“A Moment to Remember” is undoubtedly something that should be remembered. John H. Lee gave us with this film one of the best romantic stories translated to the big screen. A tremendously emotional movie as well directed as it is performed, with a fabulous script co-written by the director himself and by Yeong-ha Kim. The story gets the viewer excited to what is being narrated, until reaching a final act where it is impossible to back away the tears.
“A Moment to Remember” is screening at Florence Korea Film Fest
Su-Jin (Son Ye-jin) is a young woman who has had a bad adventure with a married man and just left him. Spending time, she meets a salaried worker from her father, Chol-Su (Jung Woo-sung), with whom she will start a beautiful love story. Everything is beautiful, until something unexpected will put their lives and their relationship to the test From the first moment, one believes the crush of the two protagonists, the chemistry between them is really perceived, and they make everything credible. Both characters will unite in front of all the adversities, social differences (she is of good family and he a carpenter) and the initial disapproval of the girl's family, to stay together and get married. A beautiful love story.
Technically the movie is a delight. The eyes of the cinematographer Lee Jun-gyu fill the story with beauty and color, giving the film excellent camera movements and shots. Another strength of “A Moment To Remember” is its soundtrack. Tae-won Kim's music cannot excite more than it does, adding to the beautiful images of the photography. Other songs are heard during the film, such as La Paloma and El Reloj played by the band Big Mama, sung in Spanish, giving it a nice and exotic touch.
What makes the film so special apart from the technical aspects, the script and the directing, is undoubtedly the performances of the main actors. Jung Woo-sung and Son Ye-jin are absolutely perfect, with a brilliant chemistry rarely seen on the screen. That's why with such good actors it's almost impossible not to feel affection for them and not get thrilled along the way.
It is also to say that there is the theatrical version, of two hours runtime, and the director's cut, with an additional 30 minutes. In essence they are the same movie, but the added half an hour helps more to get more into the story and to get familiar with the characters.
Sad, tender, emotional, tragic… “A Moment to Remember” is, in short, something to remember. It is advisable not to know much more about the film's synopsis, that way the journey will be more enjoyable and emotional.
Within its genre it is one of the best that has ever been made. And without a doubt, it is among the best Asian films of the past decade. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor.
This movie is still one of my all time favorite, and in this particular genre definitely the best one.