The film’s premiere was somewhat let down by the day and time – a sweltering Sunday afternoon, coinciding with the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Monza; I watched both the press conference and the red carpet via livestream; The questions were rather ordinary, and time was wasted on multiple translations (from Italian to English to Korean and back again); the cast were absolutely delighted to be working with the master, etc.;
it’s interesting that one of the film’s sources of inspiration is the beautiful *Decalogue* by the late master Krzysztof Kieślowski; Lee Chang-dong was supposed to direct an episode (I think the tenth) but then the project stalled and, I imagine, he drew on the ideas that had been put forward;
As for the reviews, the film has been very well received; as usual, opinions vary: some describe it as a multifaceted and beautiful work (4 out of 5 stars), whilst other articles call it ‘a great film about social conflicts and betrayed values’; there’s an 8.5 on another excellent arthouse cinema website…
In general, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the film’s ‘political and social’ significance, obviously accompanied by the melodramatic elements we can well imagine… Generally, there is a great deal of confidence, but I can’t make any predictions about the awards because every year is always a surprise. A side note: the leading actresses are truly radiant and stunning; Zo In-sung is very likeable; Sul Kyung-gu is more poised.
Really glad you brought up the Coen brothers angle. I had been wracking my brain trying to figure it out, but…
Thank you for your comment! Right from the start, it struck me that there was a certain atmosphere reminiscent of "Fargo" or "Burn After Reading";... I often call it the ‘avalanche effect’ because it keeps piling on more and more complications and drama, on top of the human misery in the story; having prepared the review before the final episode, I’d speculated on either a ‘guilty’ ending, where perhaps the least culpable characters would end up paying the price (there really aren’t any innocent ones here!), or an ‘innocent’ ending, where they’d get off scot-free (at least up to a point...) . I must say I’m satisfied with the drama as a whole – that’s what I tried to convey in the review – and, what’s more, I found it genuinely entertaining from start to finish...
Very interesting... From a historical perspective, King Munmu came to the throne just a few rulers after Queen Seondeok, and here too we have Kim Yu Shin, a historical figure who played a key role in the brilliant 2009 television series; The inclusion of Jang Hyuk in the cast is obviously an excellent choice, although – personally – I would like to see also some female characters.
Well, 1.3 billion won is 820,000 euros at the current exchange rate, or as much as 950,000 dollars – I’d say that changes your life quite significantly, despite the cost of living in Korea – which I imagine is extremely high. The series has a certain appeal; it seems a bit derivative of a certain type of feel-good Hollywood comedy, but he’s a sure bet, so it’s worth watching. i'd say
In the past, this plot device was used frequently, both as the main storyline and as a means of driving the narrative forward, complete with the accompanying frustrations 😖; as has already been rightly pointed out, "Couple of Trouble" is one such - beautiful- example, whilst amongst my favourites I would obviously say "Winter Sonata" "I Have A Lover" and "My Love Eun Dong".
Too bad about The Scarecrow; I think it had the most nominations but, apart from the brilliant Park Hae Soo, it didn’t win as many awards as I’d hoped; I’m very, very happy for Shin Hae Sun – she was truly outstanding.
It really did come out of the blue, as they say! Best wishes to you and your husband! Now enjoy your life together and build something beautiful and unique – there’s always time for work... My heartfelt congratulations! 💞
In my opinion, everything that needed to be done in "Goblin" has been achieved; the narrative arc is perfect; all the themes, the plot twists and all the main characters have followed their logical paths (and reached their respective conclusions); it’s all perfectly balanced – otherwise it wouldn’t even have earned that well-deserved top rating; any ‘reboot’ of the story would only lead to redundancy, helping to spoil the series’ aura; I’d love to see the cast reunited for another drama, of course, but "Goblin 2" isn’t going to happen – at least, I hope not...
Happy Birthday So Ri! 🎉🎂 You may not realise it, but you were my first real introduction to Korean cinema, thanks to "A Good Lawyer’s Wife" (I went on to catch up on your earlier films); thank you for directing me towards this cinematic universe! 🌺
Hiya!!! 🤗I truly appreciate how insightful and comprehensive your evaluations are. 🫶🏻I always find them…
But thank you for your lovely words, really! This drama has kept me busy for weeks – literally! I went back and reviewed the shifts in perspective several times, particularly for the introduction, and the first draft I produced was actually even longer than this final version; I found myself adding details, episode after episode, but certain series really are worth it, given the depth of their writing; knowing that you appreciate this review makes all the time I’ve put in worthwhile – truly! 감사합니다 ! 🌺
I watched both the press conference and the red carpet via livestream; The questions were rather ordinary, and time was wasted on multiple translations (from Italian to English to Korean and back again); the cast were absolutely delighted to be working with the master, etc.;
it’s interesting that one of the film’s sources of inspiration is the beautiful *Decalogue* by the late master Krzysztof Kieślowski; Lee Chang-dong was supposed to direct an episode (I think the tenth) but then the project stalled and, I imagine, he drew on the ideas that had been put forward;
As for the reviews, the film has been very well received; as usual, opinions vary: some describe it as a multifaceted and beautiful work (4 out of 5 stars), whilst other articles call it ‘a great film about social conflicts and betrayed values’; there’s an 8.5 on another excellent arthouse cinema website…
In general, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the film’s ‘political and social’ significance, obviously accompanied by the melodramatic elements we can well imagine…
Generally, there is a great deal of confidence, but I can’t make any predictions about the awards because every year is always a surprise.
A side note: the leading actresses are truly radiant and stunning; Zo In-sung is very likeable; Sul Kyung-gu is more poised.
Right from the start, it struck me that there was a certain atmosphere reminiscent of "Fargo" or "Burn After Reading";...
I often call it the ‘avalanche effect’ because it keeps piling on more and more complications and drama, on top of the human misery in the story;
having prepared the review before the final episode, I’d speculated on either a ‘guilty’ ending, where perhaps the least culpable characters would end up paying the price (there really aren’t any innocent ones here!), or an ‘innocent’ ending, where they’d get off scot-free (at least up to a point...) .
I must say I’m satisfied with the drama as a whole – that’s what I tried to convey in the review – and, what’s more, I found it genuinely entertaining from start to finish...
Amazing Actress, stunning Woman!
From a historical perspective, King Munmu came to the throne just a few rulers after Queen Seondeok, and here too we have Kim Yu Shin, a historical figure who played a key role in the brilliant 2009 television series;
The inclusion of Jang Hyuk in the cast is obviously an excellent choice, although – personally – I would like to see also some female characters.
as has already been rightly pointed out, "Couple of Trouble" is one such - beautiful- example,
whilst amongst my favourites I would obviously say
"Winter Sonata"
"I Have A Lover"
and "My Love Eun Dong".
I’m very, very happy for Shin Hae Sun – she was truly outstanding.
Best wishes to you and your husband!
Now enjoy your life together and build something beautiful and unique
– there’s always time for work...
My heartfelt congratulations! 💞
Lee Chang Dong ("Possible Love") will be in the competition—and just look at that cast—
let’s hope they can all make it to the event!
https://www.labiennale.org/it/cinema/2026/venezia-83-concorso/ga-neung-han-sa-rang-possible-love
well, my memory of this wonderful drama is still very vivid ❤️
Thank You!
Please come back very soon ❤️
the narrative arc is perfect; all the themes, the plot twists and all the main characters have followed their logical paths (and reached their respective conclusions);
it’s all perfectly balanced – otherwise it wouldn’t even have earned that well-deserved top rating; any ‘reboot’ of the story would only lead to redundancy, helping to spoil the series’ aura;
I’d love to see the cast reunited for another drama, of course, but "Goblin 2" isn’t going to happen – at least, I hope not...
Happy Birthday Soo Bin! 🎂🎉❤️
You may not realise it, but you were my first real introduction to Korean cinema,
thanks to "A Good Lawyer’s Wife" (I went on to catch up on your earlier films);
thank you for directing me towards this cinematic universe! 🌺
This drama has kept me busy for weeks – literally! I went back and reviewed the shifts in perspective several times, particularly for the introduction, and the first draft I produced was actually even longer than this final version;
I found myself adding details, episode after episode, but certain series really are worth it, given the depth of their writing; knowing that you appreciate this review makes all the time I’ve put in worthwhile – truly!
감사합니다 ! 🌺
❤️🌺🎉🎂Happy Birthday Kim Hee Sun!❤️🌺🎉🎂