I really really love this drama. Even if the characters don't make a lot of sense or start off as unlikable, they unfold in ways that are really beautiful. I was practically screaming at the television for the FL to get a grip, and come to her senses and realise her situation – but as it went on, it became clearer and clearer to me how suffocated and exhausted she was, long before the story even began. It takes time to get yourself out of that kind of situation – and we got to see her process of waking up.
There are several strong themes at play in the core of this – that in a world where women's wants, needs and boundaries are disrespected because of what they can be perceived to give and sacrifice to men; that they can live for themselves, and can begin again – can find healthier lives and build better relationships for themselves. It's not just a drama for women, but for men too – in a society where the ML is constantly looked down upon for his life circumstances, he finds strength, empowerment and fulfilment in his new relationship as much as she does.
I think this has easily snuck it's way into being one of my favourites. In my opinion, it's a masterpiece of writing, direction and acting. It spoke a lot to me, and is definitely a story that will live with me for a long time.
I really think this was a modern masterpiece... Park Hae-Young strikes again with the heartfelt, sombre and healing slice-of-life dramas of characters making better lives for themselves—but it wasn't just her; the direction, the acting, the lighting, the set design—everything added so perfectly to make something that meant so much to me. A big thank you to everybody who was a part of this.♡
I'm very much the type of watcher who appreciates what something can give me in terms of revelation, or perspective. Everybody thinks differently, and it's always interesting to me to watch a story and new sets of ideas and ways of living unfold in me. Stories sit with me for a long time, and as that kind of watcher, I thought this was a really, really beautiful drama that spoke a lot to me.
I found the way that the characters progressed in many ways, and were finding new areas they needed to liberate themselves very true to life. You can really imagine a life beyond the screen for them; seeing life less in the preliminary lifestyle of "I will be happy when I get to this destination", or "I will be happy when I move out of this place", and instead building a life that makes way for happiness, and finding ways to take it in as you're living in it.
I think the ending was more symbolic than open—it referred to previous conversations, and states in the characters and previous visual or spoken metaphors (birds, coins, homelessness, liberation, Christianity, determination); I think the more I've sat with it, the more it's come to me.
There are a lot of very interesting people who have engaged and grappled with this drama in many places, and I think those who resonated a lot with it would benefit from trying to find them where they can.
This director's really talented! My Mister was a masterpiece, and the direction captured the "beauty and healing in the mundane/slowburn" and "realistic, gritty everyday life" dichotomy so perfectly. It was wonderfully atmospheric, and a really very transformative work of art.
There was a lot of discussion at the time about that being a translation issue. Not sure what subs you were watching…
I'm autistic too & the words they used, like "cures" and "treatments" bothered me too, as somebody who would be horrified at the thought of either—but the show grew on me as it went (and it spoke to a lot of my experiences, as somebody who adapted more and more as I grew older).
It's been a couple months and might not be relevant—you might've seen it, and you might not agree with me, but I think they did a good job of showing how learning to live as an autistic person ("functionality", it's often called) is something he had to learn, is not linear, and when he struggles, is generally more of a response to stress, or a lack of control in the external world. It's not something I've seen explored a lot outside of this, and I related to a lot of the ways he thought about the world as the show went on. I never expected to find the depiction as nuanced as I did.
TLDR; if you (or somebody else checking the comments) looking for an entirely perfect and flawless representation; it's probably not. The way that the language was used and/or translated made me uncomfortable sometimes.
However if you want something where an autistic person grows (doesn't "overcome" or "outgrow" his traits), but is still seen as valuable both for his work ethic and caring, thoughtful "outside of the box" personality, and where pretty much everybody has a progressive arc—it's pretty good on that front, and I liked it a surprising amount.
There are several strong themes at play in the core of this – that in a world where women's wants, needs and boundaries are disrespected because of what they can be perceived to give and sacrifice to men; that they can live for themselves, and can begin again – can find healthier lives and build better relationships for themselves. It's not just a drama for women, but for men too – in a society where the ML is constantly looked down upon for his life circumstances, he finds strength, empowerment and fulfilment in his new relationship as much as she does.
I think this has easily snuck it's way into being one of my favourites. In my opinion, it's a masterpiece of writing, direction and acting. It spoke a lot to me, and is definitely a story that will live with me for a long time.
I found the way that the characters progressed in many ways, and were finding new areas they needed to liberate themselves very true to life. You can really imagine a life beyond the screen for them; seeing life less in the preliminary lifestyle of "I will be happy when I get to this destination", or "I will be happy when I move out of this place", and instead building a life that makes way for happiness, and finding ways to take it in as you're living in it.
I think the ending was more symbolic than open—it referred to previous conversations, and states in the characters and previous visual or spoken metaphors (birds, coins, homelessness, liberation, Christianity, determination); I think the more I've sat with it, the more it's come to me.
There are a lot of very interesting people who have engaged and grappled with this drama in many places, and I think those who resonated a lot with it would benefit from trying to find them where they can.
It's been a couple months and might not be relevant—you might've seen it, and you might not agree with me, but I think they did a good job of showing how learning to live as an autistic person ("functionality", it's often called) is something he had to learn, is not linear, and when he struggles, is generally more of a response to stress, or a lack of control in the external world. It's not something I've seen explored a lot outside of this, and I related to a lot of the ways he thought about the world as the show went on. I never expected to find the depiction as nuanced as I did.
TLDR; if you (or somebody else checking the comments) looking for an entirely perfect and flawless representation; it's probably not. The way that the language was used and/or translated made me uncomfortable sometimes.
However if you want something where an autistic person grows (doesn't "overcome" or "outgrow" his traits), but is still seen as valuable both for his work ethic and caring, thoughtful "outside of the box" personality, and where pretty much everybody has a progressive arc—it's pretty good on that front, and I liked it a surprising amount.