The first thing to know is that it is not exciting. This is a very quiet movie. It reminds me a lot of the French art movies - where people spend a lot of time looking at each other, or off into the distance, and there isn't any music. There are interesting/amusing/sweet plot bits sprinkled throughout the expanses of quiet, and the action, as it were, happens in the last 20 minutes or so.
I am still not certain what the main message of the movie was. Again, its a very art-y movie. I would have liked a tighter story/plot and better character development. You don't get enough information to get invested in any of the couples or the resolution. But it was charming in its way, and for only about 1.75 hours of my life, I'm glad I watched it.
Its not super well acted, but its way better than many of the web dramas I've seen. Everyone's acting level is about the same, so the idols don't stand out as bad and, in fact, the boys may be the best actors in it.
Pros: You get to watch long stretches of Ren, Minhyun, and JR.
Cons: It requires patience.
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I also don't have much expectations with the acting, since I know for a fact that really isn't their area of expertise. They study yeah, but not enough to star in a heavy-acting drama. What I liked about this movie, though, was the atmosphere and cinematography blend well with the mediocre level acting of the actors. They didn't do bad, not too well either, but they did okay—since they didn't give you much part to see how they will do in extreme situations that require extreme emotions (I'm glad they didn't though, coz forcing it may just come out bad and appear OA or cringy). It was just mild acting that gave it a more natural feeling, by the way. I especially like that certain part where Kanako-sensei and his boyfriend gave a heart to heart talk and the way they delivered it realllyyyy felt so natural it was refreshing.
The plot was vague, you don't really know where it was heading to, but if I were to give my own analysis, it focus mainly on how the characters get entangled to each other, and it let us delve into their own personality, on how each of them deal with their feelings and problems. It takes on a very serious and gloomy atmosphere, but in reality it's just a light drama. There's no clichè misunderstandings. I also find it very mature on how the characters settled their own emotional problems. The whole ride was plain, yet it was not. It seems boring, yet at the same time it's making you hooked. It has it's own charm, and a fair share of funny scenes that seems to be unintended as it came so naturally. I can't say this movie was the best, but I liked its execution. It was fine and I personally liked it. It was open-ending. I'd like to give more analysation of the character's behaviors and decisions but I'd like this review to be spoil free as possible so I'm ending it here.
I'm giving it 6/10. :)
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this the type of movie that's more mellow and snail-paced, dialogue is minimal and u have to give it - the character's time to unfold, and u little by little start to see who they r and what makes them tick. that was the case here, so if ur not into long pauses and reading facial expressions, then u might be bored - cause not much is happening on screen - or so it seems to people who enjoy fast-paced, dialogue packet movies.
loved how even though each individual that seemed like an island at the start, when the story developed u saw how they were all connected to each other - oblivious to each other's connection they still were changed and even evolved through their connections - when they got closer or further apart. its like they were all connected by an invisible string when one "pulled", each had a minor shift in their own lives . it was sweet and magical in a way. the cause and effect shown - how our actions be it a word or a look, effect others around us that we don't even know r connected to us -
for sure a rewatch as this is totally my type of movie - just sit back and watch the movie unfold - everyone takes their time - nothing rushed. clams me idk guess just my cup of tea - find these type of movies very relaxing. plus this one was sweet, funny and heartwarming - so happily recommend.
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Some may think Their Distance is a bit boring, even members of NU'EST outright said that the only time they got to watch it was when it got premiered and they hadn't touched on it ever since. I agree it does require your patience, but I finished in one attempt and didn't see it as a waste of time at all.
The pace of the movie is relatively slow, and there are not many lines as well. Most of the time the characters just basically stare at each other. A lot of the scenes were repetitive, as I personally would prefer a new perspective or another way to execute them to not make them feel bland whatsoever. The plot is told from the third-person pov, so they don't explore much on characters' deeper thoughts and emotions, though I would like to see more. The film focuses on an art-y vibe so the colors feel nice and warm but there is also a lack of angles, many scenes were shot quite far away from our sight while I wanted to get a closer look.
The story centers around a handful of young adults, both Koreans and Japanese dealing with their own hardships and love. It's pleasing to see how the relationships among them unfold to notice that they all are connected to one another. All the problems the characters were getting through are all resolved at the end, almost nothing was left unanswered. It's also nice to see how love can change someone.
The cast is mediocre, but the setting isn't that enormous anyway so they match well. Of course the Japanese cast was better at doing their job (since they have been actors for a while), but the NU'EST guys didn't do bad either. It was quite convincing considering that was the first time they participated in a film. I personally adores Ren's acting so I am pleased to see how far he has gone (he's doing more musicals recently and his skills are definitely improving). It was also kinda funny how Baekho and Aron were given like 5 lines each and then they just vanished from the whole movie.
The music though, it was minimal at best, almost non-existent at worst. The lack of bgm sort of resulted in the quiet atmosphere. I would like to sprinkle a track here and there to boost emotions.
In conclusion, there is not much to expect here but the movie can be considered slightly above average when it comes to quality. If you like to see NU'EST guys acting and have a good time then this could be quite enjoyable.
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