If you want something lighthearted to watch this weekend, consider the latest hybrid release on Netflix, “Made in Korea.”
The film is mostly in Korean and Tamil with some English sprinkled in.
Released on the streaming giant last month and hovering in the Saudi Arabia top 10 list, it cements the notion that women-led narratives are bringing in viewership.
The coming-of-age dramedy — drama-filled comedy — was written and directed by Ra. Karthik and produced by Sreenidhi Sagar under the banner of Rise East Entertainment.
The tale starts with the point of view of Shenbagam “Shenba” (Priyanka Mohan), a young girl from Kollapalur, Tamil Nadu, a small village in the southernmost state of India.
Ever since she dressed-up as the legendary historic figure, Queen Sembavalam, in a school play as a youngster, she has dreamed of going to Korea.
That queen was based on a real first-century Tamil princess who traveled to Korea to marry King Kim Suro of the Geumgwan Gaya Kingdom 2,000 years ago. But Shenba is not trying to go to South Korea to be a queen, just to find her own fairytale. She finds her way there.
Of course, there is a love story gone wrong. And elders disagreeing with life decisions made by their children. And misunderstandings and miscommunication aplenty.
Through her first friend in South Korea, Heo Jun-jae (Si-hun Baek), our heroine lands a job as a caretaker for a wealthy man’s bedridden mother, Yeon-ok (Park Hye-jin).
Scenes between Yeon-ok and Shenba are my favorite.
Through an unlikely bond, and their shared love of food, Shenba opens and stealthily runs a very successful “granny’s kitchen” restaurant along with Yeon-ok.
When the wealthy son finds out about the scheme, he angrily confronts the women.
Much drama ensues. Of course, with music and dancing weaved throughout.
Not a typical “travel fantasy” movie, it delves into these cultures that contain shared words in both languages such as “amma,” “appa” (mother, father).
Both ancient countries offer picturesque landscapes, but this contemporary story mostly unfolds on foot, urging us to trust our guts — even if our most trusted allies sometimes let us down. Someone, sometimes a stranger, always comes through.
In the end, each woman gets what she wanted, but not in the way she envisioned. Though rooted in fiction, it is a very valuable and realistic lesson.
While filled with longing, impromptu running dramatically through gorgeous backdrops and playful banter, it is exactly what you would expect; very cheesy and slightly juvenile. A little bit of Indian flair and a dash of Korean drama rolled into one.
But if you selected this title, you definitely were looking for all of the above. And it delivers exactly that.
