In a world of pagers, video rentals and lax password security, two teens still manage to find love (while doing some casual stalking, of course).
“Na Bo-ra! I like you!”
Bo-ra (Kim Yoo-jung) and Yeon-du (Roh Yoon-seo) are best friends in 1999 about to go to high school together. Yeon-du, however, has to leave for a few months for heart surgery in the US but has fallen madly in love with a boy from their school, Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo). She asks Bo-ra to get as much information on him as possible and they set up email accounts to stay in touch. While Bo-ra investigates this boy, she meets his best friend Woon-ho (Byeon Woo-seok), and soon the two begin to fall for each other.
20th Century Girl is a film that truly belongs in the time period in which it’s set. It’s a story that so deeply needs a level of instant international communication, but just not enough to allow the events of the story to play out the way they do. In terms of plot, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the story – which is about as straightforward as a romantic comedy of its calibre as you’d expect – is sort of done at the one hour mark. Thankfully its convenient 90s setting brings with it a couple of extra twists, and allows some extra complexity.
Not that much, mind you. There’s a solid twist that throws a wrench into the entire affair, though whether it needed another hour of runtime is debatable. Either way, the way the dynamics change once Yeon-du returns from the states does breathe life into a film that was by no means boring, just sort of running on autopilot and almost entirely depending on the acting chops of its lead to carry it.
Speaking of which, Kim Yoo-jung really is 20th Century Girl’s biggest saving grace. She’s no stranger to romantic comedies and k-dramas, and brings her a-game to this story. Her Bo-ra is easily the most endearing part of the film, and while her chemistry with Woon-ho isn’t incredible, that’s largely down to the latter’s decent but rather unremarkable performance.
20th Century Girl is, ultimately, not a bad rom-com by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just a bit too samey for my taste. It has a lot going for it, though, from its nostalgic, almost rose-tinted view of youth in the 90s (which, as it’s all a memory helps smooth out some of the less realistic elements of the plot), to the frustratingly realistic way these teenagers don’t communicate their feelings to one another properly. It feels pretty realistic, and not unlike experiences I had at that age.
And when it wants to lay on the drama, 20th Century Girl succeeds nicely. The emotional scenes, especially once we return to an older Bo-ra in the present day, can be genuinely touching and sometimes crushingly sad. It knows its audience and will connect instantly with them. Anyone who’s a fan of K-dramas, or has fond memories of teenage sweethearts, is going to get a kick out of this, even if it does feel a little safe. At least Yeon-du can watch it without risking her heart exploding.
Verdict: A touch predictable, 20th Century Girl’s setting and lead character elevate it above others of its kind, and makes it certainly worth a watch.
Overall entertainment: 6/10
Violence: 0/10
Sex: Maybe/10
Romance: 8/10
Feels: 7/10
Hey 1999 is when I moved to New Zealand too!
Punishments: Making kids hold their contraband items in the hall. Sure, why not.
20th Century Girl (2022)
Also known as: 20세기 소녀
Korean
Director: Bang Woo-ri
Writer: Bang Woo-ri
CAST
Kim Yoo-jung – Na Bo-ra
Han Hyo-joo – Na Bo-ra (adult)
Byeon Woo-seok – Poong Woon-ho
Park Jung-woo – Baek Hyun-jin
Roh Yoon-seo – Kim Yeon-du
Yoon Yi-re – Madam
Jeon Hye-won – Darn It
The Asian Cinema Critic 