Beautiful Days had beautiful performances by Lee Na Young, Jang Dong Yoon, and Oh Gwang Rok. Slow paced and emotionally gritty it can be difficult to watch. The audience and the son looking for his mother wonder how she could have abandoned her child. Truth and expectations are constantly turned upside-down as the story progresses.

The cinematography is dark and melancholic, reflecting the mood of anger, guilt, sadness, and regret. The score embraces those same feelings.

JDY gives a good performance as the angry son, Zhen Chen, who travels from China to South Korea to find his mother due to his dying father's wish. What he finds only deepens his anger and resentment. Lee's mother shows restrained emotions, a woman who has long dealt with sacrifice and hardships. The story deepens when a disappointed Zhen Chen on the return trip home finds the diary his mother left him and her long buried secrets and his are slowly revealed.

The film dips into the overly dramatic waters on occasions, but never completely sinks into them. Though not for everyone, and not a perfect movie, I found the struggles of this mother and son compelling.