Traces of Sunshine

Korean melodramas are still in full swing not only in their home country, but also the rest of asia, notably Japan and China. They may not be films that get critical acclaim; it is often the case that melodramas are the target of merciless panning from critics. I personally don't mind watching them; after years of trying to avoid them I have finally turned over to the dark side, so to say. While some of them do fall into the generally cheesy category, some do prove to be entertaining films that leave me with a satisfying feeling.

One example of the latter is the 2002 film Over the Rainbow, directed by Ahn Jin-woo. A recent export to Japan, impressive considering that the movie is three years old, the movie centers on Jin-soo, (Lee Jung-jae, who isn't a newcomer to the genre, having worked on one of my personal favorites of the genre, the soon to be remade 2000 film Il Mare) a TV anchorman who, one rainy day, gets involved in a car accident. Due to this accident he gets a case of selective amnesia. Over time he finds that the amnesia has robbed him of the memories of a woman who may have been his girlfriend. As he tries to uncover the story behind this mystery girl through his old college friends, he grows closer to a friend, Yeon-hee, (Jang Jin-young) who willingly helps him in his search. As he comes closer to the truth, he begins to doubt his desire to continue unraveling his mystery and he starts looking towards the present.

The mystery of who this girl is drives the story forward and keeps it from getting boring, but it is really the performances of the leads that raises this film from mediocrity. Lee Jung-jae has this kind of character type nailed, considering the films he's worked on in the past. Jang Jin-young impresses as a contemplative character on one end, a vibrant and slightly outspoken character in another.

The movie may suffer from a few staples of K-melodrama: the shot of the two leads roaming around in one location, yet failing to find each other (I call this the 'salisihan' shot,) the token dramatic scene in the rain, the occasional Korean ballad/English song (this time borrowed from old classics like The Wizard of Oz and Singing in the Rain - the latter marked by a bit of a Fred Astaire-ish dance number from Lee,) and the montage of characters feeling blue or otherwise occupied.

Despite it's shortcomings, the movie was a very entertaining experience, and a bit of a surprise for me. Some may call it cliche, but come on, even the word cliche is cliche. Check it out.