Always (2011)

i'm no avid fan of overly sweet romances unless done in either a captivating way or made me entertained so watching a movie such as this felt like revisiting the old school movies and the only thing missing is a grainy filter.

the way the story climaxed isn't entirely unique but i absolutely loved the way it progressed. as a viewer, the pacing didn't feel too overwhelming or tortoise slow... it felt just right. the soft ost was fitting to the delicate story that was told and added to the emotional impact of certain scenes.

with how stellar the cast was, it didn't entirely bore me. i guess the only downside was how i already saw the same plot before and didn't do much to keep my interest at its peak towards the end. perhaps a twist or some sort of alternate ending would've created a better impact to the story.

overall, this is a sweet romance enveloped with a bit of melodrama and what love can result to one's hard-hitting sacrifice.

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Wow, they sure gathered an impressive cast, even for the smaller roles and the excellent writing certainly lets it show. No one's talents were left unused.
It was quite a joy to see all these familiar faces show up one after another and watch them perform the roles completely in character.

Seems like for majority of people onions were being cut while watching this one, and even thou it does make ones heart feel like it's being tad squeezed at times...in a nice painful way, well, no one's cutting onions around me - but the movie was very well done. Worth the time. I'm very glad I saw it.
"Always" has a certain kind of beauty for it. The flow of it was very nice & calm.

I'm only worried for the turtle...

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Made me go through sadness, happiness and finally left me with a smile!

In my opinion, art(be it movies, music, etc.) is intended to make the viewer feel emotions. Think of your favorite movies/songs, and ask yourself why is this my favorite? The reason is mostly because of the way the movie made you feel. Your favorite movie(s) would have evoked emotions in you that you strongly relate with. So whenever you want to feel those emotions you will want to watch the movie again :)

This movie made me feel super-emotional: sad when I saw the background stories of the main characters, and happy when they were able to find happiness and love in each other.

At the surface level, the movie seemed "light". It's less than 2 hours long, and the narration doesn't spend a lot of time to set up their background. However, it looks like they didn't need to, as the acting and screenplay is brilliant that they are able to emote really well and make us go through what the characters are going.

Especially in the end when Jeong-hwa is running to find Cheol-min after she finds out he's visited her after 2 years. Can't find him and eventually breaks down in tears: It's hard not to feel emotional there.

Han Hyo-joo(the lead actress) has such a beautiful smile, it's so hard to not get sucked into the character and fall for her when she emotes with that smile and innocence.

So Ji-seob(leading actor) doesn't show a lot of emotions on his face, because his character doesn't reveal them to the outside world, instead internalizing his pain and his past. But you can still feel what he is going through.

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In many ways, this movie follows the traditional plot of a fighting movie (like never back down). But in other ways, it's a tale of two people, and how fate can prevail. I fell in love with this movie as I watched it. I cried, laughed, and enjoyed the whole film. Unlike films where some parts feel inessential, every bit of this movie was worth watching.
Although the storyline of the fighting guy, and the girl he must protect is a bit cliche, the director altered it enough so that it was appealing. The backstory that the characters had, and how those stories connected was brilliant. The ending jumped a few years, and unlike other movies that jump time unsuccessfully, this was done very well, using the previous backstory to connect the characters once again. Even down to the ending, there is nothing more I could have wanted out of this movie.
The cast of the movie was excellent in that their acting on par to not only fulfill their roles, but render them believable and connectable to the audience. Plus, this was no easy feat, because only the two main characters have more than five minutes of screen time. To be able to have that much screen time placed on two characters, and not have story wane, or become lacking was a job well done for the director.
The music wasn't significant in this film, but they did a great job so that it wasn't distracting or taking away from the film.
I gave this a rewatch value of ten, because I feel like this is going to become a staple film for me to watch every couple of years. I enjoyed it enough that not only would I rewatch it in the future, but I would do so regurarly.
9.5/10

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"Always" was one of those movies that made me feel emotions that I'd rather not feel. Let me just say that from the minute I started the movie, I was immersed in the world that the writer created.

I would describe this movie as painfully beautiful. It was dark both metaphorically and literally since most of the movie was shot either during the night or in the small, poorly lit places. This was a great metaphor of the character's lives: the male lead's life was dark since he didn't have much to live for and the female lead's life was literally dark since she couldn't see.

The chemistry between the leads was off the charts. This was one of the best couples I've seen so far.
I really had no idea how amazing So Ji Sub and Han Hyo Joo's acting is. I saw them both in different Korean dramas, but I now realize that Always really let them shine as actors. I am in awe. The characters felt so real to me that I almost had a feeling that they'll jump out of the screen and appear in front of me.

The ending was very bittersweet. "Always" is ultimately a movie about sacrifice, redemption and finding hope where there seems to be none. There are some incredibly romantic moments, but even when the mood in the movie lightens up, I could feel something ominous in the air. It's a type of story that makes you hold your loved ones after you finish watching it. Some people seem to find the ending to be satisfying, but I had some mixed feelings about it. I understood the writer's message and intention; however, I'd prefer the ending to be a little more uplifting even if it wouldn't exactly match the general tone of the movie.

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Asian crush really lives up to its recommendations

so I went into this with no expectations and came out in TEARS.

11/10 would rewatch. the storyline was beautiful, the little moments really made this whole film come together, especially the actors chemistry.

what did drop my score is the cliche Korean plot line where the mc somehow were in each others past but thats alright, it was a little lump that was leaped over and in the end I totally forgot about it.

THIS WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL, I HAVE NO WORDS. Han hyo joo and so ji sub really created the most beautiful chemistry I have ever seen. it was gritty, it was romantic, it was scary (spoiler: there was an attempted rape scene BUT NOT BY THE MALE LEAD!), it was sad, and overall I enjoyed this to the point where it would make it to my top 10 fave movies list. period okay thats all I have to say :D cheers good luck to finding a show/movie to watch <3

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Beautiful story

I just finished watching this movie for the second time and it was wonderful. I felt kind of like I was a voyeur into their lives. I normally don't care for films that are dark in appearance, but I really appreciated how the cinematographer used a lot of dim lighting, as well as rain and overcast days throughout most of the movie, until after her surgery. I also really liked the close-up work on the actors' faces, it almost gave the feel that we were visually impaired and had to get close to see. At the beginning, I loved how the camera work showed the ML watching for the FL. No words, just us seeing what he was looking at, looking at the doorway, watching the driveway.

Acting/characterizations:
So Ji Sub as Jang Chul Min. I'm a big fan of this actor, and I thought he played this character very well. The darkness, sadness and loneliness of his life were almost palpable. It seemed like he was in sort of a self-imposed hell. When she came along, it was as if, first he didn't know what to make of her, and I felt that brief moment of him trying to decide whether to open up to the lightness of the FL. Chul Min was a troubled soul, but so caring. Once he committed to her, he was all in.
Han Hyo Joo as Ha Jung Hwa. She was terrific! I would imagine it would be very difficult to play a blind person, but she nailed it. Her character was so refreshing. Brilliant smiles, a happy and playful personality despite her difficulties. I really liked her speech pattern when she was getting to know him - she spoke quickly, almost shooting out questions abruptly. There was no artifice to her, you knew what she felt at every moment.

Chemistry:
Their chemistry was very sweet. They moved naturally from strangers to lovers. It was like they had been waiting for one another for their whole lives, and now that they'd found each other, they weren't wasting any time. We were on their journey with them, their voyage of discovery.

Fight scenes:
Well done, very hard to watch. Him getting pulled back into that life was sad, even if it was for a good reason. That said, him exercising shirtless was worth the price of admission! That man is ripped!

Ending:
Oh, my goodness, when they cross paths again, my heart broke for him. Him not talking so she wouldn't recognize him, he was back to his cold and lonely life, and it was painful to see him resigning himself to his old life. However, there is a happy ending, though it's too brief. I don't know why the endings of Korean dramas are so rushed.

Bottom line:
If I had to sum up this film in one word, I'd have to say "comforting".

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Memorable melodramatic love story with great cast and filmmaking

I enjoyed the movie overall and found the story quite gripping. There were some direction in terms of plot that I felt was a bit heavily handed and somewhat predictable but at least the choices made by the characters made sense as the scenario provided sufficient background story to depicts their motivation and inner turmoil.

The cast is overall excellent. I truly love Han Hyo Joo and she tackes brilliantly the role. You cannot help but feel for her character and the tragic elements of her life story. The other main role, played by So Ji Sub delivers a performance matching hers in quality, full of charisma, passion and dramatic moments.

The filmmaking was very good. Even watching it 13 years later, it is still very up to nowadays standard for pictures in that specific genre. There were so many particularly well filmed and beautiful romantic scenes (e.g. the staircase one, the river,...) as well as so many little details in the production allowing the build up of the characterization of the two main protagonists.

I would recommend this to people looking for a good romantic story full of turmoil and emotion as it is centered arount the encounter of two broken-by-life human beings. The story in itself is not without flaws but is quite poetic and the sincere performances of the two main leads brought up to a higher level the scenario.

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I really loved this story. The ML was totally bad ass in a calm kind of way. The FL was kind and strong in her own way dealing with what life gave her and making the best of it.
I loved the way he protected her and that he was happy at last.
BUT they could really have done more with the ending. It almost ended like a series with a season 2. I would have loved it to be at least 10 min longer. There are so many questions I have.
But it was a VERY good movie. I understand what happened in the end but it felt rushed. I still gave it a 9/10 because it was really good and I guess I didn't want it to be over.

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