nfabjoy
Somewhere in Africa
A deceptively deep but ultimately shallow and bewildering drama on "healing"
I'm going to go into this review as a mental health advocate and avid drama watcher and I must say , that on both fronts , I am very bewildered .
There is a telenovela called La Mujer Perfecta "The Perfect Woman" from Venezuela. It is a slice of life telenovela that showcases Venezuelan beauty standards in a society that prizes beauty over brains and the mass objectification of the female body . Whilst exploring that; it touches on a girl who is nonconformist ,has amazing brains , eccentric beauty plus has Asperger's Syndrome . Asperger's is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests. All of which make her severely underappreciated and misunderstood in the society she finds herself in.However -the depiction of mental health in that telenovela showed that your perceived weakness in society can actually be beautiful and strong.
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay didn’t make its protagonists gorgeous but made them weak and lacking with an evolved sense of self centeredness which is far from the mental health truth .It was a plot that was rather disingenuous as it had supreme potential to break much needed ground . It could have really knocked it out the park exploring mental illnesses and their intricate effects in daily life.
The use of psychopathy was lazy and came across as a crude entertainment device. This is seen in the terrible plot twist.Also , It’s okay not to be okay could’ve been a poignant slice of life drama with special emphasis on people triumphing over what society views as a weakness but instead it shallowly explored the effects of alcoholism , domestic abuse and trauma. This is due to the world building and character portraits. The world of IOTNBO was not fully lived in but was rather heavily accessorised and very much stylised focusing more on aesthetic than on substance. So in the end - the beautiful and human character portraits did not have a chance to take center stage.Instead , we had numerous employees stand back and watch while people like the Moon brother's . female protagonist et al had their meltdowns which would NEVER happen , like , ANYWHERE. And those are just a few of the many examples. No careful thought was put in this which was very off putting but people are giving it a pass because it is "pretty" and "helaing". SMH.
I do however appreciate it for what it was in the end. That's why I did not drop it even though , perhaps , I should have .Its a story that does not really focus on plot but opts to tell it’s story via the unravelling of complex character portraits in the form of the three main leads.Thats cool.The acting was also very engaging as well and the actors wove in great continiuty in their skills . Kim Soo Hyun was ridiculously tragic , Seo Yeo Ji was transfixing and Oh Jung Se needs AWARDS ASAP. Drama performance of the year ! The supporting cast was meh for the most part and annoying in some parts but I did really love ALL the patients in Ok Psychiatry Hospital . Very lovely stories indeed.
The music was not impressive and did a lack luster job on atmosphere modulation.
OVERALL - I would not rewatch it or even watch MVs on YouTube. I am glad I did watch and it was mildly entertaining and gorgeous in visuals . On substance fronts - its severely lacking. It was like going to a restaurant and having boiled ribs with no garnish. Ribs have so much potential to be tasty and yum so why leave them boiled?No thank you .
There is a telenovela called La Mujer Perfecta "The Perfect Woman" from Venezuela. It is a slice of life telenovela that showcases Venezuelan beauty standards in a society that prizes beauty over brains and the mass objectification of the female body . Whilst exploring that; it touches on a girl who is nonconformist ,has amazing brains , eccentric beauty plus has Asperger's Syndrome . Asperger's is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests. All of which make her severely underappreciated and misunderstood in the society she finds herself in.However -the depiction of mental health in that telenovela showed that your perceived weakness in society can actually be beautiful and strong.
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay didn’t make its protagonists gorgeous but made them weak and lacking with an evolved sense of self centeredness which is far from the mental health truth .It was a plot that was rather disingenuous as it had supreme potential to break much needed ground . It could have really knocked it out the park exploring mental illnesses and their intricate effects in daily life.
The use of psychopathy was lazy and came across as a crude entertainment device. This is seen in the terrible plot twist.Also , It’s okay not to be okay could’ve been a poignant slice of life drama with special emphasis on people triumphing over what society views as a weakness but instead it shallowly explored the effects of alcoholism , domestic abuse and trauma. This is due to the world building and character portraits. The world of IOTNBO was not fully lived in but was rather heavily accessorised and very much stylised focusing more on aesthetic than on substance. So in the end - the beautiful and human character portraits did not have a chance to take center stage.Instead , we had numerous employees stand back and watch while people like the Moon brother's . female protagonist et al had their meltdowns which would NEVER happen , like , ANYWHERE. And those are just a few of the many examples. No careful thought was put in this which was very off putting but people are giving it a pass because it is "pretty" and "helaing". SMH.
I do however appreciate it for what it was in the end. That's why I did not drop it even though , perhaps , I should have .Its a story that does not really focus on plot but opts to tell it’s story via the unravelling of complex character portraits in the form of the three main leads.Thats cool.The acting was also very engaging as well and the actors wove in great continiuty in their skills . Kim Soo Hyun was ridiculously tragic , Seo Yeo Ji was transfixing and Oh Jung Se needs AWARDS ASAP. Drama performance of the year ! The supporting cast was meh for the most part and annoying in some parts but I did really love ALL the patients in Ok Psychiatry Hospital . Very lovely stories indeed.
The music was not impressive and did a lack luster job on atmosphere modulation.
OVERALL - I would not rewatch it or even watch MVs on YouTube. I am glad I did watch and it was mildly entertaining and gorgeous in visuals . On substance fronts - its severely lacking. It was like going to a restaurant and having boiled ribs with no garnish. Ribs have so much potential to be tasty and yum so why leave them boiled?No thank you .
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