A Bollywoodish Korean drama with an old age charm
After a long time, it felt nice to watch a soft feel good romantic drama. Gone are the days where simple films existed. Even if simple films come nowadays, they are forced to make look simple, they’re not simple from the heart. But with ‘Tune in for Love’, it had that old age colonial charm. May be if it had been a Bollywood or Kollywood movie, it would have been spoilt by a whole lot of drama and song sequences but because it was Korean and the expressions were kept to minimal, it was soothing to watch. Thus, making it a relishable experience.
Thanks to my really bad experience with the excruciatingly painful watch of ‘My Sassy Girl’, an atrociously famous film for no reason, and, if you hail from this part of the world and back when civilization was normal, you could see so many ladies watching these Korean serials so madly. All this repelled me from venturing into yet another Korean romcom. So, I resorted to badass action films from the same counterparts which was satisfying both my adrenaline as well as my cinematic eye. But for a change, with lot of skepticism, when I watched ‘Tune in for Love’, it ended up being a sweet little movie.
Mostly in a love story, apart from the leads, there would be a sidekick. The sidekick plays an integral part who makes or breaks the film. More confident and serious approach would lead to no sidekick love stories like a ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa’ or a ‘Before Sunrise’. But generally, to add a comedy flavor there would be an irritating ‘hero’s friend’ character almost in any Kollywood movie. What’s worse is they would have a separate love track which would be annoying to core. So, for a change when the sidekick her was a lady’s friend, who’s more like an elder sister. It was so pleasant to watch. In fact, her character was more beautiful than the two leads.
The film spans across a couple of decades but the growth of the story as well as the individuals are more organic here. We don’t see heavy makeup filled faces and over acting. In fact, it’s not much evident that they had aged. They look like same people, which was a relief. Plus, them being Koreans and us being non-Koreans, it was not easy to find out the difference. No matter what, they both were such a lovely couple. Even though Cha Hyun-woo (Jung Hae-in) was more celebrated, it’s Kim Mi-soo (Kim Go-eun) who was more lovable. What a fine woman she is. A dream of any man.
The story stars in 1995 with a couple of ladies running a bakery and Hyun-woo enters asking anything with Soy. He’s thus nicknamed ‘Tofu’ by the ladies. Hyun-woo and Mi-soo start developing a bond but fate has other ideas. Hyun-woo’s friends take him to a bar where he gets involved in a brawl and sent again to juvenile prison. When the meet again, it lasts just for a night. The third time, even though they contact each other after a lot of hindrance, they couldn’t even meet. Heartbroken Mi-soo carries on with her life. Fate again has other ideas and it brings them both together. What happens to them post that forms the climax.
‘Tune in for Love’ is like a sweet summer romance. Just that it doesn’t get over with every summer. The separation and the joining are not as dramatic as it happens in any other movie. We also don’t feel the adrenaline rush in our body whenever they meet by a chance encounter. It has the pleasantness of reading a book in an open lawn lying on a bedsheet with warm weather which just breaks out after a cold season. You understand the feel isn’t it. It’s that type of well.
In addition to it, the way Hyun-woo’s past haunts him and how it plays a role in their romance is beautifully shown without any exaggeration. Food plays an important role here too. As someone who’ve been eyeing to have Ramen at a right time and at right juncture, this movie was icing on the cake. Thanks to Eun-Ja’s (Kim Gook-hee) cooking skills, we get to see a variety of dishes. They’re not the typical westernized dishes but something which Koreans eat in a Korean way. Thanks to my recent trip to Cambodia. The setting of the place they eat and the climax radio station and all reminded me of my beautiful stay in Phnom Penh a couple of days. ‘Tune in for Love’ not only served as a breezy entertainer but also as a film which stroked up the nostalgia.
constantscribbles 