Sempre (2011)

Han Hyo Joo Forever...

Hi all !
One of my favorite movie ever...
Living in France, I only saw it for the first time, by chance, in 2015, on a bad DVD with poor English subtitles. Since then, I have watched it 33 times...
I advise you to watch it once, you will never forget it again.
The story may seem distressingly banal, a variation already a thousand times glimpsed of a love that at first sight seems impossible.
But the difference here is the actors, So Ji-sub of course, but more specifically Han Hyo Joo.
I'll be frank, I'm not very objective when I talk about her. To say I fell in love with her forever is an understatement.
The first time I saw her, I was struck by lightning, struck by the purity and innocence of her eyes.
The great French poet Victor Hugo wrote much better than me that in front of so much charisma, beauty, innocence, words are useless, contemplation is enough.
I don't know if Always will be considered as time goes by as a great movie, but for me it is quite simply unforgettable.
I could write about her for hours, I've seen all her movies and dramas, i even learned Korean so I could listen and understand her in her native language, but I've already been too long, and probably boring.
One last word. Humbly, Han Hyo Joo, 사랑해.

Leia Mais

I had really high expectations for the movie , why not ? It's Ji-sub and Hyo Joo we're talking about here .
both of the leads did a really good job on the acting part , the story progresses in a way we're you'd empathise with the characters to the fullest , the chemistry was amazing and the tragedy was sorrowful :3 The direction , screenplay , taking and production were on point too , So did the movie stand upto my expectations ? I'm sorry , No . But , was i disappointed ? No again ! how on earth can i be disappointed with Ji sub . so what went wrong for me ? This is strictly my personal opinion but the obstacles for Ji-sub's character nearing the end were too much for me , at a point , i was like why ?! just why ?! that being said I understand the need of those events but yet , that was not pleasant just because it had to be there ..

Leia Mais

Dark, mysterious, brooding and romantic.

Perfect for anyone who loves romance with interesting and appealing content where the romance turns into part of the characters lives as whole and not as focus of the movie. Very good.

About difficulties and challenges in life, that might be not part of our reality, but it exists in this world, and the amazing people that hold and live their lives with standards, courage and determination doesn't matter what.

Ji Sub is a perfect brooding male lead who performs his role with amazing justice making the character very genuine, not to mention fit as nobody business! Also, Hyo Joo is super cute and very natural. The chemistry between both of them, in this movie, is palpable.

Do not stop yourself watching this movie because it's from 2011, it feels very new and the fun part is that many actors from this movie are a constant presence on actual dramas.

Leia Mais

Love heals all wounds

So Ji Sub really makes sad tortured souls with a heart of gold look so dreamy. or maybe I am just a big fan of him. I couldn't stop staring at his eyes, brushing his messy hair and hug him and say "It's alright". Jung Hwa is lucky she meet a decent guy who didn't care if she was blind, and didn't take advantage of her. It was just a bonus that Cheol Min was handsome and sexy.

I actually didn't expect a happy ending since Korean movies tend to go darker than Kdramas. I really thought Cheol Min will sacrifice himself by donating his own eyes to Jung Hwa because he felt guilty that he indirectly caused the accident that made her blind. Maybe because I just recently re-watched this super classic music video of Kiss - Because I'm a Woman. LOL.

I can't say I agree with Cheol Min's idea to pay for Jung Hwa's surgery but I guess that's the best that he could do given the situation. And him not contacting Jung Hwa after was understandable since he was also in pain and needed to recover.

That scene when Jung Hwa finally recognized Cheol Min made me also cry and I'm so happy when they met again!! Cheol Min accepted Jung Hwa as she were, and likewise, Jung Hwa is there to support Cheol Min too. I believe they are still together now, and still very happy!

Rating: 8.5/10

Leia Mais

Good for what it is., intense but ends happy.

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2011 South Korean action, sports, romance drama with a run time of 106 minutes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Jang Cheol-min/Jang Marcelino (So Ji-sub) was an ex boxer who had given up on happiness in life. He was working multiple low level jobs and just getting by in life. Everything changes for him when Ha Jung-hwa (Han Hyo-joo), who is a tenant in the building where he is working as a security guard, comes to the security booth to find a friend who used to work there. Jung-hwa was going to watch a movie with her friend so she starts spending time and watching shows with Jang in the security booth. A tragic accident blinded Jung-hwa so she enjoys Jang’s patience and willingness to describe what they are watching. Feelings bloom between the two and Jang now has a reason to improve his life. There is someone he wants to protect. So, he goes back to the fighting world but this time he takes on the more dangerous and intense sport of mixed martial arts. There is more money to be made in that sport and he wants to make enough money to support them both. A condition that Jung-hwa has requires expensive surgery and Jang elects to do something really dangerous to earn the money for Jung-hwa’s surgery. Will he succeed? Can the young couple have a promising future?

Review

Other reviewers indicated this was a heartwarming story with some violent and bloody parts. It has strong “Rocky” vibes with a little bit of “Fight My Way” mixed in. It is easy to understand how two people who have faced so many challenges in life would be drawn to each other.

For what it was, it was good.  I don’t often watch movies just because I feel movies are too short to really develop the story.  It was still true to some extent that there would have been a lot more depth to the story if it had ran over episodes rather than in movie format.  Based on other reviews, I was super concerned it would be a blood fest and was not sure if it would end happy.  There is blood, but it is about what you would expect from a boxing or mixed martial arts show.  Nothing too excessive.  Another thing I could not tell from other synopsis and reviews was whether she was actually blind. She is blind.  It seemed like she had an ability to see light and shadows but it was so limited she was fully blind. They meet and fall in love when she is blind.  The content would make you worry about the ending but it does end very happy.  I might watch it again and would recommend to others.  Just have to be aware that it is a movie that is very representative of the period in which it was produced.

 Spoilers

Because it was movie length there were so many things I wanted to know that were not covered.  What happened after he was stabbed in Thailand? After he was stabbed, next we see him he is back in a hospital in South Korea a couple of years later.  Without knowing those details, the viewer must just assume someone found him and rescued him and he spent a long time recovering before returning.  But I was curious what happened and I think it would have explained more why he was away so long and then showed up a couple of years later still recovering. 

#Always #SoJiSub #HanHyoJoo

Leia Mais

Amazing

Damn! Koreans know how to make a good movie of any genre, where I can't watch Indian or Western romantic movies (most of them are cringy) I loved this movie. It is heart-warming!
Very beautiful directed and actors did a great job along with supporting casts. And most importantly their chemistry! I can’t say enough about these two leads.... their chemistry was amazing!
I hate that some Indians blatantly copies concepts from K dramas n movies (including this one-do lafzon ki kahani) without giving credit.
Amazing Movie, 10/10
Anybody wondering about watching it? I'd recommend 100%

Leia Mais

I needed a short breather after finishing a drama, and also wanted to watch something a bit more realistic / serious than the run of the mill silliness (which I am a huge fan of). This actually managed to achieve the perfect balance between the two.

I'd only seen So Ji Sub in Master's Sun before, and though certainly a beautiful man and a wonderful actor, he didn't really strike a chord with me in that drama. Here, though, he hit the feels in the center. Wonderful, subtle acting - it's a true art to playing a quiet, subdued character I think and really *act*, not just not-talk. He accomplishes this wonderfully here. The main female character was lovely as well, for me she especially shined in the last quarter of the movie. Their relationship was beautifully portrayed - with nuance, the obligatory sweetness, but also a realism I'm not used to seeing in K-dramas normally. They both behaved like adults, though true to their characters.

Although the plot was predictable, it didn't detract from my enjoyment one bit. Will definitely re-watch it in the (possibly near) future.

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