Be With You is the exact reason why people subscribed to the Japanese drama and pop culture wave in the early 2000s, and also reminds one why so many people indulge in Korean dramas today.
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Living in a fast-paced society such as the one we are in, it is too easy for one to take things for granted and let moments slip by. Who would stop during the daily rush hour to appreciate a stray butterfly that flutters by – one that might have mesmerised us when we used to be toddlers. How about taking a break from a hectic workday to think about one’s loved one and recall how the relationship began.
Lee Jang-Hoon’s adaption of the Japanese film Be With You does exactly this as it reminds one to think about love and how fragile relationships can be and should be cherished while they last. Based on Nobuhiro Doi’s 2004 production that is also based on the same-titled Japanese novel by Takuji Ichikawa, it is amazing how Lee manages to capture viewers’ attention and hearts despite using a familiar story.
Thanks to the great onscreen chemistry and presence by the film’s lead actors So Ji-Sub and Son Ye-Jin, portraying how magical love can be at its purest form. Playing the loving couple Woo Jin and Soo-A who are tragically separated by mortality, Woo Jin rekindles family warmth when his late wife Soo-A returns one rainy season.
Lee takes time to allow his characters to get used to one another, which in turn creates a progressively strong bond between the audience and them. The couple’s young son Ji-Ho (Kim Ji-Hwan) is often a pleasantly innocent catalyst of joy and tears. The trio highlights how difficult it really can be for today’s young family to live happily in a stressful city like ours.
As a result, the 133-minute running time might not please some. Thankfully, the lengthy film doesn’t dwell too much into extended sappy scenes and cleverly focus on kinship. One that needs to withstand the test of time and mortality, as seen when the mother teaches her young son how to perform laundry chores and fry sunny-side ups.
While most children grow up learning to become professionals and fulfil their dreams, Ji-Ho is sentimentally proud that he is confident of his ability as a young boy to care for and protect his father in the absence of his mother.
Be With You is the exact reason why people subscribed to the Japanese drama and pop culture wave in the early 2000s, and also reminds one why so many people indulge in Korean dramas today. It takes one away from one’s stressful life as a therapeutic escape and live in the intrinsic moments that can almost never happen in real life.
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