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finem

Netherlands

finem

Netherlands
Her Private Life korean drama review
Completed
Her Private Life
3 people found this review helpful
by finem
Apr 20, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10.0

Shakesperean perfection

I was both happy and sad to reach the conclusion of this heartwarming and superbly acted drama. As all the interwoven stories reached their satisfactory conclusion, I was reminded of how Shakespeare brought all the multi-faceted strands of his eternal tales to their inevitable end. So many Korean dramas, including many of my favourites, leave too much unexplained or end in a way which does not live up to the excellence of everything to that point. 'Her Private Life' is a uniquely happy exception. While the 'fangirl' thread - and how two mature young woman and their families deal with it - is considered by some to be the main point of the story. I would disagree: it is about reconciliation and family; negotiating the difficult paths of self-discovery. As someone who was adopted, I was particularly attuned to the search for family. And one is given many opportunities to think about the truth of art.

The mix of romance and comedy is perfectly balanced: I was happy that the protagonists did not let misunderstandings - a natural part of life - linger too long to create unnecessary tensions. (How often do I find myself asking the screen - why doesn't he just explain what happened to her!)

Others have commented on the remarkable chemistry of Park Min Young and Kim Jae-Wook, I couldn't agree more. They are one of the most mature couples in Dramaland with a level of understanding, fun, and forgiveness when necessary. Their back stories - lost memories, recovered at precisely the right moment and their reaction to those memories - only reveals the depth of their characters and the characterisation of these superb actors as well. I admit to be being a particular fan of Park Min-Young's - just something about her in every drama to which she lends her extraordinary beauty and smile.

The secondary cast is superb as well, in particular Kim Mi-Kying - the amazing hacker in 'Healer' as Park Min Young's mother and the exasperating but very funny Kim Sun-young as the bizarrely eccentric head of the cultural foundation that runs the Art Gallery at the center of the story.

I will rewatch 'Her Private Life' to relive the experience of these wonderful characters.
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