My Sassy Girl

Film description

Genre cinema is straightforward, constantly drawing on the same motifs and repeating well-worn formulas ad nauseam in only slightly altered configurations. But what if you rearrange these elements, add a few from a different order, and cast likeable actors with real chemistry? You might end up with a film remembered for decades, which is exactly the case with “My Sassy Girl”, one of the finest romantic comedies of New Korean Cinema.

Good-natured and somewhat naïve, Gyeon-woo has no idea that the night he saves a drunken stranger from the path of an oncoming underground train will prove to be one of the most important of his life. It marks the beginning of an unusual friendship that will set his heart alight and turn his everyday existence upside down. Yet the road to a happy relationship is anything but easy. The nameless girl is Gyeon-woo’s complete opposite: loud, domineering, full of strange ideas, and not averse to using her fists. She also hides a secret that profoundly shapes her relationships with others. Does this odd relationship stand a chance of survival?

“My Sassy Girl” is a legendary film. Based on Kim Ho-sik’s true memories, first published as blog posts online, it combines elements of rom-com and melodrama, subverting them and playing with the audience’s expectations. There is plenty of unpretentious humour and cheeky sentimentality, but also rough mischief and, in contrast, thoughtful social commentary. The film revived director Kwak Jae-yong’s career, smashed box-office records in Korea, and became a hit across Asia, turning actress Jun Ji-hyun into a major star. It also sparked debate about gender roles in conservative Korean society and opened the door to strong female characters who quickly took over cinema screens. So get ready for plenty of laughter and buckets of tears as this girl delivers!

text:
Marcin Krasnowolski