Made in Korea Review: Breezy, Sugar-Coated Coming-Of-Age Film

BOTTOM LINE
Breezy, Sugar-Coated Coming-Of-Age Film

PLATFORM
Netflix

RUNTIME
1 Hr 51 Mins

What Is the Film About?

Shenba, a young woman from a small town in Tamil Nadu, is obsessed with K-dramas and dreams of visiting Seoul. When her boyfriend abandons her right before their planned trip, she decides to go alone. Stranded in a foreign land with no support and a failed job prospect, she meets a kind, elderly local. This cross-cultural friendship helps her survive, rediscover her identity and find a new sense of home.

Performances

Priyanka Mohan, in what’s among the better, well-crafted roles in her career, does well to earn a viewer’s empathy, playing a girl who yearns for a visit to Korea and finds her footing there gradually. The character graph, given that it’s more or less a coming-of-age tale, offers her a decent scope to make her presence felt. Rishikanth, cast as Shenba’s boyfriend, has little to offer in a segment that appears rushed.

Jenson Dhivakar fits the part of Shenba’s father neatly. Park Hye-jin, as the elder woman who employs Shenba as a maid, is the pick of the lot among the Korean actors, reflecting a universal concern that affects most parents in India too. Si-hun Baek, in the shoes of a well-intentioned Korean friend, is alright.

Analysis

In director Ra Karthik’s debut Nitham Oru Vaanam, a psychiatrist (played by Abhirami) tells a confused Ashok Selvan about why travel is so crucial to find yourself, feel lighter and gather all the courage to lead your life with zest. It takes multiple trips and a solid travel companion for him to decode it. The filmmaker’s sophomore effort confirms how he, too, took the fictional character’s words seriously.

Made in Korea feels like a soothing (need I say more assured?) companion piece to Karthik’s first film. It all starts with a simple desire of a small-town girl, Shenba, to head to Korea. It has been her long-time ambition ever since she played the Tamil queen who settled in Korea as part of a fancy dress competition. She remains unsure of what to do with that ambition, but is confident that Korea will let her figure that out.

Shenba equips herself with everything she might have to know about K-pop culture, though the world around her can’t come to terms with the apparent ‘naiveté.’ The father is incredibly protective of her and wants her to possibly take over his small-time restaurant someday, while still understanding her dreams. While she ultimately makes it to Korea, it is not without a fair share of drama and misunderstandings.

The film switches to Queen-like territory as the story shifts to Seoul. Scammed with a job offer, a stranger to a city with no plan B, she finds allies in a group of like-minded locals. She lands an opportunity to work as a maid, goes all out to protect her tribe and carve her niche in an alien country. While the narrative is breezy, the story does enough to make you care for Shenba and her well-wishers through their highs and lows.

On the flipside, everything in the story is desperately cushy, almost trying hard not to unsettle the viewer at any point. It is so consciously ‘feel-good’ that it gets a tad too saccharine to handle. She needlessly lands in trouble by slapping a man, finding herself in jail, getting rescued conveniently, finding her way in a job easily, and putting together money effortlessly. You wish her struggles had made a stronger impact.

While Shenba’s sisterhood with an older woman, how she helps her find herself again, is the defining element of the character’s ‘Korean’ experience, the efforts of her friends to form a band don’t quite register effectively. Going by the high standards Hesham Abdul Wahab has set for himself, the songs are breezy on a surface level, though largely un-affecting on the musical front.

Moreover, the closure to Shenba’s relationship with her ex softens things up beyond necessity. It’s easy to look beyond the film’s trifles because the storytelling is generally heartfelt and unforced. It’s impressive that the film avoids several clichés in Shenba’s journey: there is no romantic subplot to make her stay more colourful. While Shenba has a clear head, she is still vulnerable and never too perfect (keeping things relatable).

Made in Korea is a simple, well-intentioned and breezy tale of self-discovery. Unlike templated female-centric films, it captures the little joys of a young woman as much as her conflicts and lets her find her way. The fresh Korean backdrop, the innocence in the writing and its free-spirited vibe make it an easy Netflix watch. Don’t expect much depth, just ride along, and you won’t mind it.

Music and Other Departments?

The music, despite bringing together three up-and-coming talents like Hesham Abdul Wahab, Dharan Kumar and Simon K King, is a disappointment in general. One of the reasons why the entire thread in the film dedicated to the Korean band doesn’t make an impression is the mediocre songs.

For someone who has dealt with dark, intense stories all through his career, cinematographer Prasanna Kumar brings alive the small-town backdrop and Seoul through his sharp visuals, and is committed to not reducing this to a tourist-discovery film alone. He’s committed to taking the story forward without being enamoured by Korea. The editing style lends the story the vibe of a fairy tale, with smooth, seamless transitions. The writing could have been stronger, especially with testing Shenba’s grit.

Highlights?

Feel-good, happy-go-lucky vibe

Korean culture backdrop, cinematography

The bond between an older Korean woman and the protagonist

Drawbacks?

Too fluffy and convenient at times

Dull music

Lacks a strong emotional impact

Did I Enjoy It?

Generally, yes, remains watchable.

Will You Recommend It?

It’s meant for easy viewing, don’t try to think too hard.

Made in Korea Netflix Movie Reviewed by M9 News

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