Autumn in my heart (2000) - Review

Since my first post was about a classic Korean drama, I thought to review another classic I recently watched. Case in point, Autumn in my heart (alternative title Autumn Fairy Tale/Autumn Tale). It is the first drama of the tetralogy Endless Love, which do not share the same actors or plots, only the theme of endless love. Anyway, Autumn in my Heart is considered by many as the best of the four dramas – haven’t seen the rest so I can’t comment on that, but I plan to watch them – and started the Korean Wave across the Asia. After watching I understand what all the fuss is about and I don’t.

What is this about:

The story begins when two baby girls are switched accidently in the hospital’s baby room. The children grow up without knowing the truth, however an accident forces the truth to be revealed, destroying the lives of the two families.

My review:

This is the handbook of melodramas. It has every cliché, it has tears – lots of it -, it has screams and it has incurable disease. Everything that a melodrama lover could ever hope for. Normally I wouldn’t even bother writing about such a drama, but it has certain values that help it rise above all the others. It is considered a classic for a reason, after all.

The two main characters are Eun Suh (Moon Geun Young as teenager, Song Hye Kyo as adult) and Yoon Joon Suh (Choi Woo Hyuk as teenager, Song Seung Heon as adult), who grew up as siblings, but later on, after they were separated, developed romantic – and platonic it would seem - feelings.

Eun Suh is the ideal heroin, cheery and lovable as a child, and a stoic sad woman after the tragedy. In most cases so much goodness in a character can make her a bit irritating, but here we are lucky to have two very talented actresses for this role. 

Moon Geun Young as Eun Suh

Moon Geun Young who plays the child counterpart is a true revelation here. Rarely have I seen such a powerful performance from a child actor. Every time she cried I wanted to hug her and cry too.

Song Hye Kyo was good too. A bit too reserved some times, but I suppose it is part of the character after what she had been through. 

Eun Suh and Joon Suh

Joon Suh, well, is one of the weaker roles. I certainly preferred him while he was a child, his indecisiveness as an adult was irritating. However, what really bothered me is that there were many instances where he showed he liked Eun Suh romantically even before he learned the truth. It didn’t help for me to sympathize with him.

The young actor did a good job, but next to the terrific Moon Geun Young paled in comparison. The adult actor reminded me the Korean version of Barbie Ken, and he had about the same expressions as him.

The parents are truly amazing. Truly amazing. I felt what they were feeling, just a glance at their faces and I could understand everything they were going through.

But just the performances aren’t enough to make the drama classic. It was also the direction.By today standards the direction here is very old, and for its time I don’t think it was considered novel. What it lacked in technical aspects, it had in abundance in feelings. It had sensitivity, innocence, nostalgia and a forgotten sense of familiarity.

One of the best scenes when the two leads are so close but don't see each other

But what made this drama stand out for me is the use of autumn as an integral character. it was like autumn came to life and became more vibrant. It built the atmosphere of the story and enhanced all the feelings. It’s one of the few Korean dramas that use so well the environment.

Look at those colors, and it's not even in high resolution.

Another important factor to the drama’s popularity is the scenario, obviously. Apart from the novelty of the theme, in the first episodes the writer made us really feel for the characters. He showed us what they loved, what made them happy, what made them sad, what made them humans. Their reactions were understandable and I was feeling for them. In the first episodes.

Later, the more melodramatic elements of the story came in and the tears never ceased. Never. So be warned. 

Why you should watch:

• It’s a classic. Obviously it did something well. 

• If you like melodramas.

• Stunning scenery that will make you wish it was shot today so you could have better resolution.

• Good performances, especially from the older generation and the young Moon Geun Young.

• Nice music. At least it wasn’t irritating.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like melodramas.

• It’s old school.

• Slow pace. The writer and the director certainly take their time to tell the story.

Final verdict:

6/10. It’s well shot and written (mostly) melodrama, better than most of the kind. I didn’t feel I wasted my time, but I wouldn’t watch it again from beginning to end. I’d recommend it only to those who like this kind of dramas or have the patience for something slower and teary. 

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