Reflection Paper: My Sassy Girl and the Classic

I was first introduced to the Korean film industry through their comedy movies. In fact, I had already watched the original My Sassy Girl and its Hollywood remake a few years back. Although the two films followed the same storyline, it was clear that the Hollywood version was meant to appeal to an American audience because of its focus on the development of the storyline. This would explain why it did not include all the scenes from the Korean version and even modified some. On the other hand, the original film focused more on the character's emotions. This can be seen in the details of the film, such as the close-ups of Gyeon-woo's expressive face. This element can also be seen in the director's (Kwak Jae-yong's) other film, The Classic, when it would focus on the Joo-hee's (the mother's) crying over the death of her lover and Ji-hye's (the daughter') joyful run through the rain when she found out that the boy she liked reciprocated her feelings. Although Western audiences may find this emphasis on emotions dragging, it is one of the characteristics that make My Sassy Girl and The Classic distinctly Korean films.

Another characteristic that distinguishes My Sassy Girl and The Classic as distinctly Korean is the personality of the female protagonists in both movies. Most girls in Asian films are portrayed to be meek and elegant like Japan's kawaii girls or the Philippines' Maria Clara. However, Korean films are not afraid of portraying their female protagonists as aggressive, outspoken, and tough natured. Both the girl of My Sassy Girl, and Joo-hee and Ji-hye of The Classic display a toughness that is uncommon in most Asian cultures. My Sassy Girl's protagonist's open criticism of the people around her may come off as too aggressive and even boyish to Korea's neighboring cultures. On the other hand, the openness of Joo-hee, Soo-Kyeong, and, eventually, Ji-hye about their feelings for the boys they like may be seen as too direct for comfort for most other Asians. The