Reviews

If you are looking for something with a big plot or that moves fast, you need to look elsewhere because you won't find it here. This is one of those quiet and reflective movies.
I'm finding it hard to put my thoughts into words for this movie. The cinematography is beautiful and there is a melancholy feel that seeps in to you. The dialogue is a mixture of English, Chinese, and Korean. The acting was moving. So much was said with so little words. The chemistry between Hyun Bin and Tang Wei was very good.

While the story didn't go where I expected, I still was riveted to the screen. And this movie may be boring to some people, but for some reason it drew me in. All I can really say is that I feel like I'm still going to be thinking on this one for several days.

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Every day, we constantly overlook certain people in our lives because we take them for granted; the neighborhood police, the DJ(s) on the radio that we listen to every morning/night, a person who's constantly trying their best to improve our lives with silly inventions, a person who's trying their best to chase after what he loves, these are some of the characters in this movie and because they're mostly not "noticed", after you finish the movie, it makes you really want to go up to one of these types of people and say, "Thank you for all you've done." After all, these are people who you might have crossed paths with.

I started this movie for its star-studded cast, Deng Chao (The Breakup Guru, Devil and Angel, The Four) and Bai Bai He (Monster Hunt, Love is not Blind, A Wedding Invitation), king and queen of Chinese movies (of course, not the only king and queen). Then there's Yang Yang, Zhang Tian Ai, and Xiao Yue Yue who recently exploded in popularity (Love O2O, Go Princess Go, I Belonged To You). I learned of this movie because of Yang Yang, but put it on my PTW list for Bai Bai He and Deng Chao because in my opinion, they've never disappointed me and probably never will. Most of the movies they've ever been in always deliver some meaningful/important message, and this movie is not an exception. From what I know, almost everyone took up a role that they haven't performed in any other project and it made for a nice, new experience.

There were some Chinese reviews that said the only good point about this movie was the cast. I disagreed and decided to write a little. This slice of life movie gives two sides of everything, good things can happen and so can bad things. This is NOT a spoiler, because that is how life is and it is what I appreciated about this movie. There wasn't anything I disliked about the movie. The director did an amazing job because... (if you haven't watched it yet, you might consider below a spoiler but it's just a minute detail that most people might not have noticed and doesn't give away big plot developments)

1. There was camera focus on people like taxi drivers, the grocery peddlers, grocery peddlers who have to take care of their kids at the same time, factory workers, security guards and others. People who (might) have a difficult time with their personal lives but still have the time to smile at us and sell us their service every day. There was also camera focus on ordinary office workers, students, and just ordinary people in general. No one was excluded in particular, but when I thought deeper about how many people I pass by every day without knowing how they live, then I connect it to the radio messages that Deng Chao says, I can't help but tear up and feel sorry. Even though I might not change how I look at passerbys in my life, but I think I might start to value these relationships that I have with passerbys.

2. Beautiful cinematography. Although there weren't a lot of city shots, but everything else was just as beautiful, from small towns to Daocheng. Not much can be said about how much I appreciated what the director included in the movie, I think it's best personally experienced by watching the movie (#sellout).

3. The music was absolutely fantastic. There were a couple of soundtracks that I particularly loved:
In This Whole World, Who Listens to You? (Yoga Lin)
Unspoken (Li Ronghao)
You Are Waiting for Me at the Endpoint (Wang Fei)
Love is a Crazy Word (Yang Yang)

This might be the entire soundtrack, but everything was just so amazing. Even if you watch the movie just for the music, I think that's already worth it. From all the Chinese titles, it's hard to determine what the English translations are, and even harder to understand in Chinese what they actually mean. However, when you finish listening to it (whether in Chinese or with English subs), you can grasp what it's trying to tell you, and that's how I came up with the English translations for the song names. Not only are the original soundtracks amazing, but the background instrumentals were just as awesome!

There have been worse movies than this, but I think this is one of the best movies to be produced this year. From the beginning, I didn't understand why the English title was "I Belonged To You" when the Chinese title's direct translation was "From Your Whole World, I Passed By". Then, I watched the movie and thought about this question again. Perhaps, you'll think about it as well as you're watching it, or maybe you've already thought of it, but it doesn't change this sad but hopeful feeling that I have. No matter who passes by in your life, no matter whether they're special to you or not, we should all be thankful for being allowed to connect with those people once in our lives. If we think about it, out of the 7.4 billion people on this Earth, we were able to make contact with certain kinds of people and that is one kind of ?? (fate) that we should also value. Of course, not everyone we meet is a good experience, but isn't it because we've experienced the bad ones that we appreciate the good ones? That is also something that I think reflects in the movie, and all in all, there are just so many simple realizations that you can experience from this movie that doesn't happen too often nowadays with Chinese movies.

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So not really your story following friends. Not even the traditional story of lovey dovey couples and happy, or even dramatic, endings. No.

What this series was was a non-traditional (for dramas of this class) look at life as affected by social media. SM played a crucial role in each and every life in this series, as it does today. How many of us are not affected by Twitter, InstaGram, Facebook, Line, YouTube and Tinder? How many of us do not live on these media and don't even know our next door neighbour?

A little dramatic at times, the characters are totally relatable in our modern context. The fact that they are University students and a little more mature than the other dramas being based in High School was quite a plus.

Again, I must hand it to the Thai's: they have product placement down. This time the adverts, ahm I mean product placements, were not quite as annoyingly placed as other drams which shall go unmentioned, but they are still quite noticeable. Good job though!

All in all a good drama to keep you busy in the downtime between Tweets, IMs, Lines and such. Well worth the watch!

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I am quite late to watching this drama, but it seems to have reached some sort of cult status, so I felt like I needed to tick it off my list. This show may be the most cliche and full of tropes drama I have watched to date - yet still enjoyed it for most parts. We have the rich and arrogant chaebol, poor humble girl, wicked evil mom, noble idiocy, fated/star-crossed love, tragic accident, amnesia...and more that I didn't list.

The storyline was not all that great. And they could have used the body-swapping with far more effect than they did, even though it created lots of humorous moments. That part was just a little messy. The main leads had a great chemistry together, which is probably what made this show work at all. Joo Won wasn't exactly romantic for more than half the drama. But his neurotic character was still somewhat charming even when he was being such a butthead to Ra Im. He was like a man-child that couldn't help himself from putting his foot in his mouth and being a jerk, but he was lucky he was cute. His character growth comes quite late in the series. Ra Im's character was disappointing sometimes because she's supposed to be this awesome stunt-woman with mad fighting skills, yet she's mostly meek and apologetic to everyone.
I will say that Hyun Bin did an amazing acting job - especially during the body swap scenes and the elevator scene. So, while the story was all over the map, the characters are what kept me watching until the end because the middle part was somewhat draggy and repetitive. The last few episodes were probably my favorite, even with the plot weirdness.

I doubt I'd ever re-watch this, but I'm glad that I watched it simply for the sake of understanding references to it. (and a little bit because Hyun Bin is pretty cute. LOL) Story-wise it is just mediocre, with some cute moments thrown in.

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Story: The story is not the most original, seeing as it is a modern retelling of Cinderella with a twist. That being said, it was a fairly okay twist. Of course, it has your usual rom-com teenage-ish trope of pretty boys and poor main girl (I wouldn't hold that against it, though; many dramas are like this). It was not an overly special story or plot, but it had moments to hook you in. I found myself loving some episodes more than others. I want to say this was a drama I could not stop watching but, in fact, it was quite hard for me to finish. The best parts for me were not given enough screen time and the ending felt rushed and a bit cliche.

Acting/Cast: I loved many cast members, and hated other characters (there's always at least one lol). Park So Dam was the female lead, and I have never seen her in another show. For me, I really enjoyed her acting and the chemistry she had with Jung Il Woo. She has become a favorite for me. As for Jung Il Woo, I much preferred him in this role than his role in Flower Boy Ramen Shop. The maturity and playfulness were at levels that just seemed more appropriate for him. Ahn Jae Hyun has quickly become a favorite of mine, I loved him as the younger brother in You Who Came From the Stars, and I enjoyed him in this show. However, His relationship with Son Na Eun was overly obnoxious and tiring with the push and pull. Lee Jung Shin played his role very well, acting so perfect and jilted but loyal. I really enjoyed watching him. Choi Min Sung was quite good as well, very subtle nd I think many don't give him enough credit. He was very good. Overall the cast was not bad at all; everyone fit their roles. There were just characters you like, hate, and couldn't care less about.

Music: THIS SHOW HAD A WONDERFUL SOUNDTRACK. I enjoyed the music more than the show I think. I immediately downloaded the OST. The songs are recognizable, even when mixed and altered for different parts of the show. Each song used in te show fits so well, adding rather than distracting. Anyone who knows me knows how important that is. The sound effects that I remember were not too distracting, especially considering I can't remember any in particular.

Rewatch: I would not rewatch this, however, blooper compilations for it are hilarious. If some compilation of good and bad moments in the show came up (how some people put moments together for fan-made music videos? I might watch that). I do know some people enjoy it enough to rewatch all of the show or certain episodes. I would have to be very bored and have nothing else to watch.

Overall: This drama was alright, you love some actors and their characters and get incredibly tired of others. The music is the best part, the story was okay. I wouldn't rewatch this, even for background noise, but I know some will. I would give it about a 7.5.

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I love this drama so much, I enjoy it and hopefully there will be season two, made up and put more the issue and dramatic story, just do something a little bit different from SHR season 2 chinese version.. just add more plot so it wont be boring but must relate with the season 1 a little bit, hahah this would be difficult but I believe if the director and PD work well in producing beautiful story line of this drama.

Somehow I feel there's no need for season 2 if the story line are going to be suck. just leave it as melodramatic that left people touched and appreciate this historical drama.
But you will miss the chance and challenge to produce season 2..
Well I do challenge and would like to see how SBS would handle this

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I dithered between 7 and 8.5, finally deciding on a 8 because I don't do halves！A 8 is a good drama and rewatchable and anything higher than 8 is good, rewatchable and something I must own.

I want to own this series because it was a feel-good drama with comic relief, a low level of suspense despite the mystery and mob background of the storyline. The cast chemistry was excellent especially between Megan Lai and Baron Chen.

I deducted points because of the plot and cliches. Though these negatives had its own charm, I felt there was no enough substance to maintain the pace of the show. It might have been better to make the series a few episodes shorter. tightening the sub plots.

I would recommend this for its sweetness, and how they treat the subject of same gender love, for the chemistry between the leads and for the laughs. But do not expect anything substantial.

PS: I >might< still decide to own this series. =^_-=

How I rate
---
5 = okay, but will never watch again
8 = good with rewatch value
>8 = good with rewatch value and must OWN!

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There are so many sagueks on TV; each one has to set themselves apart from the other.

Even though this show only has 12 episodes, each episode is easily an hour 5 mins. While I appreciate the show being shorter than usual, thus forcing the writer to be concise and succinct, when you add up the excess 5 minutes from each episode, it adds up to another episode. Just a thought.

Surprisingly, I’ve actually never watched Lee Jin Wook in a drama, only in a movie. Besides just being generally handsome, he did a decent job. I’ve watched Seo Hyun Jin in Let’s Eat 2 and she’s one of the reasons I decided to watch this drama. She is really good in this show too.

Yonghwa doesn’t have a great reputation as an actor. Although it was really obvious in this show that he’s still a newbie at acting, he definitely showed a marked improvement. I’ve never watched Yang Dong Geun act, only in Return of Superman, and I was greatly entertained by his character in this show. Park Hae-jin is good but really he doesn’t have that much material to work with.

I’m not that familiar with Korean history but from what recaps I’ve read, it seems like the writers did a good job. It is a really stylish sageuk. The filming style is sleek and impressive.

Overall, the show is an entertaining saguek.

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I haven’t watched the original, so I really have nothing to compare it to.

No doubt, the drama has a pretty American feel to it, but with a distinctly Korean feel to it, with prosecutorial corruption, corrupt businessmen and bribery all round. For a legal drama it isn’t exactly super realistic, but then again since when have we had a realistic legal drama on TV.

The writing of the ‘good wife’ character is really compelling. She is pulled in a thousand different directions, when all she is trying her best to do is stay true to herself.

The show has assembled an amazing cast, especially in Jeon Do Yeon and Yoo Ji Tae, who almost never appear on TV. Jeon Do Yeon immediately wins you over with her portrayal of the dutiful wife thrust into the spotlight, just trying to get through her day prove herself as a good lawyer, and make sure her kids are protected. Yoo Ji Tae, what more can I can say, even as the resident baddie, I find myself cheering for him. He absolutely smoulders whenever he is on screen.

Yoon Kye Sang, despite being a much less experienced actor, is so great in this show as well.

The OST for this show is simple, like a number of quality tvN dramas, I don’t have much to say. But I love the BGM which really lends a movie-like quality to the show, and elevates it beyond your average TV show.

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Koo Gum takes place in Thailand during World War II, when Thailand was occupied by Japanese forces. This Thai lakorn has its flaws, but it made me stay glued to the TV and managed to shatter my heart into tiny pieces. The perfect drama for thai drama veterans and newbies alike - it will offer you suspense, melodrama, romance, action and even some steamy scenes. Be warned though - it will break your heart... this is the first drama that has made my stomach ill from feeling so sad :)

Story:
This is a remake so the story is tried and tested. It will keep you interested until the end! There were some characters I found over the top or uninteresting, but the main characters keep you going. Sometimes the story seems to stall, but the drama definitely delivers and makes you happy that you watched until the end.

Acting/Cast:
I wanted to watch this series due to the lead male (Wisetkaew Sukrit). He has a very over the top way of acting, but I personally love it. He made me love the character, no matter how flawed and silly the character sometimes was. It all just added to the drama's impact. The lead female (Nuengthida Sophon) will very likely divide viewers opinions. You will feel frustrated with her actions, but everything happens for a reason. Her facial expressions feel limited and I wish the characters had more depth. It all comes flowing out though in the end and she managed to make me care about the character. Most of the side characters were okay, but there were some that were quite "rough". All in all the actors manage to make the wartime era feel very authentic.

Music:
The music in this one was quite basic. A few ballads here and there, quite beautiful but nothing extraordinary. I would've preferred a few instrumental themes, but it was okay.

Rewatch value:
I'm not sure if I will ever watch the last episode again. I cried my eyes out at 1:30am while I was watching this next to my sleeping husband. :D There were some memorable scenes though so I might have to go back for those. One of those dramas that you are glad you watched, but maybe you won't watch it again, at least not in it's entirety.

Overall:
If you are feeling a bit dull and you want to have a good cry this is the perfect drama for you. Interesting, romantic and even a bit erotic it will keep you in its clutches until the end. If you don't like war dramas or melodramas you should probably skip this one.

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I've wanted to watch this movie since I found out that Chun Woo Hee was going to be in it, and then the trailer came out and it was spectacular. I was curious about the director's past work, so I watched The Chaser, which I liked but didn't love, so I wasn't sure of what to expect of The Wailing. Now I've finally seen it, and the first thing that comes to my mind is WOW. The film is simply spectacular. It is one of the best films I've seen this year, maybe ever.

The storyline is crazy, you never now what's going to happen. I love how it's really difficult to know what's going on and there are questions left unanswered. I was also surprised by the more supernatural aspects. Also, despite the very long runtime, I was NEVER bored, and in my opinion the movie kept the perfect pace. Now, I have to warn you: the story is disturbing, nightmarish and even dantesque. It comes REALLY close to being a horror film, and there are some pretty graphic scenes, so if you're not into that kind of stuff, be really careful.

The cast is BRILLIANT. I've never seen Kwak Do Won in anything, but his performance here is great, and he really carries the film, even if his character is rather unlikable. Hwang Jeong Min is good too, but his performance is probably the weakest of all the main actors. He was much better in Veteran. I love Chun Woo Hee, and her performance is truly mesmerizing, but she's in the film less than 20 minutes (and the film is 2 and half hours long), so, even if her character is very important, I really wish she had much more screentime. Now, the real MVP of this film is Jun Kunimura. I had seen him in a few Japanese movies, but his performance his is INCREDIBLE. It's just so layered, you never really know until the very end if he is good or evil.

The soundtrack is fantastic, and it really helps set the tense, chilling atmosphere of the movie. It's also really well used in the most intense moments of the story.

I also need to comment on the cinematography. The film looks SO beautiful. Seriously, it's so well shot, and it fits the content and the tone of the story really well. It might just be the best cinematography I've seen in a Korean movie. Basically, the director (and also writer) did a brilliant job with every aspect of this movie.

About the rewatch value, I gave it the maximum score because I believe this is kind of the film where you discover new things everytime you watch it. Despite the imposing, I plan to watch it again soon to try and understand everything better.

In conclusion, The Wailing is one the best films I've seen this year (maybe in my life), and I really recommend it to everyone who's looking for something different and brilliant. But, like I said before, be ready for A LOT of darkness and disturbing content (plus the long runtime).

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