써니 (Sunny)
Warning!!! Spoilers!!!
I have to start off this review by letting you know that I Love this movie. The whole feel of the movie is just amazing. I have watched some Korean movies that either confused me or just left me feeling like they were missing so much (possibly due to bad subs). But this movie all comes together and makes sense from beginning to end.
When it first starts out you meet our main character 임나미 (Im Na Mi) as a house mom who does her job well and seemingly gets paid for it well. She goes to visit her Mother in the hospital to find out a friend of hers from high school is in the very same hospital with cancer and only has 2 months left to live. Then the movie goes on going back and forth between the present day (2011) and in the 80s when they were in high school. The flawless connections between the two times shows you all the characters, how they started and where they ended up. In a way it's a timeless coming of age story. it also shows no matter how old you are you are never too old for your friends. This is an emotional tale of friendship and how life changes people.
Another favorite part of mine has to do with the fact that in the 80's in South Korea they had a president that had been in office for a very long time that many were afraid was becoming/had become a dictator. There were protests and propaganda all over the place. At one point in the movie there is a riot/fight in the street. But the mood of the whole thing is lightened up by the focus on the two groups of girls from the different schools who are always fighting each other. Sunny comes in on the side of the protesters who want the dictator-like president to step down and their opposite group (who keeps switching their name to different future Kpop group names) now called Finkle are on the side of the military soldiers. The two battle it out in the middle of this huge riot til the obvious victors , Sunny, come out moreso unscathed. By this time in the movie you are cheering them on and still being surprised by how gutsy these girls are. Especially 하춘화 (Ha Chun Hwa) played by 강소라 (Kang So Ra). This girl kicks ass.
Other than 임나미 (Im Na Mi) and 하춘화 (Ha Chun Hwa) we have 김장미 (Kim Jang Mi), 황진희 (Hwang Jin Hee), 서금옥 (Seo Geum Ok), 류복희 (Ryu Bok Hee) , and 수지( Su-Ji). 김장미 (Kim Jang Mi) is the chubby girl that never changes. She's still packing that extra weight, still putting on double eyelid tape and still putting on too much makeup. Only surprise, she works as an insurance salesman. Although she seemed like a pretty open minded kind of person in the first place. She was also always the kind to go out there and get what she really wanted. 황진희 (Hwang Jin Hee) is the one who changes too much. Even though she was gorgeous she gets surgery when she gets older. She also stops swearing so much and becomes a somewhat sophisticated lady.We don't get to really learn what is up with 금옥 (Geum Ok). We only see that she is living with her mother, out of work and taking care of her siblings kids.
수지 (Su Ji) is not shown much in the present day but we learn a lot about her when she was in school. She smoked, drank, kissed older boys and had daddy issues. She lived with her father and stepmom so it's likely she not only hated her stepmom but was also probably angry at her father for sticking her with a stepmother. At first 수지 (SuJi) is not happy about 나미 (Na Mi) joining their group because she developed a (short lived) hate for anyone from 절라도 (Jeollado). But 나미 (Na Mi) is determined and does what it takes to get 수지 (SuJi) on her side so they can all be a very Sunny Bunch. Later on 수지 (SuJi) also shows her loyalty to 나미(Na Mi) by beating up some bullies who are teasing her. The only other significant time we see 수지 (SuJi) is when 나미 (Na Mi) finds her kissing 준호 (Jun Ho) {A friend of 장미의 오빠 (Jang Mi's Older Brother)}. She also ends up being on a magazine cover but soon after gets a really serious scar on her face that probably prevents her from being able to model ever again.
I have to say the saddest story other than the dying 춘화(Chun Hwa) turns out to be soft, beautiful복희 (Bok Hee). Her mother had to take out loans to keep her beauty salon running and she couldn't pay them off so Bok Hee tries but ends up working in bars. Not just ordinary bars though. She ends up working in places where she is basically like an escort. And it turns out she has a daughter in a facility because she can't take care of her. 복희 (Bok Hee) is the last one we get to see and find out how her life has been. Then we see a video the girls made when they were in school. It makes you realize how often people let go of their dreams cause they feel that they have to grasp a hard, cold reality. Especially 복희 (Bok Hee's) part. This is just another part of the movie that really hits home for me in a sense that even though I'm not quite as old as the grown up counterparts in the movie are I am already seeing so many people I've grown up around give up on their dreams because they decide they can't do it or it's too hard or they don't have the time or money.
I won't draw out a timeline for the movie anymore. But I will say this movie keeps me coming back for more. I could watch this movie everyday. I'd memorize every line and i'd still watch it over and over again. it's sad but it is also a reminder that life goes on and even if you lose someone the best thing you can do for them is be happy you had them in your life and celebrate the life they had instead of feeling sorry for yourself or them when you lose them. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone at anytime.
When it first starts out you meet our main character 임나미 (Im Na Mi) as a house mom who does her job well and seemingly gets paid for it well. She goes to visit her Mother in the hospital to find out a friend of hers from high school is in the very same hospital with cancer and only has 2 months left to live. Then the movie goes on going back and forth between the present day (2011) and in the 80s when they were in high school. The flawless connections between the two times shows you all the characters, how they started and where they ended up. In a way it's a timeless coming of age story. it also shows no matter how old you are you are never too old for your friends. This is an emotional tale of friendship and how life changes people.
Another favorite part of mine has to do with the fact that in the 80's in South Korea they had a president that had been in office for a very long time that many were afraid was becoming/had become a dictator. There were protests and propaganda all over the place. At one point in the movie there is a riot/fight in the street. But the mood of the whole thing is lightened up by the focus on the two groups of girls from the different schools who are always fighting each other. Sunny comes in on the side of the protesters who want the dictator-like president to step down and their opposite group (who keeps switching their name to different future Kpop group names) now called Finkle are on the side of the military soldiers. The two battle it out in the middle of this huge riot til the obvious victors , Sunny, come out moreso unscathed. By this time in the movie you are cheering them on and still being surprised by how gutsy these girls are. Especially 하춘화 (Ha Chun Hwa) played by 강소라 (Kang So Ra). This girl kicks ass.
Other than 임나미 (Im Na Mi) and 하춘화 (Ha Chun Hwa) we have 김장미 (Kim Jang Mi), 황진희 (Hwang Jin Hee), 서금옥 (Seo Geum Ok), 류복희 (Ryu Bok Hee) , and 수지( Su-Ji). 김장미 (Kim Jang Mi) is the chubby girl that never changes. She's still packing that extra weight, still putting on double eyelid tape and still putting on too much makeup. Only surprise, she works as an insurance salesman. Although she seemed like a pretty open minded kind of person in the first place. She was also always the kind to go out there and get what she really wanted. 황진희 (Hwang Jin Hee) is the one who changes too much. Even though she was gorgeous she gets surgery when she gets older. She also stops swearing so much and becomes a somewhat sophisticated lady.We don't get to really learn what is up with 금옥 (Geum Ok). We only see that she is living with her mother, out of work and taking care of her siblings kids.
수지 (Su Ji) is not shown much in the present day but we learn a lot about her when she was in school. She smoked, drank, kissed older boys and had daddy issues. She lived with her father and stepmom so it's likely she not only hated her stepmom but was also probably angry at her father for sticking her with a stepmother. At first 수지 (SuJi) is not happy about 나미 (Na Mi) joining their group because she developed a (short lived) hate for anyone from 절라도 (Jeollado). But 나미 (Na Mi) is determined and does what it takes to get 수지 (SuJi) on her side so they can all be a very Sunny Bunch. Later on 수지 (SuJi) also shows her loyalty to 나미(Na Mi) by beating up some bullies who are teasing her. The only other significant time we see 수지 (SuJi) is when 나미 (Na Mi) finds her kissing 준호 (Jun Ho) {A friend of 장미의 오빠 (Jang Mi's Older Brother)}. She also ends up being on a magazine cover but soon after gets a really serious scar on her face that probably prevents her from being able to model ever again.
I have to say the saddest story other than the dying 춘화(Chun Hwa) turns out to be soft, beautiful복희 (Bok Hee). Her mother had to take out loans to keep her beauty salon running and she couldn't pay them off so Bok Hee tries but ends up working in bars. Not just ordinary bars though. She ends up working in places where she is basically like an escort. And it turns out she has a daughter in a facility because she can't take care of her. 복희 (Bok Hee) is the last one we get to see and find out how her life has been. Then we see a video the girls made when they were in school. It makes you realize how often people let go of their dreams cause they feel that they have to grasp a hard, cold reality. Especially 복희 (Bok Hee's) part. This is just another part of the movie that really hits home for me in a sense that even though I'm not quite as old as the grown up counterparts in the movie are I am already seeing so many people I've grown up around give up on their dreams because they decide they can't do it or it's too hard or they don't have the time or money.
I won't draw out a timeline for the movie anymore. But I will say this movie keeps me coming back for more. I could watch this movie everyday. I'd memorize every line and i'd still watch it over and over again. it's sad but it is also a reminder that life goes on and even if you lose someone the best thing you can do for them is be happy you had them in your life and celebrate the life they had instead of feeling sorry for yourself or them when you lose them. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone at anytime.