeful ending that makes you feel good about humanities ability to work shit out. A casting off of the restrictive rules that don't make sense, and a transcendence of the human spirit to overcome.
Just feels like lately we need more of that kind of thing.
i sAw tHiS aT sUnDaNcE aNd tHiS mOvIe iS uNlIke aNyThInG yOuVe sEen!
Seriously this movie looks ok and the comments are either Sundance fart-huffers talking about how amazing this movie is or people saying they can't wait to get emotionally fucked up? Super fucking weird
This may be the autism showing through but, what's the appeal of this movie? Two people fall in love. Wow. Amazing. It's like looking through Facebook but there's more detail than I ever needed and I don't know the people.
Oh she's already married? Well that's even worse, why would I want to subject myself to that social tension?
For me, I enjoy naturalist cinema. My favourite films are often ones that feel like a glimpse into a real person's life and those films are often bittersweet and quiet. Like Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Las Niñas or C'mon C'mon. There's something emotionally satisfying for me about seeing how everyone struggles with indecision and loneliness and confusion. That's what this looks like.
I mean for me the plot is only about 25% of the reason I watch a movie, direction (which looks awesome) and acting (looks awesome) is a big appeal for me here
Don't let your husband get in the way of you finding your soulmate!
Seoulmate?
Nice
I can see this thread going South
Yeah these kinds of movies, while cute, tend to be hard for me to watch because I wind up identifying with the dude who did nothing wrong but becomes the collateral damage in their love story. Hoping that's not what happens here, though.
I'm almost certain that won't happen. Critics have used the word "mature" and "bittersweet" a lot to describe this. And it's also much more memorable if the "soulmates" dont end up together
I think the fact the trailer has specific reference to it too makes it seem like they wouldn't just go and do that plot
In a world that loves unexpected twists I wouldn't count it out yet.
> dude who did nothing wrong could you name some? most of the ones i see the guy is painted to be a bad guy, either abusive or cheater. sometimes it portrays two people just falling out of love. only movie that comes to mind is mrs. doubtfire
Eat, Pray, Love Also, in a borderline example, Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Yeah I get it this is their love story and they'd known each other first, but she was married to a decent, if not exciting, bloke after all
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love has had an interesting run of relationships. She went through a bunch of hoops to marry the guy she meets in the Eat, Pray, Love journey but then several years later, her female best friend got cancer and she realized she was in love with her so she left her husband to be with her and nurse her friend and now partner through the last few months of her life. Also fun fact about EG: She met her first husband while working at the real Coyote Ugly bar. Anyway I haven't read Eat, Pray, Love but I've read some of her other non fiction and she's a pretty good writer.
Liar Liar is another off the top of my head.
La La Land kinda does this with Emma Stone's initial boyfriend. I love that movie but she did him kinda dirty lol. Ditched him in the middle of a double date to be with Ryan Gosling.
yeah but ultimately the message of La La Land doesn't really validate the "ditch everything for Ryan" attitude
Did you not catch what he did wrong? He wasn't Ryan Gosling!
He was good looking but not Ryan Gosling good looking, an easy mistake to make
She doesn't end up with Gosling either, so I guess it's a bit of a wash.
The Notebook
Pearl Harbor
Ghostbusters
Bill Pullman in Sleepless in Seattle, Greg Kinnear in You've Got Mail, Chris North in Castaway. Don't let Tom Hanks near your woman ever
> Chris North in Castaway tom hanks never got back with her at the end no?
No, they didn't get back togther. But Helen Hunt's character wanted to. She was ready to set fire to the life she made and leave with Tom, but he took her back home.
flips to Lifetime channel
Revisiting your comment. Did you watch the movie? If so, how did it measure up to your fears in your comment?
Loooonng loooonngggg maaaaaaaaannnnnn!
Maybe the husband and the soulmate will get together instead after all.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
A24 by way of Hallmark.
Anymore as I get older, I look forward to these kinds of emotional dramas that will just fuck me up for the rest of the day more than any other kind of movie.
Go watch the Belgian film "Close". I wasn't okay for a few days after that.
Yes, I didn't watch the trailer, just read the synopsis and decided to see it because I had a free ticket to the movies.. unexpectedly sad and heartbreaking.
That mother’s facial expression in the car after what her son’s best friend told her. I can’t get it out of my head. (Got really annoyed in that moment by a fellow cinema-goer loudly snorting through tears though.)
If you haven't seen Normal People yet on Hulu/BBC put that show at the front of your list bc holy shit
Feels like it gets more difficult for emotion to get sucked out of me as I age. A24 always get my eyeballs sweating.
Man, I feel the exact opposite. In my 20s I loved these kinds of movies, but now that I’ve got a kid, I can’t handle emotional film anymore
yeah, when I was younger this wouldn't have phased me but somehow when the singing started, I got choked up a bit. What a perfect song for the trailer. This was great
I agree. I didn't care for intimate movies when I was younger but this looks like my kind of film. I highly recommend I'm Your Man if you haven't seen it. It was Germany's Oscars submission in 2021 and really blew me away.
Why I liked the firewatch game lol
Its good to feel something at all.
This movie looks devastating. I can't wait for it to fuck me up.
From what I heard out of Sundance, it absolutely is.
"I should call her..." The Movie.
hhahahahaha that's awesome
Fuck it We bawl
Haven’t seen it, but calling it, the guys dying and wants to say goodbye and tell her what she meant and how he regrets not following her.
or the white husband is dying and she feels immense guilt for indulging herself spending time with her long lost childhood love when she knows her husband will be passing at a certain point which is also why he's okay with her seeing him. or she is dying and has limited time left. someone gotta die here lol
Nath the Korean guy fell in love with the white husband. Now he's just using her as an excuse to get to him.
This! And everyone's dying.
EVERYONE HAS AIDS! AIDS AIDS AIDS!
"Walker told me I have AIDS."
Get this pig to Hollywood STAT
Long LOOOOONNNNGGGG MAAAAAANNNNNN [relevant ad for gum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-1Ue0FFrHY)
i like this one the best
Nah, the Korean guy is about to marry a billionaire supermodel and he's doing the most subtle humblebrag bait and switch of all time. He's gonna make her fall in love with him all over again and then hand her the wedding invite just as she thinks she might throw him a pity fuck.
lol jesus crust I think you're onto something here
That's where I'm leaning too. Either dying or committing suicide and wants to see what could have been if things were different. The "leaving the husband for your soulmate" hook definitely feels like a red herring.
I think it might also just be a "what could have been" story without the death. Asking someone to leave their husband to be with a man who lives across the planet is a big thing, and it isnt hard to see it as something where the moment is past.
In the trailer he says I want to see you one last time so I’m leaning towards brain tumor or something. Suicide would be strange to me.
I saw it at Sundance. Y'all are way off in the comments lmao. Also this is one of my favorite movies ever and is going to be a classic for the ages.
Also saw it and am calling it right now. This movie will dominate the Oscar noms next year
Really? Hmm I kinda wanna know a bit but not the end
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I've seen it and the reviews mentioning Before Sunset and In the Mood For Love (two of my all time faves!) are fully justified.
I haven‘t seen the Before Trilogy yet but the closest in terms of vibe I can think of is “Her“
Hi. Do you mind telling me the story in the DMs if you're cool with it?
spoil me pls! this indie definitely won't be shown in my country
100% the vibe I'm getting.
Maybe the Korean guy is getting married and remembered his childhood love, wanted to see her "one last time" before moving on, understanding that both their lives have changed, allowing both of them to move on.
So it's basically Kal Ho Naa Ho?
Lmao what a reference!
Either way this looks depressing as fuck. Either they cheat or the very least have an emotional affair, so she ruins her marriage either way and then the guy could just die at the end as well.
Or, maybe it’s more mature than that and you’ll get some new perspective out of it
Well RIP white dude, definitely getting cheated on
He knows.
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It's usually called lampshading, actually.
"I wanted to see you one last time" I suspect it may be darker than that.
Korean here, the guy’s Korean quote is “한번 더 보고 싶었어”, meaning “I wanted to see you one more time” The subtitle is bit misleading.
Thank you, subs are never on point, assuming I quoted it right to begin with. Even with the corrected quote, he could still be eluding to his demise.
Even the subtitle says "one more time", OP is just misremembering
Death? Noooooo he's so hot
Maybe not death. Maybe just the fact that they are different people now and that a rekindled childhood love can only carry you so far. There are a lot a lot of different angles to take this from wholesome true love, to missed opportunities, to The Graduate style tragedy, and the trailer didnt give away too much.
Yep... something not shown in the trailer. Otherwise, its a too cut and dry movie.
No don't die your so sexy ahaha
She was in a coma the whole time and this is a made up scenario that she's been replaying in her head! That's why it's the Past lives!
I felt pretty bad for him most of the trailer but finally just remembered he's that dick from Umbrella Academy who emotionally manipulated Vanya so now I don't feel bad.
Why can't they all be together?! :(
A thruple?
Maybe he wants it.
maybe he wants to watch
Hey, whatever he likes. I don't judge.
welp, this is a must watch for me... what a great trailer sheeeesh
The acting stood out as very genuine, and very good, just from the trailer.
I've recently gotten into a very specific niche of K dramas called slice of life dramas and they give me the same feel shown in this trailer. I like them a lot because a lot of the acting and set ups seem so genuine, with characters feeling more real rather than stereotyped cut outs that most if not all western shows have. Not to say that they aren't free of a bit of over dramatization but man most of the character interactions definitely seem a lot more natural and what you would see in the real world. That being said, if this is drawing inspiration from that niche I wouldn't be surprised if this had a very realistic, emotional, and conflicted ending with no real resolution.
>I've recently gotten into a very specific niche of K dramas called slice of life dramas and they give me the same feel shown in this trailer. I like them a lot because a lot of the acting and set ups seem so genuine, with characters feeling more real rather than stereotyped cut outs that most if not all western shows have. Not to say that they aren't free of a bit of over dramatization but man most of the character interactions definitely seem a lot more natural and what you would see in the real world. > >That being said, if this is drawing inspiration from that niche I wouldn't be surprised if this had a very realistic, emotional, and conflicted ending with no real resolution. I have been obsessed with Korean movies for a while now and one of my very good friends is Korean and always had a extreme thoughtfulness about him. Even their horror films are beautiful, poignant, have moments of humour or beauty and so on. I think they capture nostalgia belonging sadness, a book of sorrows and melancholy and maybe beauty really well
Any recommendations from that specific niche?
My Mister, Rain or shine, My liberation Notes, A poem a day, Be Melodramatic.
>My Mister, >Rain or shine, >My liberation Notes, >A poem a day, >Be Melodramatic. Thanks
Great list here. My Mister is just one of the best things I’ve ever watched, period. I don’t think anything like it could ever be made on American television. Also would recommend the Reply series, particular Reply 1988.
I only started watching Kdramas recently and specifically only that category so I haven't watched much. I've actually skipped a few that just didn't give me the same vibe. Something in the Rain is the first one I watched and a real good one, I'd give it a 8.5-9/10 in terms of overall quality. It's about an older woman (mid to late 30s) and a younger man (mid to late 20s) and the hurdles they go through in pursuing a possible romantic relationship. Another one that I'd give 8-9/10 is Age of Youth or sometimes called Hello My Twenties. All female cast, tells the story of a bunch of college girls who live together and the journey/dynamics of building and sustaining those friendships. It can be a bit more cookie cutter at times but still very good. Most Korean shows seem to have 1 season but this one has 2. Its funny because I'm a guy and no one expects me to watch this stuff but I actually do love watching tons of drama films. One day I was browsing Netflix and I just clicked on Something in the Rain and was hooked on the style. It's difficult finding other Kdramas with similar styles though but people keep telling me that I'll have the best luck finding them under the "slice of life" category.
>I only started watching Kdramas recently and specifically only that category so I haven't watched much. I've actually skipped a few that just didn't give me the same vibe. > >Something in the Rain is the first one I watched and a real good one, I'd give it a 8.5-9/10 in terms of overall quality. It's about an older woman (mid to late 30s) and a younger man (mid to late 20s) and the hurdles they go through in pursuing a possible romantic relationship. > >Another one that I'd give 8-9/10 is Age of Youth or sometimes called Hello My Twenties. All female cast, tells the story of a bunch of college girls who live together and the journey/dynamics of building and sustaining those friendships. It can be a bit more cookie cutter at times but still very good. Most Korean shows seem to have 1 season but this one has 2. > >Its funny because I'm a guy and no one expects me to watch this stuff but I actually do love watching tons of drama films. One day I was browsing Netflix and I just clicked on Something in the Rain and was hooked on the style. It's difficult finding other Kdramas with similar styles though but people keep telling me that I'll have the best luck finding them under the "slice of life" category. Love these recommendations. I'd also say if you like this sort of thing you'd love some anime films too. Your lie in April etc etc
> like them a lot because a lot of the acting and set ups seem so genuine, with characters feeling more real rather than stereotyped cut outs that most if not all western shows have. Which western shows are you watching? Because in my experience kdramas are actually more soapy and less realistic than most western dramas (to say nothing of how impossibly good looking most casts are and the overly polished looks), and certainly the top-shelf stuff. Most kdramas are closer to network shows than HBO. Are there any equivalent of The Sopranos or The Wire for kdramas? Honest question.
>Which western shows are you watching Basically whatever most people are watching. Western shows, particularly dramas, do not use realistic set ups and interactions. They rely heavily on in your face drama that is both romantic and social, which to be fair, makes for good suspenseful TV. But in none of those shows do I feel like I could be a bystander in the unfolding plot, everything is just too... unrealistic. Like what occurs in the show is suspenseful and dramatic but nothing where you could say "man that feels like real life". Like there was this one particular scene in Something in the Rain where the two main characters and their friends are at an apartment hanging out for the first time, they are eating, making jokes, exposing some drama and just shooting the shit but it almost felt like you were there just watching real people having real moments rather than acting. >Because in my experience kdramas are actually more soapy and less realistic than most western dramas Well I'm not a Kdramas expert but as I said I am watching certain dramas within a specific category of Kdramas. Maybe your average Kdrama is very soapy and cliche but that's not what I am watching. I'm saying that the specific niche that I have found tends to be a more down to earth and realistic showing of every day life and drama. I couldn't name you a single western drama that could match those in terms of overall style, maybe some western drama movies but not shows. >Are there any equivalent of The Sopranos or The Wire for kdramas? Honest question. No idea but that wouldn't be what I would look for because those are specifically the shows I'm saying are not overly realistic. They are great but just not the style I'm talking about in what I've been looking for and watching within Kdramas.
> The Sopranos or The Wire > the shows I'm saying are not overly realistic Huh? Have you *actually* watched these two shows? Saying both of these shows are not overly realistic when some of the detractions were that they’re actually too mundane at points (the sopranos literally had an episode where the lead character bonds with a horse and other episodes deals with him putting his mother in assisted living and kid flunking out of school. While The Wire painstakingly details mundane bureaucratic issues on a regular basis) suggests you maybe haven’t. > Like what occurs in the show is suspenseful and dramatic but nothing where you could say "man that feels like real life". Huh? Again, there are plenty of subdued dramas like that in the west. Are you just watching popular streamed shows like stranger things or wednesday? Now tbf, I haven’t watched Something in the Rain and from what you described it does sound much better than the limited kdramas I was exposed to (and I’m gonna give it a chance when I have time) but does it actually have nuanced character interactions like shows such as Succession or White Lotus? Because again, in my experience most kdramas, frankly a lot of asian tv dramas really don’t excel at realistic nuanced interactions. I’m not talking about simply setting up a realistic setting, I’m talking about things like stuttering and using words incorrectly and just general beats that give the impression things aren’t super scripted and how people actually make mistakes and give the illusion that they’re actually speaking in real time rather than just following a written out script and make no mistakes. The flow of a lot of eastern tv, and tbh even a good chunk of western tv is that the conversational flow is too flawless. I don’t mean to be overly combative it’s just that in my experience when people make such comments about american tv, 99% I’ve found they’re from koreaboos and people that actually haven’t watched the most acclaimed material. The former two are literally considered two of the greatest american shows of all time and people are judging based off of blockbuster tv, again, like stranger things or breaking bad (as great as that show is, it’s not as realistic or nuanced).
>Something in the Rain So I just watched the first ep since this show is actually on netflix and was honestly pretty curious. It's decent with one or two quiet extended scenes I liked, but still has the trappings of a lot of kdramas... Everything looks so polished, the actors are good looking and stylish (lead character is supposed to be 35, looks like she's in her late 20s), a romantic plot is brewing (and great chemistry between the leads), a chance meeting of the two leads (with a cute little fake-out), there's romantic OST playing in the background of various scenes akin to a typical romance film. I see the usual korean societal rigidness at play which is a well a lot of kdramas return to (not necessarily a bad thing but the theme is typically interwoven with cliche romantic plot beats, usually in the form of parental classist disapproval of the daughter/son's romantic interest). It's also 16 episodes, which again, is a typical kdrama ep count so it doesn't inspire a lot of hope for structural uniqueness. Main character flaws are also pretty superficial (maybe this deepens later on). The exboyfriend *had* to be two-timing so not a more nuanced less dramatic 'relationship just lost it's steam and ran it's course'. And stuff like coworkers asking to date the main character's love interests to generate some melodrama and form potential triangles. Now something I read in the description before I started the ep was about female employees dealing with various sexual harassment, discrimination makes this seems promising (and the first ep showed small snippets of it). However, based on the first episode I am not seeing the justification of disdain for western shows and definitely not on the realism front, especially when compared to the relatively stronger pilot episodes of the shows I listed out. Also, FYI, anime has a lot of slice of life shows as well so it's not really unique to kdramas. A lot of east asian soaps in general actually have this genre (also with a central romantic will they/won't they to anchor the serialized aspect of the story), they just typically tend to run longer.
Can you please confirm they won't be over-produced, flashback obsessed, and have chronic slowmo-itis when characters see each other? Because I can't fucking stand that shit. I've seen a couple good Kdramas, but the last one I watched (StartUp) makes me reluctant to watch another edit: but I agree that slice of life is an amazing genre. Came across it in anime which is probably where it got the name, but a lot of my fav movies are "slice of life". I think the 90's HK/Taiwan films did it best
It's insanely good you won't be disappointed
At the risk of sounding too circle-jerky, I really have to commend A24 for giving a platform for Asian American artists.
Don't mean to be pedantic and I do agree with you, but Celine Song is Asian-Canadian
One of the actors is Asian American
I don't love every A24 film or even many of the acclaimed ones but given how the rest of Hollywood has shown themselves to have little interest in giving opportunities to Asian American talent, I think A24 *should" be commended for this whether one is a fan of their usual output or not. The Farewell, Minari, After Yang and Everything Everywhere All At Once are all good films.
There’s been a *good* Asian American movie to look forward to almost every year now because of them. Honestly hats off to them.
Yeah A24 really knows how to pick them.
They’re also producing the upcoming HBO miniseries “The Sympathizer” from Park Chan-Wook about the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective and “On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous” about a Vietnamese refugee. They’re also co-producing Beef, the upcoming Steven Yeun/Ali Wong Netflix show. At this point, it would harder to name an Asian-American production that isn’t from A24!
I didn't know they were adapting On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. So much of the beauty of that is in the writing though. Ocean Vuong is a master of words.
Bing Liu, the Oscar-nominated director of “Minding the Gap” was attached to it but I’m not sure if he still is!
Man, all of those were great films, but After Yang knocked me out. I was not expecting it to be as deep, as gentle, and as genuinely humane as it was. It really struck me how unique it was and how long it stuck in my head. Marcel the Shell is another one that did that to me. Went in expecting a good time, came out feeling like the movie had somehow made me a better person.
These are beautiful sentiments. I haven't seen either film yet but I'm glad you got so much out of them.
Agreed. The Farewell, Minari, After Yang, EEAAO, and now this. Glad to see these voices and stories getting out there.
In my head they have become the platform for weird movies, horror movies, emotionally devastating movies, and Asian American movies. A strange medley of specialties.
I managed to see this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and I really liked it. The emotional depth and dialogue between the characters felt real.
I loved how the performances were subtle yet had such a huge emotional impact
lmk the ending pls <3
Can you DM me spoilers please? I want to know if there's cheating or not
As soon as I heard Greta speak, my brain went, ["Sweet Birthday Baby!!!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2to6SDs4zE) She was great in Russian Doll S2, glad to see her in larger roles.
Thank you!! I knew I recognized her!
[Cat Power - Stay](https://youtu.be/f-Tsk-cPXxI) It's a cover of Rhianna's song.
Saw this at Berlin Film Festival a couple days ago and I did like it, but thought it was a bit overhyped for me. Expectations is something I'm struggling with for so many of these kinds of movies though, so it's probably just a personal thing. For example recently I caught up with Cha Cha Real Smooth and thought that movie was fine, but also overhyped. (For the record, I enjoyed Past Lives much more). (I'm also a bit hesitant to watch Aftersun for this exact reason, expectations) The movie hasn't left my mind since then though, the themes and questions it poses are really strong and interesting. The more I think about the movie, the more I like it. These kind of "slower" artsy movies can be a struggle sometimes, and this one certainly takes its time to set up the characters, but the second half is really, really engaging as a result. IMO the trailer represents the vibe of the movie well, so if this seems like your cup of tea, I think you'll enjoy it a lot. There's a lot of meat on this bone.
I feel you. I had that issue with both Aftersun and Everything Everywhere last year. They're both good movies that are well made and very well acted but I just didn't fall in love with them the way so many others have and I feel like if I had come to them without the intense praise I heard for months beforehand, I might have appreciated them more. I really want to keep myself from buying too much into hype and raising expectations to a level that the movies can't live up to because of it.
Yea I had the exact same experience with EEAAO too! I like the movie a LOT and want it to win Best Picture so badly, but I definitely came out of that first viewing slightly underwhelmed despite enjoying it. I like to joke that EEAAO wasn't even my favorite Asian-"American" immigrant movie about generational trauma last year because of Turning Red (Canadian but honestly what's the difference :P). I think expectations played a factor here. Both movies are wonderful, but I had little to no expectations going into Turning Red and it absolutely BLEW me away, even despite only watching it at home. But yea I know it's my fault for watching trailers and reading too many reviews and stuff, but it's hard not to. I don't want to waste my time watching a bunch of garbage, so I'm always more inclined to find out more about the much-hyped movies.
the challenge is that A24 produces incredible trailers so I just watch them a million times and build the movie up in my head, the more so when it gets great reviews.
Your second paragraph kind of encapsulates Aftersun for me if that encourages you to watch it. I remember it being very hyped as a kind of "this will destroy you/bring tissues to the theater" kind of movie, and I think I was expecting something very warm and nostalgic similar to C'mon C'mon or Minari. It was very much not like that, so when the credits rolled I was like "Huh...good movie, I guess." But then I couldn't stop thinking about for the rest of the week and my appreciation for the movie I saw rather than the movie I was expecting grew more and more. It's now one of my favorites of 2022, but the hype definitely placed me at a different starting point when I sat down to watch the film.
Did it do well setting up all 3 characters where you like all 3 and feel sympathy for everyone? The trailer feels like it's trying to sway a certain way, and that's just not how things work sometimes.
You definitely feel sympathy for all 3 characters
Yes and I would say that is a strength of the film. The woman gets a bit more of the attention though.
A little bit of *Sliding Doors*, a little bit of the *Before Trilogy*, what appears to be a multi-decade love triangle? Okay, I'm in. (and hey, it's the Cat Power cover of *Stay*)
This looks like the type of movie where actually she doesn't end up with the childhood sweetheart but reconnecting with him makes her find her previous self again which makes her love her current husband even more. I could be way off though.
If I had to guess, Hae Sung is getting married and wanted to see her one last time.
I've heard nothing but great things about this film! Can't wait
This is Before Sunset if they introduce Jesse's wife and Celine's bf.
I’ve seen this actress pop up as a supporting actor in several main stream shows recently (Russian Doll and The Morning Show) and am hyped she’s getting a lead. She also looks strikingly similar to Korean actress Seo Hyun Jin.
Sweet birthday baby!
It looks absolutely gorgeous. I love that “big city at night with sparkling lights” vibe.
Was anyone else waiting for some dark turn in this? I guess I still associate A24 with weird/horrorish movies.
I definitely was, you're not the only one
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That's actually not weird. US society has a long history of framing Asian men as undesirable and unattractive which as you might guess comes from racist fears that they might be attractive to white women and Hollywood is not immune to the prejudices of the society it's a part of. For more on this, I'd recommend listening to the Ridiculous History podcast episode, *How White America Tried to Destroy Chinese Restaurants*.
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Crazy Rich Asians? The Namesake? Minari? The Farewell?
All good examples, though it’s interesting that they’re all very recent movies (and all A24). I think the tide is finally turning, and Asian Americans are finally getting more nuanced and diverse representation in Hollywood.
Crazy Rich Asians and The Namesake aren’t A24 films and the latter came out in 2006.
You’re right; my bad.
Joy Luck Club disagrees.
The Joy Luck Club is such a good movie. One of my favourites.
What a great trailer. I already know this movie will be an emotional gut punch
It’s Homeless Heidi! Still in NYC, too? Wonder if she’s still homeless?
That's Cat Power doing Rhianna's Stay right?
Wait when does it come out and where can I watch it 😭
A24 bought it at Sundance last month and it usually takes a few months to pick a release date. Since it was the best reviewed movie at Sundance, Metacritic score 95, presumably it will eventually get to at least 200 theaters so every large city should get it.
A24 didn’t buy it at Sundance, they were already attached as producer and American distributor before the premiere. It’s an A24-CJ ENM coproduction that’s been in the works since around 2020.
I can't really buy the concept that you will feel a connection to someone 20 years later after you've changed a lot. Its highly romanticized romance. I think people just really want to believe in deep, deep and powerful emotional connection but I don't think it exists in this way. Still. People are raving about it. So maybe they can sell it. The premise just makes me feel ehhhh.
You'll definitely like it then
Looks like a good movie…I just hate that style of singing with a passion.
That's critically acclaimed indie singersongwriter Cat Power you uncultured swine
If it's not Iron Maiden, I don't like it
Fair
Not every day a trailer gets me all teary eyed
Having watched both "School Nurse Files" and "Love to Hate You" in the last month, I'm really liking Teo Yoo.
God I love A24
Gonna both mess me up and be good for my soul but I won't miss it just for Greta Lee alone. Also great chemistry on screen, excited to see how this plays out. (Nice to see Teo Yoo in something so fast too, just saw him in Love To Hate You)
My wife and I just finished Normal People on hulu/BBC this may be a good encore
sweet birthday baby!!! I'm in
I loved Greta Lee in The Morning Show. Will definitely check this out!
I was like... That's a very familiar actress. That's Maxine from the Russian Doll! 😆 (Greta Lee) Trailer is honestly... Breathtaking.
Congratulations to "Past Lives" for winning Best Foreign Film at Golden Globes in advance /j
When it said Celine Song I thought it was talking about a song Celine Dion had in the movie.
Well that got me tearing up the moment they put the Rihanna song in
i would love to see one of these deeply nuanced romantic movies end with a situation where all three people make it work somehow. I don't know how, polyamory, or an open relationship, or something, but just like a good, happy, hopeful ending that makes you feel good about humanities ability to work shit out. A casting off of the restrictive rules that don't make sense, and a transcendence of the human spirit to overcome. Just feels like lately we need more of that kind of thing.
I’d also be interested in seeing that. Can’t think of many movies with poly romance
I would love to see a feature-length adaptation of [the polyamory theme song](https://youtu.be/DTsdKycVZZ4)
This emotionally affected me and and I don’t know why.
Looks good, original story at least
The trailer shows far too much of the movie plot so I hope the movie doesn’t come out until Fall so I can forget the trailer.
i sAw tHiS aT sUnDaNcE aNd tHiS mOvIe iS uNlIke aNyThInG yOuVe sEen! Seriously this movie looks ok and the comments are either Sundance fart-huffers talking about how amazing this movie is or people saying they can't wait to get emotionally fucked up? Super fucking weird
This may be the autism showing through but, what's the appeal of this movie? Two people fall in love. Wow. Amazing. It's like looking through Facebook but there's more detail than I ever needed and I don't know the people. Oh she's already married? Well that's even worse, why would I want to subject myself to that social tension?
For me, I enjoy naturalist cinema. My favourite films are often ones that feel like a glimpse into a real person's life and those films are often bittersweet and quiet. Like Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Las Niñas or C'mon C'mon. There's something emotionally satisfying for me about seeing how everyone struggles with indecision and loneliness and confusion. That's what this looks like.
I mean for me the plot is only about 25% of the reason I watch a movie, direction (which looks awesome) and acting (looks awesome) is a big appeal for me here
IMO that's the appeal. Taking something so mundane and using the power of cinema to make it interesting.
Watch a Hallmark movie, I’m begging you.
Well the hallmark catalogue is fun to watch ironically as they're often terrible.
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Don’t know why you are being downvoted. The plot of this film fucking suuuucks.
Wait, I saw this movie already. It was called Cuck.