The only reason why I'm not rating this one with nine is the ending. It was left wide open and thus, it didn't help conclude the story nicely. Now, for the movie, it presents the course of a friendship, how it is developed and how the human relationships progress when they are under the pressure of the society. I also liked how the main character didn't change her personality, even though her friend clearly did. That said, both young ladies were really good and their performances supported the drama perfectly. Also, the clean camera work suited the movie's tone really well.
7 Reviews
Beautiful.
SameirAli20 August 2021
Indeed a brilliant film
smousavi0530 March 2021
A tour de force of schoolgirl politics
ebossert5 May 2017
Note: Check me out as the Asian Movie Enthusiast on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.
This movie is about a 10 year-old girl named Sun, who we soon realize is an outcast at school. The opening sequence establishes this fact, because the kids are playing a game but do their best to prevent Sun from partaking and enjoying herself. Then comes summer vacation, when Sun meets a girl named Jia, who is new in town. During the summer months, these girls hang out together a lot and become best friends. They organize sleep-overs, play at the park, and all of the good things about childhood friendship. However, when the new semester starts, Jia notices the conflicts between Sun and the other kids, meaning that she needs to find her place within the relationship dynamics at school – and that places significant stress on her friendship with Sun.
The first thing you notice about this movie, is that the performances from all of the kids are outstanding. This is right up there with "A Brand New Life" from 2009 and "When I Turned Nine" from 2004 in terms of all-time great child performances in South Korean cinema. This is especially true regarding the lead actress Soo-in Choi, who is simply phenomenal. She does such a good job reacting to everything that is happening around her. This is actually her debut role, and I really hope that her career takes off and that we get many more films with her in the future.
Overall, "The World of Us" is a tour de force for schoolgirl politics in film. This focuses a lot on realistic interaction between the characters and is successful at showcasing the quiet intensity of these girls' relationships that also ebb and flow depending on the situation and who has the "leverage" over others. Some of the girls are mean-spirited, while others are pressured into becoming someone they are not. It really is a fascinating and complex depiction of childhood conflict and friendship.
"The World of Us" is not yet available on DVD, per my knowledge. I saw this on a plane flight to Japan. But if and when it does become available, make sure you check this out. It's an outstanding film.
This movie is about a 10 year-old girl named Sun, who we soon realize is an outcast at school. The opening sequence establishes this fact, because the kids are playing a game but do their best to prevent Sun from partaking and enjoying herself. Then comes summer vacation, when Sun meets a girl named Jia, who is new in town. During the summer months, these girls hang out together a lot and become best friends. They organize sleep-overs, play at the park, and all of the good things about childhood friendship. However, when the new semester starts, Jia notices the conflicts between Sun and the other kids, meaning that she needs to find her place within the relationship dynamics at school – and that places significant stress on her friendship with Sun.
The first thing you notice about this movie, is that the performances from all of the kids are outstanding. This is right up there with "A Brand New Life" from 2009 and "When I Turned Nine" from 2004 in terms of all-time great child performances in South Korean cinema. This is especially true regarding the lead actress Soo-in Choi, who is simply phenomenal. She does such a good job reacting to everything that is happening around her. This is actually her debut role, and I really hope that her career takes off and that we get many more films with her in the future.
Overall, "The World of Us" is a tour de force for schoolgirl politics in film. This focuses a lot on realistic interaction between the characters and is successful at showcasing the quiet intensity of these girls' relationships that also ebb and flow depending on the situation and who has the "leverage" over others. Some of the girls are mean-spirited, while others are pressured into becoming someone they are not. It really is a fascinating and complex depiction of childhood conflict and friendship.
"The World of Us" is not yet available on DVD, per my knowledge. I saw this on a plane flight to Japan. But if and when it does become available, make sure you check this out. It's an outstanding film.
A story about childhood, friendships, enemies, popularity, and forgiveness
artsycutie10 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was like watching a more relatable and less exaggerated version of 'Mean Girls'. I cried so much watching the whole movie because it felt like I was watching a movie of my early life. I had so many flashbacks to me making my first friend and the fights we had, trying to fit into school groups, and jealousy. It also made me realize how similar my childhood best friend was to the short haired girl, how important she was in my life and how good she was to me despite how much I needed to be cool and popular. As much as Jia's character became less likeable as the movie progressed, I actually related more, because she's a human and she's making so many mistakes, but that's just part of childhood. Another part where I cried was the scene with Sun's father. The part where her dad is drunk on the street, but his face is filled with happiness when he sees his daughter's friend walk by says a lot about how much he cares about his daughter. I related to that so much, when he started blabbering about how much he missed seeing her at his home playing with his daughter. I also appreciated that the movie incorporated a scene with Sun's grandfather's death. It was around the same time that my grandmother died and the scene where Sun stared at her father sobbing in his chair gave me flashbacks. And finally, the scene that made me cry the most was the ending. I thought it was beautifully shot; it was like an art piece. It was a cliffhanger, but I enjoyed that it was up to the viewer's interpretation because most of us have our own endings to finish the movie with.
Perfect movie
alansabljakovic-3904426 March 2020
Honestly, one of the best debut films out there and it is a shame that only 500 people watched it. The movie perfectly shows realtionships between adults and kids and between kids. The performances are all great, the young actors are especially awesome. The ending is just perfectly sums the whole movie up and it left me feeling numb. I highly recommend it and please do yourself a favor and watch it! Better than Mean Girls.
One of the best child dramas!
wickedmikehampton15 December 2020
I'm a fan of child dramas because they're normally innocence versus adversity, a learning curve I relate to. Unfortunately, they can be as generic as a pop song but 'The World of Us' wasn't.
It starts with a girl being the last to be picked for a side for a game. So young yet without exaggerations, the young actress made me feel discomforted by her discomfort so many times.
Director Ga-eun Yoon was subtle, conveying messages strongly without ramming them home.
'The World of Us' is superb.
It starts with a girl being the last to be picked for a side for a game. So young yet without exaggerations, the young actress made me feel discomforted by her discomfort so many times.
Director Ga-eun Yoon was subtle, conveying messages strongly without ramming them home.
'The World of Us' is superb.
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