One could think of a simple romantic comedy, not at all, quite the contrary. Created by Lee Jeong Hyo, known among others for "Romance is a bonus book", and with Park Ji Eun (The legend of the blue sea) as screenwriter, we expected quality. And here we are, in a world where the two Koreas (North and South), intersect, collide, and finally, complement each other. Universe where all the emotions, twists and addictive romance take us on: Welcome to one of the biggest Korean hits of Netflix 2019, "Crash landing on you", original title: 사랑의 불시착, which is indeed a romantic comedy-drama.
Synopsis
From the start, we had to dare to embark on such a story: Yoon Se Ri (played by Son Ye Jin), a rich South Korean heiress and businesswoman, who seems at first, a tad spoiled by life, needs to relax from time to time. And to do so, she goes paragliding. But one day, caught in a tornado, her paraglider is out of control, and she has an eventful landing in a tree. She then runs into a soldier and discovers with horror that she has arrived in North Korea. The soldier (played by Hyun Bin), at first very suspicious, quickly understands that this woman is not a spy and protects her so that he can quickly send her back to South Korea before her existence is discovered. From there, many adventures follow, in a parallel and a beautifully orchestrated critique of the two Koreas.
Actors and their characters
The main couple:
Honor to the ladies with Son Ye Jin, who plays the role of the South Korean heiress. Known in roles such as " Something in the rain", or even more recently the magnificent drama "Thirty-Nine", she never disappoints us. And again, playing on all facets of her character brilliantly, she is beautiful and touching. His partner has nothing to envy him, Hyun Bin, already seen in 2018 in "Memories of Alhambra", makes us in turn laugh, cry and especially touches us deeply. Their chemistry is one of the best we've seen so far in a drama. Normal you will tell me, lovebirds have just married together in "real" life. Nevertheless, their romance is addictive, beautiful and above all heartbreaking. It is admirably conducted as the Koreans know how to do so well, we can only let our little heart race.
The secondary couple:
In dramas, secondary characters and couples do not always have depth, or even can serve as decoration. But this is one of the dramas where this is not the case. Everyone has their place, a real story, a magnificent game, and manages just as much to make us go through a whole range of emotions as the main couple. The main supporting characters that make up this couple also live up to expectations: Seo Ji Hye is beautiful and touching, despite her coldness. And Kim Jung Hyun, is for me one of the most successful and played characters. We can only love his game, he has perfectly marked the spirits.
Secondary characters:
As for the other secondary characters, it's a real pleasure: All the actors play their roles perfectly, and we get attached to each of them. The proof is, the drama "Crash Landing on you" has obviously been nominated several times at various ceremonies, but we note the victory at the Baeksang Arts Awards, of the actress Kim Sun Young who won the award for her magnificent secondary role of the village chief in North Korea.
So what?
Well, we can only advise you to go see this drama, still available on Netflix. The main story is beautiful, but not only: This drama has been able to count on all the substories intertwined in each other and masterfully led that are just as sad, charming or captivating throughout the episodes. We cannot miss the cinematography either: Often superb, the images and landscapes have also brought an important element of this drama. This series takes us into its history, but also into this rather captivating North Korea/South Korea parallel, of the same "common core" to finally arrive at two completely different countries and at the same time, so linked. We see the important cultural differences that we enjoy discovering. This ambivalence and this encounter throughout the drama give passages of a beautifully conducted humor, while touching us deeply. We go from laughter to tears, without being bored once. A small musical aside: The OST is also magnificent, and takes its place completely in this drama. We listen to all the songs again for the pleasure of feeling our little heart in turmoil again. In short, you want to have a great time, with beautiful human relations, a cultural discovery of two countries, a magnificent romance, but not only, twists and characters treated with depth, this drama is for you. You will go through a myriad of different emotions, the Korean way that knows how to touch us right each time. To discover! And if you want even more, don't hesitate to check out Snowdrop.
