andjel

The film opens with a kissing scene between two teenagers. The beginning suggests that the film will deal with youthful romance and the exploration of intimacy, which is indeed one of its themes. However, another much stronger and more serious theme is abuse, particularly of minors, which is why the kissing scenes don’t feel entirely appropriate to me.

The film centers on one girl, but all the other characters around her are also portrayed with care and sensitivity, allowing us to empathize with each of them. What I liked most about the film is how it depicts every character as a real human being, with experiences and feelings hidden beneath the surface. The film shows one thing on the surface, yet you sense something deeper underneath—that everyone carries a hidden pain they refuse to acknowledge. Literally everyone. That pain can destroy a person from the inside, but it can also be eased. That’s why it’s important to have people beside you with whom you can still be honest and share your burdens—and sometimes, simply sharing an apple is enough (in Korean, “apple” also means “apology”). This is a beautiful and moving drama about one girl longing for true love, but also about all of us.