The emotions!
It feels a bit choppy at times as there are only two parts, but it gets the story through. It sets the mood for the full series. The amount of raw emotions shown by both main actors is amazing. It's a cry fest though. The fact that it is based on a true story made the whole thing even more painful to watch. I can't even imagine how torturous something like this must have been for the real life Nan (or Phu). There is not really much else to say about it, but I am definitely excited about the full series that is airing in March. I can't wait to see more of Phu and Nan, eventhough I really want to shake some sense into Phu before that.Was this review helpful to you?
A Sad Story But Remarkably Real
This is a great case study of unrequited love on both sides with neither one having the courage to say what they really mean. It is profoundly sad and so much time was wasted on misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and LACK of communication. But oh the tenacity to right the wrong is beautifully portrayed and full of sentimentally. The acting is well done, more so in Phupha episode with the Nanfah seemingly a bit belabored. Yet, it has such profoundly moving scenes in it that I was profoundly moved. These two are very sort but accomplish a lot of emotions in a very short period of time. Just a remarkable human story. Sometimes told with subtly; and sometimes with symbolism. But all so meaningful.Was this review helpful to you?
An Emotionally Beautiful Beginning
I watched these two episodes prior to starting The Promise which I just finished. I loved these two episodes. They're relatively short, but they give a glimpse of each of these young men's thoughts, emotions, and feelings, giving more history on their relationship prior to the drama. They're beautifully done. The actors do a wonderful job with their characters and the stories are, for the most part, well told and streamlined, Phupha's more so than Nanfah's.I felt like it really drove home the fact that a lack of communication can have serious consequences. Their failure to communicate caused them to lose so much time. Incidentally, I loved the old fashioned pocket watches. I thought the symbolism was beautiful and well thought out. I was very impressed by the amount of emotional impact they were able land in such a short period of time. The story is so heart wrenching and I think it does teach good lessons in the importance of communication, both in expressing yourself and not bottling your emotions and taking the time to listen and understand without making assumptions.
Here's the drawback though. These two episodes have a very different feel from the drama. They're mature, emotional, moving and I expected the drama to have that same tone. I was very wrong, unfortunately. It's clear that these two episodes and the drama were not filmed concurrently as sets are completely different from one to the other. For example, the dorm rooms are totally different as are the rooms at their condo. The characters don't feel the same either, mostly I think because the drama is almost trying to be a bit of a rom-com and the comedic aspect of their characters feels jarring since that wasn't a part of these episodes. Additionally, much of the backstory established in these two episodes is different from that in the drama which I've found disappointing as some of those changes I felt have limited the emotional impact that was established. There are minor changes, like in these two episodes, it's mentioned that Phu and Nan are in the same faculty, but different majors whereas in the drama, they're both advertising majors. And bigger changes as well like the whole reason Phu disappeared in the first place. I find it disappointing because there's absolutely no reason the stories should vary at all. Maybe it's because there were two different directors and screenwriters, maybe because things just weren't double checked, or maybe they just didn't care enough. Who knows, but I much preferred the tone of these two episodes as opposed to the drama thus far.
I don't regret watching these episodes in the slightest, I just wish they meshed with the drama better in terms of tone, story, and character representation. Having completed the drama, I can safely say that these episodes far surpass the drama in basically every way. I absolutely recommend watching these two episodes, I do not recommend the drama. Rather, I would regard these two episodes as their own separate entity and consider the ending as being left open. It's better than the drivel the drama turned out to be. If you do want to watch both, don't watch them one after the other. The differences between the two mean that they don't really add much in the long run and it's better not to consider them as a unit. It's a pity the drama didn't live up to these episodes because they are beautifully done.
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