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Just Friends? korean movie review
Completed
Just Friends?
1 people found this review helpful
by Heracin
20 days ago
Completed
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 4.0

Too short but still worth it for the interesting context and the cast

Disclaimer, this review only relates to the 29 minutes short film, not to the additional bonus making of / behind-the-scene which lacked subtitles.

In a nutshell, I found the premise very interesting and quite subversive (especially given the fact it was released in 2009) as it features the romantic relationship between two guys separated while one is doing his mandatory military service. In a very short time, I found the movie made some very compelling points, with scenes showcasing how somewhat taboo their relationship is seen by Korean society. Unfortunately, the film is too short to really get to the bottom of the conflict and remain relatively superficial on the turmoil faced by the characters.

The acting was good and it is quite pleasant to watch some familiar actors that I had seen in other works, here at the very beginning of their career, in an indie movie. The production value is quite limited, you feel the budget constraint. Even though it felt very strange because of the shift of tone, I enjoyed the opening and ending generic. It was quite fun to watch with some joyful folk music that I appreciated.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an indie BL short movie. It approaches love between men within the mandatory military context in Korea, which is not a very common topic. It felt unfortunately a bit short in terms of storyline and what it is trying to say, mainly because of its short length format. Still, given its short duration, it is worth giving it a shot, especially if you want to see performances of Yeon Woo Jin and Lee Je Hoon at the beginning of their career.
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