More Than Blue

I don't normally turn to Korean films for my feels fix. I normally do that with certain Japanese anime, but I wanted to do something different this time. South Korea has produced some excellent action and serial killer films, but until More Than Blue I had never seen a South Korean romance film. Honestly, my hopes weren't that high for the film because... Well, I typically don't watch romance flicks. This film surprised me, though. I'm not just saying that, either. There was a legitimate twist three-fourths of the way into the film that I didn't expect at all.

The story itself is a simple one. I'd even go so far as to say that it is a cliched one. Our principal characters are K and Cream and the two of them just happen to be childhood friends that are living together. The fact that they are living together should be a sign, but main characters are often very dense in these kinds of situations. In fact, most romance films feature insanely stupid characters. 

However, K isn't really that dense. He does love Cream, but he hides his feelings because he has terminal cancer and he doesn't want her falling in love with him. 

Cream on the other hand seems like a complete and total self-serving bitch for the first hour and twenty minutes or so. I had to wonder if she was a complete idiot for not seeing that this dude was head over heels for her. Plus he was like all dying and shit while she was out flirting with some random dude.

However, there is a method to her madness that is revealed in the final twenty minutes. 

Since K is dying from cancer he doesn't want Cream to be alone after he's gone so he goes to insane stretches to ensure that she ends up with someone. He even attempts to blackmail the current fiance of glasses-dude so that glasses-dude could be free to marry Cream.

I don't really know the name of glasses-dude anymore than I know the actual names of the main characters, but I didn't really like glasses-dude at all. When Cream started flirting with him, completely oblivious of both K's condition and feelings, I automatically decided that I didn't like her. And when she decided to marry glasses-dude I decided that maybe I'd give up on the movie. It was just so insanely depressing and sad that I didn't see the point of sticking around for another twenty minutes. 

However, I am glad I did. Until that point this movie didn't really stick out. It was certainly sad, but it seemed pointless. The movie ended on a bit of a happy note, though. Or at least the closest this type of film could manage to a happy ending. 

I really don't want to spoil it so I'll give you a chance to stop reading now... although you may continue reading after the spoiler ends.

SPOILER

What you don't see until the end is that Cream was actually in love with K the whole time. She also knew about his condition. When he told her, a bit offhandedly in conversation, that he wanted her to find someone and get married she took that to heart. She quite literally found some random dude and started forming a relationship with him. Cream wanted to be with K, but K didn't want her to know so she respected his wishes and married glasses-dude just to please K. 

When K did die, Cream committed to suicide to join him in death. You don't actually see any bloodshed or anything like that. In fact, you don't even see her again after K dies. The final twenty minutes are told in flashback form from Cream's point of view. Then things skip to the present and you hear Cream's final wishes to K after her suicide. 

I really liked the way this played out, honestly. And I actually felt sorry for glasses-dude in the end since he discovered that Cream had never really loved him at all. 

SPOILER ENDS

All in all, it's a brilliant ending that makes everything seem worthwhile.

Of course, a lot of the plot seems a bit too convenient at times, but the movie is well done in terms of its atmosphere and presentation that you won't notice so much while watching. 

I thought Kwon Sang-woo (K) carried the film really well and while the story certainly seemed like the overdramatic type, his performance was actually pretty restrained. There isn't a single steamy sex scene to found in the movie and this movie is better for it. In fact, restraint is what the film is all about and there are few love stories that actually pursue that direction without the characters being written as willfully stupid. 

More Than Blue's trick is that you just think some of the characters (like Cream) are stupid, but as they are fleshed out you begin to see differently. 

This is a bit of a tough watch, though. It's not a feel good movie at all and there's very little in the way of comedy. Well, there is a cat girl. She doesn't add jack to the story, but she's a cat girl and everyone loves cat girls. 

The singer guy in the movie (you'll know him when you see him) and the whole song schtick is a bit of an annoyance, too. But the main story makes up for it so I don't see it as negatively impacting the movie in my eyes. 

It's on Netflix at the moment and if you are thinking about sad anniversary movie you want to watch with your significant other or are planning out your next Valentine's Day movie way early then maybe you should give this movie a watch.