Reviews

Do NOT read the synopsis.

I've no idea who wrote the extremely hyped up synopsis which, after viewing, is actually quite the opposite of what is shown in the movie. I've never run across a synopsis worded in such a way as to 'cover' for the lack of substance, plot, story, etc, but here it is. I was HIGHLY disappointed in this movie. The acting was great. But that was it.

Their tranquil life was not disrupted. There is no sense of tension between Seong Hye's husband and Chae Yun so she doesn't sense it, and her there is no unease when In Gu (doesn't) threaten to expose her past to Jeong Bong. There are no emotions to escalate and no secrets were unsurfaced, the four were not entangled in a web of jealousy and mistrust. There was no storm of emotion. Maybe if there had been any of this it would've been a good movie. The acting was well done despite the uncommonly slow story? plot?

Seriously, I don't give participation awards to every drama or movie because in doing so it doesn't challenge writers to give their best. Maybe the consequences of giving ratings too high in comparation to the drama or movie's worth is being felt in the poor selection of drama and movies coming out of S Korea in the past 2 yrs or so. Yes, a few have been extremely well written though.

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'Find You in the Crowd 2' is an LGBTQ+-themed psychological drama and thriller, filmed in Shanghai, China, in 2019.
In his third short film, the director and screenwriter Zhang Yun He presents us as the main axis of the plot He Luo (Lei Hao Xiang), a young man who after suffering an accident finds himself trapped in oblivion, which we perceive from the first shots, by showing us his presence in the office of a psychiatrist who subjects him to hypnosis and prescribes the use of drugs.
With his face lost in confusion, we see him in agony in his new lifestyle and hopes to find a way to confront his condition and escape the darkness in an experimental medical treatment.
In this way, he suffers from recurring dreams, in which the face of Chen Jing Nian (Tian Jun Zhang) is always present, but he does not remember why.
Mired in amnesia, he agrees to be Su Jiayi's (Wang Youfang) boyfriend to deceive Shen Lusheng (Chen Qingqi), who had rejected the girl's confession of love.
Su Jiayi accidentally discovers the secret that He Luo had always wanted to protect and is killed by He Luo.
For his part, Shen Lusheng, who hoped to use Doctor Jiang Han (played by Su Jinyuan) to help He Luo recover his memory, could not imagine that the doctor would use the drugs on Chen Jing Nian to complete his experiment on psychiatric patients.
However, through contact with Shen Lu Sheng, He Luo finally discovers that he was Chen Jing Nian, who had lost his memory and original appearance after the accident, and manages to remember all the previous events, which occurred three years earlier, narrated in the short film 'Find You in the Crowd', from 2017.
The viewer will be able to enjoy the film's soundtrack, with music composed by Yang Heng and lyrics by Zhang Yun He, released on NetEase Cloud Music, including the singles "Lost Old Dreams", "The Lonely Whale" and "Farewell", The latter song performed by singer Chen Qingqi, among other songs.
The short film has been well received by specialized critics and the public, obtaining different recognitions both in China and in the international Festival circuit, including the Best Student Short Film Award at the 2019 Los Angeles Film Awards, the Award for Best Audiovisual Work at the Top Short Film Festival, and the Award for Best Foreign Short Film at the Hollywood International Moving Image Film Festival, 2019.
For his part, Chen Qingqi, the actor who plays Shen Lusheng, wins the award for best new actor, known as the "Yunya Award", at the first Duyun Film and Television Festival in Qiannan Autonomous Prefecture in the province from Guizhou, People's Republic of China, on September 17, 2019.

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INCOMPLETE STORYLINE

As it is written in the details of this series on my drama list that this is a movie and storyline goes as at a time Day will fall in love with Itt but Itt has already escaped with help of night , but I scrolled through many websites and found nothing like that happening it only left stranded with Day visiting Night on the island with a gun and Itt was at home ...like where are the other promised scenes? When is going to be a romcom between itt and day ? Is this sequel completed ? Or will there be another season ? Please let us know cause I personally preferred the storyline , It was good but wanted to be completed as a whole please dont leave it open ended.

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In his directorial and screenwriting debut, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yun He ('Until the Autumn Wind Start', 'Love Ever After', 'Find You In The Dream'), explores college campus love, homophobia, internalized homophobia, the love triangle, the relationship of childhood friends, unrequited love and the repressed desire to live sexuality freely.
Zhang Yun He is one of the world-renowned Chinese film directors who have portrayed homosexuality in their films, series and short films. His work joins others, such as 'River Knows Fish Heart', 'East Palace, West Palace', 'Spring Fever', 'For Love, We Can', 'Looking for Rohmer', 'Wu Yan – Speechless', ' Shanghai Panic', 'Kinematic Theory', 'The Raccoon', 'The Ambiguous Focus', which also address gender issues and sexual diversity in that Asian country.
'Find You in the Crowd', whose original title is 'Seeing Deers When the Trees Are Deep' (樹深時見鹿), revolves around Shen Lu Sheng, a senior college student, who is unable to recognize who is in love with a boy, his friend, the junior student Chen Jing Nian, who did have the courage to express her love for him.
This infatuation is the cause of the harassment that Shen Lu Sheng suffers from his schoolmates, which adds to the hostility that for family reasons he had already been a victim of since childhood. All this has caused him to have low self-esteem.
The film tells us about feelings, the passage of time and the protagonist's regrets for not confessing his feelings. 'Find You in the Crowd' speaks of a very everyday intrinsic truth in the lives of many homosexuals in the world, who remain silent, live repressed and do not accept their true nature. Many will be able to see themselves reflected in the character and the story told.
When Shen Lu Sheng is faced with the feelings he awakens in Chen Jing Nian, he hesitates to acknowledge his love and does not dare to face his own feelings honestly.
Starring Chen Wei (Chen Hao) and Tian Jun Zhang, in the roles of Shen Lu Sheng and Chen Jin Gian, respectively, the film is based on an original script written by Yan Xingjun and Zhang Yun He himself.
Also known as 'Shu Shen Shi Jian Lu', the film begins when the two friends meet again after some time, and discover that their feelings for each other are still intact.
From here on, the precise and frequent flashbacks will take us to know the intimate relationship between Shen Lu Sheng and Chen Jin Gian from when they were children to the present.
Filmed in Shanghai in 2017, the creators make good use of the monologue to expose Chen Jin Gian's feelings. In this way, the character guides the viewer on an introspective journey, revealing the feelings he hides and the desire to be able to confess his love to his best friend and the person he is in love with. Along the way, the protagonist discovers himself and questions himself for not having been sincere.
Equally notable is the cinematography, the color palette and the music, which as a whole reflect the tone of the film and expose the moods of the characters.
The ending is neither happy nor sad, as it is an open ending, as the story continues in 'Find You in the Crowd 2'.

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This is how you do a teenage rom-com

I love this.

The comedy is spot-on, both all of the characters (the students of class 8/1 are a hoot!) and the comedic timing. It's very silly, and still the film has some depth.

The eternal desire of highschool students -- I want to fit in -- is tackled for several characters' perspective. Whether it is that your secret crush is exposed in the most demeaning way, whether you have a condition that sets you apart form the others, or whether your nipples are inverted -- all of us want recognition, and even love. But how to achieve that?

This rom-com is not only funny as heck until the last minute, it also surprised me not only with a positive message, but also with excellent acting, a good pacing, great animation(!), and very, very likable characters.

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Inspired by the director's own youth, Single 8 follows a group of high schoolers who make a low-budget sci-fi film in the wake of Star Wars. This making of the movie... is basically the movie, but what it lacks in narrative, it makes up for with spirit. These kids are learning filmmaking on the fly. Their product is rough (though certainly better than it has right to be) but it's a labor of love. Ultimately, it succeeds, only because the kids succeed, and that it exists at all is the real triumph.

The actual movie itself has a similar conceit: though it has none of the gloss, nor the budget, nor the star power, nor the grand ambition, it doesn't matter. It's a movie people wanted to make, and they made it. Director Konaka Kazuya, a veteran in tokusatsu, reminisces a time in his life when filmmaking was all about the desire to create and to collaborate. The final cut? A happy accident. The real movie is the friends we made along the way.

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Well-acted & filmed, interesting story twist but wished for more in terms of relationships

I enjoyed the nostalgia throwback of this movie. The bound between past and present as well as the different timelines is interesting but I think the romances fell a bit flat. It was cute but no as heart-fluttering and gut-wrenching that I would have wanted.

I still fell a punch in my gut as the events unfold but it is more due to the fact that I loved the main character played by Yeo Jin Goo rather than because I was totally convinced by the romance from the past. The characters from the present had a better romantic storyline. Still, I found the pacing adequate, they spend enough time at the beginning for the viewer to be invested in the stakes...I would have loved to be even more immersed in the romance and to see even more of the friendship that develop across time.

In terms of acting, I think it was solid overall. Especially Yeo Jin Goo who is carrying most of the movie. I am not sure that I would have enjoyed as much the movie with a less talented actor in the role. I also enjoyed Na In Woo in his role, such a dream boat <3. Cho Yi Hyun and Kim Hye Yoon were also quite good in their respective roles. I think Kim Hye Yoon had a not easy role to play as the character on paper can feel a bit flat and relegated to a love interest without a lot of agency. Overall, I will keep an eye out for other works from this quartet of actors/actresses that I enjoyed.

The filmmaking is youthful and bright in both timelines, fitting the atmosphere of the movie. I enjoyed the OST, there were some sweet and soft songs but not very memorable as well.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a youthful romantic movie mixing different timelines, with a nice 1999 nostalgia throwback. The acting and filmmaking is pretty great and even if I have some details that could have been better regarding the story (or at least the development of some of the relationship), I still found it to be a lovely watch with a nice twist.

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Unashamedly celebrating fraud over hard work.

This movie certainly stirs up some mixed feelings, as it suggests that success can come without genuine effort, which is a bit concerning. It had the potential to be a captivating zero-to-hero tale about a group of unlikely scientists working together to create an amazing robot against all odds.

What we have here, however, is an old man, duped into posing as a robot by three electric company employees, who happens upon the truth and leverages the secret for personal gain. The narrative might've taken a more encouraging turn if the main trio had been honest. Better still, they could've simply powered down or redirected their real robot as it moseyed toward a third-story window instead of freezing in place and allowing it to face a rather unnecessary fate.

The film misguidedly tries to evoke sympathy for its less-than-heroic trio, even leading some who initially criticised them to inexplicably backpedal. A particularly outrageous scene occurs when one of the guilt-ridden trio threatens to drive them off a cliff, but is luckily interrupted by a policeman who happens by. While these characters definitely have some accountability coming their way, suicide is most drastic when a public apology would obviously have sufficed.

Throughout, the 'robot' lacks any solid evidence of authenticity yet manages to win over audiences at various events and lectures. It's only after an uncalled-for remark at a college student that anyone pauses to question whether someone might be inside it—comically, international robotics experts were skeptical from the start.

Much of the humour misses the mark, at times veering into the realm of immature fart jokes. One character’s growing admiration for the 'robot' after being saved by it could've been charming, but it ultimately leans toward bizarre and obsessive. Additionally, Gramps’ sweet bonding moment with his family as the 'robot' is sadly overshadowed by the looming secret.

And to cap it all off, the ending brazenly promises more of this monkey business to come, showing that the trio haven't learnt their lesson—now with a capricious and consequently hypocritical accomplice.

It’s quite the letdown from this legendary director, celebrated for gems like "Swing Girls", "Wood Job", and "Survival Family". That said, thankfully, he returned to form immediately afterwards.

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Change or not to change

This is a beautiful looking movie. Production, story, acting, music – everything looks nice, especially the photography. But is there any value or substance beneath the appearance? I would say that there is.

The topic of living as a single person is very sensitive today because a lot of people live as single people intentionally or by force, and it is impossible to give a comprehensive answer and a sufficiently objective comment on such a life. My comment is that it is not good for a man to be alone. In any way, we need other people, and we live this reality most deeply in a couple as a man and a woman. This film approaches the subject in a creative, comical and, of course, romantic way. It respects single people, but is aware that they are also people who love, i.e. who are looking for/need love. As a book lover, I really liked that they used reading, writing and publishing a book as a metaphor for the human relationships. I would say that the movie gives better advice on writing books than on living as single.

I can't say that I completely agree with the philosophy of the story, but I really enjoyed watching this entertaining and emotional film.

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Como destrozarte de la manera más bonita

Hay escenas confusas en la película, pero creo que son necesarias para dar mayor profundidad a la trama y para que formes parte de ese mundo, para que entiendas con mayor facilidad lo que elles están sintiendo aunque no hayas vivido una experiencia similar.

Por otro lado, si has vivido esa experiencia, hace que vuelvas a vivirla pero te reconforta de alguna manera, o al menos eso me ha pasado a mi.

Si viviese en un mundo con algo así, creo que no lo usaría, por ello entendí la actitud de la madre de Bai Li. Su reacción al final de la película me hizo replantearme ciertas cosas.

Supe de la película por Suzy y Bogum y estoy agradecida de haberla visto. Lo han hecho genial, al igual que todo el cast. Escuchar a Gong Yoo en inglés ha sido maravilloso.

Dudo volver a verla sola, pero sí es una película que me encantaría recomendar a mis amigues y, si sucede, verla con elles y poder hablar sobre los pensamientos de cada une.

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Heartwrenching but just enough

Wonderland takes a fresh approach on Ai and shows how different people can react to the same thing differently.

I can see why people would have wanted Wonderland as a drama instead of a movie but I feel the movie just justice to the story it wants to portray.

Although the story was great, what I really enjoyed was Suzy and Bogum’s acting - specifically Bogum’s eye acting.

Bai Li and Taeju were both characters that deeply affected their user - Bai Li’s mom and daughter, Jeong-in. Although they had positive impact, it also distorted reality. Bai Li, being unaware of the real Bai Li’s passing gave false hope to her daughter which in turn hurt the mother to see and Taeju gave Jeongin a different version, one that she liked but isn’t quite like the real Taeju.

The Wonderland service provided comfort but also had negative impacts - which was the case for the grandmother who kept giving her grandson things that she was never able to provide before.

Its a nice movie, I just wished I can see Bogum and Suzy in a different project; preferably a drama.

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World-renowned Chinese filmmakers have portrayed homosexuality in their films, series and short films. Works such as 'River Knows Fish Heart', 'East Palace, West Palace', 'Spring Fever', 'For Love, We Can', 'Looking for Rohmer', 'Wu Yan – Speechless', 'Shangai Panic', 'Kinematic' Theory', 'The Raccoon', 'The Ambiguous Focus', are some of the works that represent this theme in that Asian country.
If in 'Find You in the Crowd', a 2017 short film, which marked the debut of Chinese screenwriter and film director Zhang Yun He ('Until the Autumn Wind Start', 'Love Ever After'), he explored homophobia, homophobia internalized, the love triangle and unrequited love, in 'Find You In The Dream' he returns to his thematic obsessions and addresses sexual repression, the relationships of close friends and the school environment, always having homosexual characters as protagonists.
In this latest short film, also from 2017, the Chinese filmmaker exposes repressions as the worst punishment that a person can receive or promote, by portraying a young man who lives sexually tied and repressed.
During the film, Zhang Yun He explores themes such as internalized homophobia and the repressed desire to live sexuality freely.
Seeing the wishing bottle shattered, Qiao Ke feels that his heart was broken and that both he and his lover had lost their lives.
Starring Wang Qinhua, Jiang Yuqi and Zhang Caili as Qiao Ke and Jiang Yunan, respectively, in just over 21 minutes, this sad film tells us about the memories of Qiao Ke, a young repressed homosexual who does not accept his true nature, and Today, eight years later, he still regrets not having been able to express his true feelings to Anan, his classmate in high school, with whom he has always been in love, but he will no longer have the opportunity to confess his love.
Also known as 'Hu Meng Shaonian Shì', 'Sudden Dream' and 'A Dream of Youth', the short film, written by Xie Wanrong, Baggio and Zhang Yunhe, guides us through the memories and thoughts of the protagonist, who expresses his pain and sadness for being a young man repressed by the fear of being who he really is, and for living a double life by hiding his true sexuality and refusing to recognize that he is in love with his dear friend.
Qiao Ke will believe at some point that Chen Donger, played by actress Zhang Caili, is also in love with Nam, but she is the supportive friend that every gay should have by their side.
Since its public release, it has received good reviews, especially from specialists in this type of American cinema themes, since its presentation at film festivals in New York and Los Angeles, for the coldness and rawness with which the story is told. However, others maintain that it is a reality that in many cases is worse.
The cinematography, color palette and music as a whole reflect the tone of the film and expose the moods of the characters.
Also worth highlighting is the use of monologue. Qiao Ke guides the viewer on an introspective journey, revealing the relationship he has with his best friend, the boy he is in love with. Along the way, the protagonist discovers himself and questions himself for not having been sincere.In short, it is one of those films that talks about feelings, the passage of time and regrets. It is a story that shows a very everyday intrinsic truth in the lives of many homosexuals in the world, which manages to captivate the viewer. It is based on a creation that is far from great artifice, but that wins with that minimalist aspect.

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"Life is strange"

The Voice of Water showed the progression of Min Jung's career from scam fortune-teller to priestess of the God’s Water cult complete with its own marketing team. Creating a cult was just another business start-up. When her deadbeat dad entered the picture, danger lurked beneath the murky water of greed.

Min Jung’s grandparents emigrated from Jeju Island to Osaka during the island’s turbulent era. Because Min Jung’s grandmother had been a shimbang, her friend Mina talks her into starting a fortune telling gig in order to earn money. When it becomes successful, the young women find themselves with a business plan and marketing team. Min Jung begins to tire of being a priestess as her conscience comes to life. Mina tells her that it doesn’t matter if she’s a sham because if people believe they are being helped, then they are. Min Jung’s father makes an unwanted appearance when he runs afoul of the local yakuza boss. Her estranged father brings trouble as well as an unstable disciple who’d like to take her place.

There was an interesting and cynical premise at the heart of this film, that religion is all about having the power to make people believe and is just another business venture. Whether the cult leaders believed what they were selling was irrelevant. Most importantly, the devotees did and eagerly handed over their hard-earned money. When Min Jung returned from a retreat as a true believer, wanting to save the world, she upset not only the business model but her business team as well.

The film did present an angle I’ve not seen used much by showcasing the Korean-Japanese community in Japan. Min Jung reconnected with her family’s past when she learned about the tragic history of Jeju Island and her grandmother’s life as a shimbang there. Archival photos from this terrible time when 30,000 people were killed and 70% of villages were burned during the clashes before, during, and right after the Korean War with the red scare were shown. Early images of Korea Town in Osaka were shown as well.

The Voice of Water wasn’t all religious scams, Min Jung’s father and his connection to the yakuza brought a malevolent touch. Fair warning, there was a rape scene and talk of sexual assaults if this is a trigger for you. The yakuza story was the least interesting part of the film for me and felt out of place unless it was to say that the crime syndicate also had its tentacles in religious cults as well. I’m sure director Yamamoto showed the reasoning behind the violent climax to the film, but whatever meaning there was attached to it eluded me.

One of the problems this film had was a rather large cast with ill-defined characters. I found it impossible to care about most of them. On her retreat into the woods, Min Jung listened to a tree and was suddenly ready to save the world. Despite her epiphany her character still came across as vague. This was due more to the writing than the acting. Hyunri gave a strong performance as the priestess with a serene façade and party girl afterwards drinking with her friends. I liked that Min Jung and her friend Mina were loyal to each other, but even this important friendship wasn’t given enough details

Fans of director Yamamoto’s other films will want to try this one. For me, there were some engaging elements teased but never fully fleshed out. Ultimately, I found Min Jung’s journey to be long and underwhelming. Water could bring rebirth and death, though enlightenment was difficult to find in the nebulous pool of business.

29 June 2024

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Could be too melodramatic.

How should i say this, recently I have been watching japanese movies centered around romance. So far this movie is the most dissatisfying, not necessarily disappointing, since i didn't know what i was getting into. When i saw who the leading cast were i was really excited. I am an avid fan of the two so to finally have them together was nothing but exciting. The performance they gave, is enough but lt lacks chemistry. They did great for individual scene's and also the prison scene, but it felt like they were focused on how to act and portray their disabled character's. The plot also is a huge issue, in my own opinion it's unnecessarily melodramatic, i feel like they really tried to have a unique storyline. Unfortunately it felt forced and far from the title. With an already sad backstory for the leads, especially the male lead, why would you add more unto it. This felt more like silent suffering than silent love, especially with the amount of violence and depravity in the movie. Half of the romantic scenes is literally, the male lead working his ass off for a performance and the female lead walking with the male lead. Like what the hell man, they should've just focused in the romance of the two. They also should've fleshed out the female leads character to match the male leads. Other than that the cinematography was good but nothing spectacular. I could even score it lower, but i can see the effort done into it and it's not a complete mess. Also one plot point they could have done is the disparity of there social standing in life, i know it's generic but this time they have disabilities so, hahahahah. I don't know it's just not romantic. Also what kinda ending kiss is that, who in there right mind would kiss someone after almost getting into an accident, the same goes to that scene where the female lead gets bumped into and panics because of the crowd but suddenly the crowd disappears when the male lead shows up, like what? Those scenes pissed me off when they were obviously making the movie "realistic" with how melodramatic it was, should've sticked to a more romantic plot. Wouldn't really recommend it, especially if you want a sweet romance but it is has a charm to it, overall it's decent.

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