Sung-chil is an extremely grumpy old man who lives alone and works at a supermarket. His boss, Jang-soo, who is also the director of a project regarding the district’s redevelopment, is constantly trying to persuade him to sign a deal that will let the contractor demolish the old houses in order to rebuild. Sung-chil however continuously denies. Eventually, he meets his new neighbor and owner of a florists, Geum-nim, and a romantic relationship initiates, with the whole of the neighborhood watching, encouraging and occasionally offer advice to inexperienced Sung-chil. Something however, seems amiss.
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Kang Je-gyu directs a film that initially seems as a romantic flick between two elderly, but as the story progresses, it is revealed as a heart-breaking melodrama. In that fashion, the permeating humor of the first half soon gives its place to a number of heartbreaking moments, retaining nevertheless, its artfulness, despite the change in genres.
Two scenes particularly stand out due to their hilarious nature: the fight between Jang-soo’s sultry girlfriend and a bunch of girl-bullies, which includes some preposterous kung-fu moves, and the fight between Sung-chil and a bus driver that ends up in a belly-pushing contest.
Both of the elderly protagonists, Park Geun-hyung as Sung-chil and Yoon Yuh-jung as Geum-nim, are great in their respective roles, both in the comedic and the dramatic moments, proving once more that talent and ability do not fade so easily with age. I especially enjoyed Yoon Yuh-jung’s distinct voice, that gives her performance an added level.
Technically the film is stunning, with great cinematography filled with impressive colors and a highly realistic depiction of the old neighborhood the film takes place for the most part.
Lastly, I could not neglect mentioning that all the women cast in the peripheral roles are gorgeous, a fact that makes the film even more appealing, at least for the male audience.
