This review may contain spoilers
The Coward and the Girl He Loves
Few things in life aren't so tragic as wasted opportunities. Some people might "cloak" a wasted opportunity in believing that they are doing what is best for someone else. That isn't the case here, even though the writer would like you to believe it is.
Den is 30-year-old man working in the IT department of a company. He has no friends. People at his job scarcely even know his name. He hides behiind computers because he doesn't believe he's worthy of anything else. If he did, he'd find a way to make it happen. Instead, he's a recluse.
Nui is a 28-year-old woman in the marketing department of the same company. She's a bit stuck-up, and finds herself in a relationship with one of her bosses, who just happens to be married with a son. Of course, she's naive enough to believe that he's going to leave his wife. This is the woman that Den has a crush on, much like a 14-year-old kid in high school.
The entire company goes on a trip, and this is where things pick up. Nui, upon finding out that her boss's wife is pregnant, decides upon a suicide attempt. The doctor tells Den that her short-term memory is affected for one day. In short, she will have forgotten everything recent for a single day, but when she wakes up the next morning, she will have recovered her memory, but at the expense of that one day.
Den decides to let her know that he's her boyfriend. She has a hard time believing him. However, as the day goes on, she begins to find something endearing in his sad attempts to impress her. In short, they enjoy the day until upon the verge of an intimate moment, Den confesses his scheme, getting himself thrown out of her hotel room in the process. However, upon finding out that she is a mistress of her boss, Nui doesn't want to go back to that life, and realizes that she wants to be with the only person who loves her: Den.
Den, however, lacks the courage and the conviction to follow Nui's instructions to help her remember how much she loves him. Nui even records a video clip to help her remember, asking Den to make sure to tell her about it the next day, when she will have forgotten everything.
Because of his own sense of worthlessness, Den doesn't do what Nui has asked of him, and so he deletes the clip. One can't feel sorry for Den, nor even think that he's being noble and selfless. He is, in fact, a coward. When love is presented to you, you don't turn your back on it. You don't dismiss it. You take the opportunity that love provides. In short, it's a very pathetic act on his part. But then again, someone who doesn't love themselves enough will do exactly what Den did. So, in truth, he's being who he believes himself to be.
There are some plot holes that don't entirely make the film work, not to mention an abrupt and unfulfilling ending. Why didn't Nui simply write a note to herself about the clip? She could have sent herself a message or even a note about her feelings for Den. I found this to be very short-sighted on the writer and director's part.
The characters are certainly interesting enough, even if both are very flawed and lacking in any true love for themselves. The performances are good as well. However, the movie feels like a train that ran out of track by the time the end comes, leaving one to feel, "Is that it?" Unsatisfying, to be sure.
If nothing else, it should warn people about the "Dens" and the "Nuis" of the world. If you see one, be sure to run the other way!
Den is 30-year-old man working in the IT department of a company. He has no friends. People at his job scarcely even know his name. He hides behiind computers because he doesn't believe he's worthy of anything else. If he did, he'd find a way to make it happen. Instead, he's a recluse.
Nui is a 28-year-old woman in the marketing department of the same company. She's a bit stuck-up, and finds herself in a relationship with one of her bosses, who just happens to be married with a son. Of course, she's naive enough to believe that he's going to leave his wife. This is the woman that Den has a crush on, much like a 14-year-old kid in high school.
The entire company goes on a trip, and this is where things pick up. Nui, upon finding out that her boss's wife is pregnant, decides upon a suicide attempt. The doctor tells Den that her short-term memory is affected for one day. In short, she will have forgotten everything recent for a single day, but when she wakes up the next morning, she will have recovered her memory, but at the expense of that one day.
Den decides to let her know that he's her boyfriend. She has a hard time believing him. However, as the day goes on, she begins to find something endearing in his sad attempts to impress her. In short, they enjoy the day until upon the verge of an intimate moment, Den confesses his scheme, getting himself thrown out of her hotel room in the process. However, upon finding out that she is a mistress of her boss, Nui doesn't want to go back to that life, and realizes that she wants to be with the only person who loves her: Den.
Den, however, lacks the courage and the conviction to follow Nui's instructions to help her remember how much she loves him. Nui even records a video clip to help her remember, asking Den to make sure to tell her about it the next day, when she will have forgotten everything.
Because of his own sense of worthlessness, Den doesn't do what Nui has asked of him, and so he deletes the clip. One can't feel sorry for Den, nor even think that he's being noble and selfless. He is, in fact, a coward. When love is presented to you, you don't turn your back on it. You don't dismiss it. You take the opportunity that love provides. In short, it's a very pathetic act on his part. But then again, someone who doesn't love themselves enough will do exactly what Den did. So, in truth, he's being who he believes himself to be.
There are some plot holes that don't entirely make the film work, not to mention an abrupt and unfulfilling ending. Why didn't Nui simply write a note to herself about the clip? She could have sent herself a message or even a note about her feelings for Den. I found this to be very short-sighted on the writer and director's part.
The characters are certainly interesting enough, even if both are very flawed and lacking in any true love for themselves. The performances are good as well. However, the movie feels like a train that ran out of track by the time the end comes, leaving one to feel, "Is that it?" Unsatisfying, to be sure.
If nothing else, it should warn people about the "Dens" and the "Nuis" of the world. If you see one, be sure to run the other way!
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