Mama (2014)

Realistic acting with exceptional storytelling. The drama is a story of love, sacrifices and forgiveness.

Everyone of us goes out everyday, carries the risk that we are unable to go back home. If you think of it that way, knowing you do not have much time left to live is a blessing, given you can overcome the fear of leaving your loved ones. Having a heavy philosophical content, the drama manages to deliver the growth of each characters and valuable lessons without preaching.

As everyone is connected, one's significant life event does not affect that person alone but everyone around them. The same thing happened to successful single mother Han Seung Hee. Her health situation urges her to reflect on her life and widen her social circle as she realises her old way of living cannot give her son another mother. As a consequences, She makes her choices that impacts all those around her. Whether her choices were right or wrong, I believe each one of us has their own judgements however it is undeniable that everything she did was out of love for her son. The most important thing is that she is a mother. She grows as a mother and everyone else also grows.

The beautiful thing about the drama is that it is realistic though the plot exaggerates at some parts to highlight the moral lessons to be learnt. Life goes on, everyone has to part and everything changes. That is the reality. As much as the story is about Han Seung Hee who is a dying mother, it is also about other people and how they prepare to move on with their life after she dies. I love the ending because it shows life continues and even though it may be incomplete, love and forgiveness fill up the space.

Overall the casts deliver solid and convincing acting, especially Song Yoon Ah. I truly lived in their world. Yoon Chang Young and Hong Jun Hyun did a great job as sons, gave audiences the alternatives and outcomes of different choices made by mothers. Other actors performed well though I believe there are room for improvements for supporting actors.

It was a fun rides with lessons to learn on the way. I recommend anyone who are looking for a slice a life kind of story. For people who are scared of the sadness, personally the reason I cried while watching was because it is touching, not because it is sad.

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Be prepared to cry a lot in this drama. You will also most definitely need to watch something really funny right after this even if you do not marathon the drama in two or three days. Be prepared to cry a lot for all the main leads and for an ending that does not quite make up for all the trauma you were put through. If you watched it for Hong Jong Hyun, keep in mind the story is called Mama, and so, he will not be in as much as you would like and wish. Go watch him in wgm after you watch this, that could sure help your crying spell.

But, also keep in mind that not all of the characters make sense with their actions. Some you will hate one moment and love the next. A lot the story drama would have been solved if people just were open with each other and told the truth even half the time. I can't guarantee this is the right drama for you, think carefully before you start.

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