I had to think for a couple of days before writing this review because I had to sort out my feelings and thoughts so I could form them into words. Sadly though, mission is not accomplished. No matter how hard I thought about it, it is really hard to put this movie into words. It is a movie that you need to “sense” not “read” about. Thanks to director Lee Yoon-Ki, who is known as an emotional delicate director, the movie had so much charm and beauty added to the already beautiful story.
'One Day' is a healing-fantasy movie about two wounded people, it depicts the story of a man and a spirit with a similar pain and scar who meet each other ‘one day’. One of the reasons I labeled this movie as a new genre is because even though there was no love story going on between the two, the story was very much about ‘love’. It was fascinating to me that loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, and lack of heart of two people could be healed without the ‘I love you, I don’t love you’ format. I can’t even begin to express how captivated I was by the fact that this movie healed wounds without "love" between Kang Soo and Mi So. With all the sorrow in disguise it still managed to be a refreshing new genre.
One of the modest yet profound messages in the movie is when it suggests that a ‘blind’ person should be referred to as ‘blind’ person and not ‘impaired’ (it made a huge difference in Korean language and in my opinion it makes a difference in English as well as my own language).
Kang Soo and Mi So are two people who face each other through their scars and as they get closer, they realize that their wounds are in 'contact'. The best expression I could define them with is, 'window' because they were like a window to each other. On one hand Mi So is Kang Soo’s window to his inner-self and the memories that he locked away after losing his wife. On the other hand, Kang Soo is Mi So’s window to the world.
The story on the surface ‘a living person meeting a spirit’ is not a new material it's been done before countless of times. However, unlike other projects, ‘One Day’ depicts pain and loss in a beautifully healing fantasy. Mi So as a character as her name suggests (her name means ‘smile’), is not just your average spirit, she’s a bright, vivid, warm, sweet and endearing bundle of joy. Watching her smile was all the joy I needed.
The delicate and modest directing of Lee Yoo-Ki takes this fantasy and naturally applies it in our reality without risking the material becoming overwhelming.
Two of the most remarkable points in 'One Day' are Kim Nam Gil and Chun Woo Hee’s golden performance (calling it 'golden' is an understatement). KNG’s charismatic act through his deep expressive eyes even with scenes featuring no dialogues at all has once again swept me off my feet. He embodied Kang Soo and captured every bits and pieces of his pain and sorrow. KNG’s delicate display of Kang Soo’s emotion was top class graceful performance. However, this movie’s heartthrob I shall say is Chun Woo Hee. It is hard enough to play a blind character, but to also have to play a spirit, who on the other hand can actually see, is a challenge on its own. I don’t know how I will adjust to the fact that she’s not Mi So and she’ll be playing other characters in the future but I do very much look forward to her future projects.
Music:
Wonderful instruments combined with exquisite sceneries that had me taking deep breathe several times as I feast my eyes. This is the first time I’m actually happy with the music section in a movie.
Overall:
I’m a person who enjoys dramas a lot more than I do with movies, simply because movies have different format and the fact that they end so quickly doesn’t allow me to connect emotionally as well as I do mentally. Thus, it’s really hard to find a movie that not only do I NOT want to ever finish, but also makes me feel as if I’ve entered a different world. ‘One Day’ is that kind of movie to me, a movie that I never thought I’d come to meet. I went to watch it as a huge KNG’s fan and came out with a movie that I can finally label as an absolute favorite of mine. ‘One Day’ is definitely not a movie for everyone, but it’s a movie that will have you sensing all shades and colors of emotions.'One Day' is a beautiful, fresh, artistic, delicate, ‘feel good’ (despite the sadness) and enriched with classic vibes movie. It has ‘rightfully’ stole my heart. Finally I have met my 10/10 movie.
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A pleasantly beneficial KMovie infusion. Quiet. Tender. Full of consolation & healing impulse
"One Day" is a beautiful KMovie. Quiet. Tender. Full of consolation and healing impulse. In addition, the story expands the usual dimensions of perception - human being sees ghost; man builds relationship with ghost. The extraordinary situation facilitates extraordinary closeness, opens up new perspectives and allows the male protagonist to look behind the obvious.The female lead character is visually impaired in life, yet specialized in sensing touch instead. The male protagonist, on the other hand, finds himself in a stage of his life, where he prefers to avoid his feelings, because they might overwhelm him. His inability to face the grief over his deceased wife, his feelings of guilt and being lost completely block him. By the way, the female protagonist is also blocked: she is in a coma.
The process of rapprochement between the two triggers a healing process, which is captured tenderly and lovingly, reaching out to the side plots, too. The KMovie knows how to touch. It might come along in an unexcited manner, yet with the perseverance of water, dealing with the stone...
After seeing the movie for the first time, I had no idea what had happened to me. It had pulled me into gentle inebriety. I had actually been sucked in and completely lost the distance.
So I couldn't write anything about it at first. I knew, l would rather want to see it again sometime in the near future. And again, it might not have been my last encounter with “One Day”. Why? Because of the overall gentle tone, the particular radiance, and the unique look&feel of this story. Because it's good.
“One Day” is not a blockbuster, no. However, in my eyes and according to my feeling, it offers a pleasantly beneficial KMovie infusion. (With wonderful acting, too.)
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It really makes one thing about life, illnesses, death and the impact it can have on others.
One particular part hit home: "-Will you remember me? -How can I forget you... -I mean, the good times". It is easy when you lose someone to remember the bad and difficult times, which are often the immediate past. We tend to forget all of the beautiful moments because they're further in our memories. One Day was a good reminder as I am guilty of that.
I also loved that there was no romance involved, though we can easily imagine there was. This fine line between love and care was just perfect, and I like that Kang Soo took the time to appreciate her for what she was, and not only because he was reminded of his wife.
It is a masterpiece in my book (do I have to mention how it can start a debate on euthanasia? and the way to address the visually impaired?) and great if you're looking for some heart-warming human interaction.
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I didn’t expect to be in this kind of state at all. I only watched this because of Kim Nam Gil and barely read the synopsis. Lately, I noticed that I’ve been picking a lot of melancholic stuff which I know isn’t good for my heart but then again this movie was beautifully portrayed that I’m letting myself succumb to the fact that it is about death, letting go and moving on with your life. To be exact, the story is the opposite of a happy-go-lucky-romantic-comedy which is my usual genre to pick and it is pretty far from being perfect… however, though it may sound like a despondent type of film, it definitely has a lot to offer.
The storyline involves some supernatural characters like a half ghost (half dead-half alive) but it is very interesting and I liked the fact that it lead me to realize all kinds of emotions through the main lead’s character portrayal. I was kind of waiting for some romance, however there was none up to the very end. I was only left with a bittersweet ending and lasting taste of some meaningful friendship. My tears fell at some point due to the emotional baggage of both the lead protagonist. I was partly wishing something really good will happen for the female lead which was acted by Chun Woo Hee but I already knew how it would end for her and so I braced myself for the inevitable and instead tried to enjoy the interactions that unfolded in front of me. On a side note, I love how the sub characters made the movie more fun to watch as they gave color to the main ones. Without them, I’d say that main lead's lives could have been more bitter and dull.
I’d like to commend how Nam Gil was perfect for this role along with Woo Hee as his co-star. They suit each other well and even though my prayers for some romantic interaction between the two of them wasn’t granted, I didn’t feel disappointed at all because the friendship that they both portrayed was spot on. As I’ve already mentioned earlier, the male lead was the sole reason I checked out this film, I expected for him to be good in his character portrayal. Yet again, he has proven himself as a great actor and never lets me down. He has also exceeded my expectations! The female lead on the other hand was unexpected. It was the first time I’ve seen her and yet she was able to capture my attention and put her in my list of female actresses to follow. I liked her acting style and her portrayal of a blind person. It definitely looks hard to pretend to be blind because at some point there would be a glitch in the acting, but she was able to portray her character impeccably which impressed me.
The music was as morose as the movie could be, not that memorable but it was tuned in perfectly for each scene and I liked its simple tune. Overall this is a movie worth watching and doesn’t seem like a waste of time at all. Recommending it to those who are looking for some bittersweet drama full of lessons about the reality of losing a person you love.
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Generally movies involving ghost seeing ability are Rom-coms but this is neither a romantic nor a comedy, its just an interaction between two deeply wounded people. As one reviewer(Marooya) said this is not a love story but the story is about love.
Nothing much happens in this movie except for two people who are lost, help each other to find their way back in life. The feel of this movie is same as when you meet someone to say goodbye, you laugh, you feel sad and then you are calm. Its a beautiful movie about life and death and the loved ones who are left behind.......
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One Day is a movie that makes you in some way appreciate all you have in life, especially when the main female character said that the “last moments are more memorable than the first” and seeing her reaction to finally being able to see after being ‘visually impaired’ most of her life touched me.
Also, when the male lead asked the female character whether she was happy that she could see, she replied by saying that she “can see, but not touch” (by the way she is a spirit, that’s why). However, this really got deep and stuck with me through out, as I can say I am fully grateful to have all my 5 senses.
The acting of both the main lead actors was superb. At the start I did not understand why the male character was unable to face reality. However, as the story continued I started to sympathises with him more and more. I got to understand his fragile character and how much his wife meant to him. The relationship between the male character and the female spirit was fantastic. It also allowed the male character to understand why his wife choose to do what she did ( I don’t want to spoil it) and based on this he was able to grant the spirit the same wish his wife had.
I have to say the ending was UNEXPECTED, deep down I was a bit upset at the ending. However I had to step down from Lalaland and come back to reality. And when I did this I understood the ending better and also appreciated what the male lead done.
Overall, I would ABSOLUTELY recommend everyone to watch this movie. It is a great cinematography with amazing instrumentals and a great message about love and life.
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What a disappointment !
I'm kind of disappointed about this one .......................... Couldnt feel emotions couldnt even sympathize with lead roles.................,.... emotions were just shallow .................,.......,.......... Add to that this horrible end of the show he just let her die to relieve her and her loved ones ,Really ! ................,
An additional point is the show doesn't present
Kang soo sadness on his wife it neglected that line .............,.........,....,..............,....................,................,.........
As a whole i expected a lot and found little from this one
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A warm heart story!
This is a nice story about people who had a bad time, endure it and overcome it with their own solutions.Though the male lead is a nice person and the female lead is so lovely, there is no romance in this film, it is kind of a friendship.
The scene when the female lead talk to the male lead are all so full of joy.
The smile when the female lead met her mother was so bright that it broke your heart when her accident occurred next.
The way the male lead struggled to support his sickness wife was very real, people are so tiny in this life.
The only miracle in this film was that the male lead could see and talk to the female lead.
There is no other miracle, in the end, I really wished miracle could happen and bring back the female lead to life. but there was not. It is so sad but they had no other choice...
Both Chun Woo Hee and Kim Nam Gil are excellent in portraying their characters.
My Rewatch Value is low because the ending is so sad (˃̥̥ω˂̥̥̥)
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A movie about a man and a spirit of woman, there must be some sparks of love, right? Thankfully nah.
The plot is rather a slow-paced one. It’s okay for me personally as we get to see these two deeply wounded characters finally are able to let go of their past which allows their wounds to start healing. The story builds up from light emotion to heavy as their past starts to unravel. Then we will hit emotional climax accompanied by dramatic music which made me just cry together, like, ugly-cry…
We can never doubt Kim Nam-gil and Chun Woo-hee’ acting skills. Kim Nam-gil perfectly portrayed the loss of his wife even only through his eyes and here Chun Woo-hee’s bright and lovely character compared to her previous works which we rarely get to see.
Overall, this is a movie that feels so heart-felt. It’s personally healing for me and I will for sure rewatch this whenever I need some ~healing material~.
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This review may contain spoilers
ชอบมากกก เนื้อเรื่องตอนแรกก็คิดว่าไม่ได้มีอะไรมาก แนวเห็นวิญญาณทั่วๆไป แต่พอถึงตอนจบเท่านั้นแหละ ซึม อินมาก นักแสดงก็เล่นดีกันสุดๆ แต่จุดที่ทำให้ให้คะแนนสูงปี๊ดคือตอนจบ ไม่คิดว่าพระเอกจะทำตามคำขอจริงๆ ส่วนตัวแอบช็อคเบาๆ คิดว่าจะตายไปเอง มันเลยเศร้า หดหู่ สงสารพระเอกมากๆๆๆ แต่เพราะทิ้งอารมณ์ไว้ให้เลยชอบมากๆ
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