Navillera (2021)

movie-firecracker

movie-firecracker
This is my first ever review so I can make a lot of mistakes, sorry. I feel like saying a lot, but I will try not to spoil it, so keep it short.
I've been watching Korean dramas for a year. Now and can't mess around with Hollywood and European productions (they're weak compared to that), but this series is a movie-firecracker.
A delightful story of relationships and beautifully shown how the past can overwhelm and how as you go through life, this burden can be lifted off your shoulders thanks to the people you meet. Of course, you have to be able to listen and hear, and in this film, young and old and even "bad people" know how to listen
Greatly chosen actors (all of them) for their roles. In fact, it's hard to say that someone plays the best, because even small roles are great in this film.
Sound and music and light, the next three actors who starred in this movie thanks to all the people in the production, wow but how brilliantly they are used ....
It terrifies me how mean parents can manipulate their children and adult children ruthlessly manipulate their old parents. After watching the whole movie, I learn that you have to take the man as a whole and not just focus on his faults, there is a place for everyone.
(I translate from Polish thanks to Google Translate, so maybe not everything is as I would like).

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Must Watch ...!

Just simply one word to describe Navillera, - "Excellent"..

I always had that faith in these type of melodramas, with a very intense slice of life story telling that will not let u feel disappointed. It has many thing to say to you, It will teach you so many things.

Here Its an adaptation of a popular webtoon, the story of a friendship between a young ballet dancer and a old fellow who dreaming to become a ballet dancer. Its sounds very strange that an old man learning ballet at that age, but this whole drama make this strange thing impossible..

The bonding and the family relationships are one of the best factor that the drama tells at it's best and very beautiful way, you will get so emotional especially when coming to it's finale Episodes. There are so many beautiful moments that u cannot forget that easily. Song kang done an absolutely brilliant job to deliver those wonderful emotions with that character, learning ballet was not an easy task but i heard he spent almost 6 month to do that, his efforts are paid off, that Haraboji and his family was also amazing. That climax was so touching and heart warming... You must watch this drama if you are a slice of life drama fan.. Full satisfaction

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Butterflies and Ballet

Much like the image of the butterfly and the soul in poetry and art, this series is superb, sweet, and compassionate with the grace and elegance of ballet as the frame for the deeply touching real story. The cast, direction, cinematography, and writing are outstanding: not a misstep anywhere as all involved work to tell the story of discovery, friendship, love, support, forgiveness, and healing. Filmed with such love and gentleness, this is one of Korea's finest series in its relatively short but brilliant history. I cried a lot, especially in the second half, but the tears were because I was so moved by the script, actors, and story they told so well. Strongly recommended.

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What a beautiful, heartwarming, inspiring drama!

Navillera is the kind of drama that tells you that your dreams are valid, no matter how out of reach they might appear, Navillera tells you that if you give it your best and hold onto it, you can return to them and fulfil them one day.

Adapted from a manhwa, I felt that the creators did a beautiful job portraying both the characters and the story. From a well written plot to complex characters whose relationships with each other are filled with growth and hope, we have it all. My favourite character was of course the seventy year old lead, Deok Chul. Such a positive, hopeful man always empathetic and understanding of everyone around him. He was such a comforting personality to be around — especially to the younger generation around. I absolutely loved his dynamics and friendship with Chae Rok (his young ballet instructor). These kind of dramas are hard to come around, and I’m so glad it was made.

Having read the webtoon before watching this, I was a little nervous about the casting, but they chosen actors were perfect for their roles! From main characters to the supporting characters, no one felt out of place or incomplete. I also loved the OST, it perfectly went with the story and added onto the emotions.

Finishing this was a sad feeling, saying goodbye to these beautiful characters was hard. But I came out of this experience with a lot of comforting thoughts. In the end, this drama is a warm hug that everyone needs.

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Deeply moving and inspiring

"Did you soar?"

I would say „Navillera“ is no light watch. Of course, there are some funny scenes and happy episodes, but as the drama progresses, it becomes increasingly somber and in the last few episodes I cried my eyes out. You should go into this drama with the right expectations - don’t expect romance or a comedy.
But if you are ready for a story about dreams, friendship, family and finding happiness, it will touch you deeply.

I am not sure what kind of action-packed dramas people who think this is „boring“ or „slow“ are used to, because I thought the pacing was perfect. There was never a dull moment or a filler episode and the drama had the perfect amount of episodes. I wish more dramas would cap at 12 episodes, because after episode 12 is often when they become dragged out and the writers add unnecessary drama.
The ending scene was absolutely perfect!! Everything about it: The cinematography, the dialogue, even the styling! I cried like a baby!

The performances of Song Kang and Park In Hwan are incredible. On top of their acting, I have so much respect for them for learning ballet for this drama, when they have never done it before. I know that they used body doubles for the more challenging scenes, but you can tell that the actors put a ton of hard work into credibly portraying ballet dancers.

Stories about friendship between someone young and old are always very touching and inspiring, and „Navillera“ is no different. The impact Chae Rok and Deok Chul have on each others’ lives and how it transforms not only them but the people around them, is beautiful and heart-warming.

Initially, I thought this was about an old man fulfilling his dream. But it is so much more than that. Every character is a little lost and looking for their happiness and they all eventually have to make a decision - to continue living life they way they are used to or take a chance and do what makes them happy. Coming from a country that is very much about corporate careers and performance, this drama feels very important.

All the characters go through credible character development and enrich the story with their own personal journeys to happiness. I really enjoyed Chae Rok’s relationship with Eun Ho as well. They mostly bond because of Deok Chul and there is no forced romance but they are important to each other. In the end, it is up to the viewer to decide whether they might find love in the future. I personally like the thought that they will fall in love at some point and Chae Rok will become a forever member of the family.

Like I said, it is no light entertainment. It made me think a lot about my own life, about the transience of all things, my aging parents and unfulfilled dreams. But it ends on a very hopeful note and leaves you inspired to find the thing that makes you happy and soar yourself.

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Sad, funny and absolutely beautiful

This drama is a bit like the last walk on a gorgeous beach att sunset with the dog you love but have to put to sleep... Its a walk you will remember, the scenery is breathtaking, the waves will tickle you and make you laugh, the dog will look at you with its sweet innocent ayes reminding you of the joy and laughter you have sheered all while you are constantly aware of the end a head. While eating Ice cream (one each, since its the dogs last meal) some bird will scare you and make you angry... but you will also feel comforted by the dog, the taste of the ice cream, the last warming sunbeam and the sound of those amazing waves... or something like that... what I am trying to say is that this is a drama that will simply make you feel allot of emotions while beautifully portraying some of the worlds most important and relatable issues.

To be honest I do not really care to much about the message of it never being to late or what not that many seem to appreciate NO, I fell for its humor and its way of portraying both gender issues, ageism and ableisem in a humanizing and humoristic way. Showing that people of all ages and ability can be competent, fragile and have hopes and dreams...

This drama is packed with witty dialog such as:
70 yr old: What about your parants?
23 yr old: My dad lives somewhere else and my mom is dead
70 yr old : I se both my parants passed away
(Yes this mad me laugh, and is just my type of humor)

Confronting gender issues:
23 yr old: When a man announces he is going to do ballet his family's response is similar to that of the five stages of grief

I love also the way it shows different kinds of relationships and the importance of finding at least one person who believes in you and is willing to support you threw hard times, as well as showing the other side of the coin. Conveying the importance of communication and beautifully showing the negative effect lack of support from the people we care most about have on us. No matter how much we try to deny it or look away we get hurt (even injured) and accomplish allot less if the ones we care about do not support us. Oh And we also get to learn a bit about ballet.

There is one side story that feels a bit unnecessary that could bring down the score and I won't say this drama is perfection or even close to it but as a whole this dramas extremely beautiful cinematography, representation, dialog and feel to it makes up for all that and makes it worthy of ten stars and a place among my favorit dramas.

So yes this is definitely a must watch!

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Heartwarming drama as well as a Tearjerker.

I’m not one to write reviews, I’m not good at summarizing and my grammar is bad, but please be patient with me. I’m going to keep it short and only say a few things about it. I found this drama when it had 10 episodes and I wish I found it sooner it just sucked me right in. At the end of every episode I wanted more so it’s sad that there’s only 12 episodes, I could watch 50. I cried a lot while watching this it’s just absolutely beautiful and inspiring... especially at the end of episode 10 beautiful scene. If you are debating watching it, please do you won’t regret it, I certainly didn’t. I’ve seen reviews about it being boring but I don’t think so it’s nice and simple and I like that, no unnecessary drama, the characters are so like able except one, you can be the judge on that. But I personally think this is the best drama of 2021 and nothing will change that for me. I said I would keep it short but I’m just rambling now.

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A rare GEM... One of the BEST dramas I've seen...

Brilliant acting from the main leads and supporting actors. I became an instant fan of Song Kang after watching this. Mr. Park, whom I've seen in a lot a of dramas before continues to amaze me. I loved how original the story was, it was simply a heart-warming and inspiring story which was beautifully portrayed on screen. Every character (even those with supporting roles and those you would initially get annoyed with) had a back story that was told clearly so you can understand where each one was coming from and why they behave that way. The family frictions and individual struggles were all very real and relatable. The character development of Chae-rok from start to finish was executed well, I literally witnessed how Chae-rok matured in all those 12 episodes and how that relationship with Granpa made an impact on his life and vice versa.

This drama would really make you want to reflect on life after watching it. The lessons in this drama about forgiveness, moving forward, discovering your passion, pursuing your dreams and rising above adversities were conveyed so well by the different characters in the drama. There was nothing overly-dramatic or far-fetched in this drama unlike in the others I've seen, yet this drama will surely tug your heartstrings. I wish more people would discover and watch this drama, as this is truly a gem, This is indeed one the best dramas I've seen so far, and believe me I've seen quite a lot (though I rarely write reviews, just had to write one for this drama as it was truly exceptional). Hoping this drama will get an award, as it will be well-deserved.

Lastly, make sure to have lots of tissues handy, you'll definitely need it. =)

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Cliches and secrets central

I guess I saw where this was going from the first episode but i figured it was ok since the premise was new and unique. So the show wants to tell us to slow down and be kind to ourselves by doing what we want to do. The main character always wanted to learn ballet and finally decides to go for it. While at it, he touches younger people around him, especially, the young ballet guy, Chae-rok. Of course, as this is a K-drama, we find out that he’s diagnosed with the Alzheimer’s and doesn’t have much time. Sigh.

The good.
- Thank God for the absence of a love triangle.
- I loved the main character. Basically, he’s really the only one that was fleshed out. He’s gracious and easy going. Character traits I typically don’t associate with Korean men.
- As mentioned, I really liked the message even though I doubt hyper-competitive Koreans would ever change. Also, is it even possible to slow down and enjoy life in Korea?
- I gained a new appreciation for ballet. But is ballet any popular in Korea?
- I loved seeing Na Moon Hee. She’s almost 80 and she’s still doing her thing.
- I’m glad the main character achieved his dream but I wonder what real ballet people think about the old guy learning ballet so fast that he was able to do a solo/duo performance.

The bad
- Its annoying that once again, this K-drama writer resorted to secrets and miscommunications to push the plot forward.
- Keeping the Alzheimer’s hush hush made no sense as the affected person becomes a danger to himself. Let’s see how it goes attitude by his family and Chae-rok is absurd.
- The yellow haired kid’s victim mentality went a little too far, especially, when he started physically harming Chae-rok.
- I’m surprised that Chae-rok’s dad went to prison for corporal punishment in Korea.
- I’m not sure if there were any meaningful growth in characters. People were changed with little motivation. Just kinda happened.
- The entire time, I wondered what made Chae-rok special in ballet? They imply that he’s special but you never find out why. He’s way behind his peers at the beginning and you don’t see him getting anywhere.
- Young people in this show (except part time jobs at restaurant) don’t seem to need any job to survive.
- Main character’s family doesn’t add much to the show. They’re just cliche characters and represent different stereotypes.
- Please don’t let your elderly with the Alzheimer’s wander around alone. This keeps happening throughout the show.
- I feel like the show started strong but like most K-dramas, they had to take things too far once they introduced the Alzheimer’s angle. Please figure out a way to make things interesting without pushing things to the realm of absurdity. Lazy writing never works.

All in all, it’s a shallow, predictable story with enough cliches to fill up your room but I didn’t find it terribly except for the bit about how the characters handled the reality of the Alzheimer’s.

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Park In Hwan who played Shim Deok Chul was amazing in telling this story regarding Alzheimer's. South Korea must love the Black Swan... I praised Jimin and Jungkook in their solo dance at the MMA's and BTS for their Black Swan song. I'm a lover of the Black Swan for decades. I also praised this drama for the same dance.

Song Kang who played Lee Chae Rok was extremely amazing with all of the talents he showed in his acting skills. OMG, I love ballet and he seemed like has a niche for dancing. I am very shocked with his 6 months of training only. I loved it. He played this part very well and I am very pleased as a lyrical and street dancer. For being 27 wows, I need to see more dramas with him in it. The only thing I was embarrassed about is that a ballet costume is to cover what it needs to cover on a man but I felt bad for Song Kang because it revealed more than a real ballet costume would.

Na Moon Hee who played Choie Hae Nam the wife of Shim Deok Chul was awesome. I credit her acting in being and accepting Alzheimer's. I became very emotional with this actress.

We need more movies like this. My mother had pre-dementia starting at the age of 78 where she forgot all of her past but she didn't forget her children. She lived to be 95.

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Lol I don't feel that strongly about this drama...

Another great drama by our favorite Netflix actor Song Kang. Despite the fact that I’m not involved in ballet whatsoever, I’ve always enjoyed anything ballet related for as long as I can remember. I was particularly excited for this drama because I enjoyed Song Kang in Sweet Home and thought the premise of this show was very interesting. While I did enjoy the drama, I found it a little too slow for my liking, and I struggled to develop a connection to any of the characters. Nevertheless, it was a nice drama that I could watch on Mondays and Tuesdays to make those days a little bit brighter. It wasn’t a drama I was too invested in, (I just think it’s too short for that) but had fun watching it casually and can appreciate the heartfelt and simple storyline. Overall, I’d recommend this drama for those who like ballet, Song Kang, or slow and sweet melodramas.

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