Wanee & Junah (Korea 2001)

First and foremost, what attracted me to this movie was the DVD cover. It wasn't the one shown here or below. I couldn't find that cover here on the net. Anyway, it was a yellow cover featuring three different poses of Wanee & Junah from the same shoot. It was really eye-catching! Not to mention the fact that both actors are quite a looker! However, what made me decide to buy it was the review I've read. According to the reading, it has an amazing animation for its prologue and epilogue. It was amazing, indeed! A simple animation done in watercolor that merely states how the two lead characters have met. For that alone, watching this film is all worth it!

Anyway, "Wanee & Junah" are live-in lovers in their mid-20s. Wanee is an animator whose career is starting to boom while Junah is a movie scriptwriter whose struggling to make a name for himself. Their peaceful lives was disturbed when Wanee learned that her step-brother will be visiting Korea from Europe. From that day on, thoughts of the past haunted Wanee at the expense of her relationship with Junah. Junah, in turn, took the back seat to give Wanee the chance to figure out things on her own.

The progression of the events is so smooth and calm. It's like reading a book with less dialogues but full of emotions. The emotions may not have been projected well by the characters but you know they're there. Because we are all but human, one way or another, we have been in their shoes.

"Wanee & Junah" isn't perfect in terms of its acting depth but its beautiful colors, sights, and sounds surely make up for it!

Note: This film, according to Korean critics, bravely go where the others dared not to. It has filmed two of the tabooed relationships in Korea: live-in and homosexual. Although the film centers more on the former and just merely passes by the latter.