lets_tteok-drama
An absolute must watch for everyone, everywhere.
정신병동에도 아침이와요.
Wow. One word, no, actually two, no actually four: pure, but raw healing.
That's how I summarise this drama. The directors and writers knew exactly how delicate the subject they were dealing with was, and I am in absolute awe of the gentleness with which they broached the oh so vast, but oh so fragile concept - mental illness.
This drama is a journey, and the concept of transitioning a third-person experience to the first-person, using the most common of the illness' forms (depression), was an absolute master stroke. We're watching as an outsider one moment, and suddenly, we're facing our own demons.
I'm not going to go in too much depth around the plot line; as you can tell it's the content that's the winner here - but can I just say that this was again one of the gems that was perfectly paced (a rare item these days in k-drama world).
The drama questions all the aspects of this topic that not everyone wants to talk about, the bad, the ugly, and the worst: the stigma around mental illness and how it's bloody real.
It makes us question our own well-being and makes watching the drama therapeutic in its own way. We were hit hard by the moments that are intense, and we soften during the moments that are vulnerable. I haven't watched a lot of dramas dealing with the topic, but this is one of the (I imagine) select few that actually explores the impact of mental illness on all around it: the patients, the givers, the families and the fact that we may tip into any of these categories at any given point of time without warning.
All in all, every element of this drama was perfectly measured: the despair, the relief, the anguish, the love, the hate, the acknowledgement, and the acceptance. The end of the series doesn't leave you with any over-measured emotions because it acknowledges that were all standing on some sort of border in life and, in consequence, the ending leaves us with a sense of calm.
The only missing piece for me was an OST, so the avid watcher for me is giving this one a 9.5. Otherwise, if OSTs weren't a thing, this series was nothing short of a 10.
An absolute must watch for everyone, everywhere.
Wow. One word, no, actually two, no actually four: pure, but raw healing.
That's how I summarise this drama. The directors and writers knew exactly how delicate the subject they were dealing with was, and I am in absolute awe of the gentleness with which they broached the oh so vast, but oh so fragile concept - mental illness.
This drama is a journey, and the concept of transitioning a third-person experience to the first-person, using the most common of the illness' forms (depression), was an absolute master stroke. We're watching as an outsider one moment, and suddenly, we're facing our own demons.
I'm not going to go in too much depth around the plot line; as you can tell it's the content that's the winner here - but can I just say that this was again one of the gems that was perfectly paced (a rare item these days in k-drama world).
The drama questions all the aspects of this topic that not everyone wants to talk about, the bad, the ugly, and the worst: the stigma around mental illness and how it's bloody real.
It makes us question our own well-being and makes watching the drama therapeutic in its own way. We were hit hard by the moments that are intense, and we soften during the moments that are vulnerable. I haven't watched a lot of dramas dealing with the topic, but this is one of the (I imagine) select few that actually explores the impact of mental illness on all around it: the patients, the givers, the families and the fact that we may tip into any of these categories at any given point of time without warning.
All in all, every element of this drama was perfectly measured: the despair, the relief, the anguish, the love, the hate, the acknowledgement, and the acceptance. The end of the series doesn't leave you with any over-measured emotions because it acknowledges that were all standing on some sort of border in life and, in consequence, the ending leaves us with a sense of calm.
The only missing piece for me was an OST, so the avid watcher for me is giving this one a 9.5. Otherwise, if OSTs weren't a thing, this series was nothing short of a 10.
An absolute must watch for everyone, everywhere.
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