Afraid Of (2019)

A very cute and real queer web-drama

I am living for smaller indie production which have very limited budget, but a lot of heart. "Afraid of" is exactly that kind of production. With 3 episodes of between 5 and 8 minutes, it has the feeling of a three student short films with a coherence between them.

The music and sound design brings a peaceful feeling to the entire drama and watching it feels like the perfect moment to be with a cup of tea on a comfy armchair. The entire drama from the actors performance (nothing extraordinary, but they deliver on the expectation for a student short film/drama (note: I do not know if it is a student production, that is just my feeling with it, that of a production by students studying film in their last year or similar) to the story feels very cute. The directing and camera work, the production value in general is pretty good and makes for a very agreeable experience.

Assuredly the strength of this short web-drama is the story. It is very limited and self-contained, but done in a way appropriate for a series of a short films that gave me the information I needed without overwhelming me or leaving me wanting because I was confused.
It manages to talk about the vision of homosexuality in Korea, the experience of a closeted person, the wish to be yourself while living in fear with the red thread of a potential romantic experience that starts this whole drama. Will Hyunah get over her fear? Will anything happen with Minju?
It is a story about accepting yourself, about a 'baby lesbian' as one of the characters says (from a conversation in episode 2 that might be my favourite part of the whole drama, intergenerational queer solidarity (which is more about experience as a queer person than age) is the most important thing and any piece of fiction which includes it is sure to win my heart). It is a story that is full of heart and some of the moments made me squee. It manages to make us root for Hyunah very quickly and the end made me wish for everything good for her!

I do not know if I would watch it on repeat, but I would assuredly watch it one or a couple of more times if I were to show it to friends and it would be fine and agreeable to watch still even if I do not think I would catch many things I did not see on my first watch.

This film delivers on what it promises, it is cute, it is true, it is full of heart. If you want a queer short web-drama, I can only recommend "Afraid of". It is available on Youtube with English subtitles.

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