" When a memory is gone, so is the soul"
I had con-con meetings in school during lunch time in order to revise the policies and such of the university. We met twice a week in order to reach our goal of finishing and finalizing everything by the end of the school year. Then one day there was nothing to be done so we decided to watch a movie since it was a few days before school was out. The meeting secretary proposed "A Moment to Remember", and so we watched the film.
Movie Synopsis:
The portion of the film, is in the romantic comedy style, where Su Jin and Chul Soo meet in a convenience store due to confusion over a can of soda. Soon followed the courting stage despite their differences in social standing.
The second segment follows the couple now settling into married life. Su-Jin learns to be a housewife as her husband cares for her. But as the segment progresses, Su-jin begins to display forgetfulness, including an incident in which a fire breaks out because of a forgotten stove. While Chul Soo caught the fire in time, the seriousness of the incident and others draw them to seek medical help.
The third segment involves the revelation of Alzheimer's disease and the couple's consequent response to it. Su Jin is heavily burdened by the knowledge that she will forget her husband and hides it from him at first until he seeks advice from the doctor himself. Despite the disease, they make the commitment to stay together and as the disease progresses, the trials the couple go through increase because of Su Jin's forgetfulness.
Months after, Su-jin in in the final stages of the disease and Chul Soo experiences grief and difficulties because of it. Yet he remains beside her.
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I have always enjoyed watching korean movies, it all started with "My Sassy Girl" and kept going from there. The movie was, for the most part, very interesting to watch. Note that this was during a time where korean movies were beginning to boom---well, in my country anyway.
I liked the story of how Su Jin and Chul Soo fall in love and you can see how that love was able to stand against so many obstacles. You could see the change in atmosphere once the revelation gets into the main plot of the film. I wasn't particularly a fan of the revelation being a sickness, probably because I've seen a few movies and dramas with a similar plot. It adds a more heartbreaking factor that is needed to make the love more unconditional, and for this is didn't particularly mind it.
It wasn't the sickness though that got me going all blubbery, it was more the fact that you would forget the one you love and just couldn't help it. Just thinking about it makes me feel a tinge of pain. Seriously, wouldn't you hate it that the one you love act like they didn't know you at all? You can't hate the person, but hate the situation.
I think the scriptwriter did really well when it came to giving subtle hints at the beginning that Su Jin was beginning to be forgetful. The way they met makes me feel as if they were fated to be together. The progression of their relationship is quite fast and was captured in a time frame of about roughly 10-15 minutes. This way the weight of what comes after is more evident.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie would be where Chul Soo was assisting Su Jin around the house where there were colored post its everywhere to remind her of things. I found her wearing a name tag to be quite adorable and yet slightly devastating as you are able to grasp the gravity of the situation. I also liked the scene where Chul Soo is flipping through Su Jin's sketchbook and you can see the times where she fully recalls him and times where she doesn't.
I enjoyed the performances of the two leads on screen. They meshed well together and had presence that was balanced. They were also very believable, making the movie quite easy to digest. I watched ... in The Classic and she was great! You can tell she really took on the character well since she had to adapt to different roles~
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Here's the English Subtitled trailer!
Directed by
Lee Jae Han
Starring
Son Ye Jin as Su Jin
Jung Woo Sung as Chul Soo
Baek Jong Hak as Seo Young Min
It won Best Screen play at the 2005 Grand Bell Awards
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I suggest you watch this movie if you are into experiencing a roller coaster of emotions through other people. I warn those who cry easily to keep your tissues at hand~
If you would like to watch the movie click the image of the couple below.
Enjoy the Movie!~
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~ Krisan
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