K-drama Flashback: ‘A Moment to Remember’

A Moment to Remember (2004) comes off as a romantic melodrama on its face but turns into an intricate tale that spans a lot more ground than one might expect. I won’t elaborate much in case one hasn’t seen the iconic piece, but I’ll certainly call out a few elements that knocked me sideways, drawing me into its story: Fundamentally, love seeps in between two very desirable individuals; their chance encounter fires an initial flame of attraction, which grows a little more over the following few days and eventually envelops them in an intense romance leading to marriage. As good as that reads, though, the plot twist comes just as you begin to get invested in their lives. That’s when it starts getting interesting to me and unfolds in a way that rips a huge hole in my heart. The main draw of this excellent Korean film? Its underlying ideas urge you to reflect on what you witnessed.

The story goes over the unwavering devotion of the couple. Starring Son Ye-jin as Kim Su-jin and Jung Woo-sung as Choi Chul-soo, it explores their love while dealing with the hardships of sorrow brought on by Su-jin’s diagnosis of a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease. I concur; there’s nothing outlandish about the plot in that dozens of dramas with a comparable theme have been produced, yet what makes this one distinct is our engagement in the protagonist’s love life, and suddenly the joy you’re experiencing in its build-up is dampened when Su-jin’s memories begin to dissipate.

A cosmos full of love pieced together begins to fall apart, with nothing that can be done to make up for the loss transpiring. Her helplessness is palpable, for nothing in Chul-soo’s or Su-jin’s capacity can check her failing memory. While internally ripped to bits, Chul-soo puts up with her predicament. Just contemplate this scenario in life: your significant other, at some point, forget you—the life you guys have shared—those times together. Should be unimaginably agonizing, right? Su-jin is cognizant—everything around her will vanish, and the man she loves will soon become a stranger. These nuances are so expertly captured in the movie that they create a singular cinematic encounter.

Son Ye-jin, the decorated superstar that she is, also exhibits a woman whose naivete is endearing. As a result, each of her characters piques our interest. She excels at expressing Su-jin’s innermost self; her appearance and mannerisms adroitly display hopelessness, suffering, and credulity both before and after she loses memory. Jung Woo-sung, likewise, masterfully communicates his character’s feelings with his passionate eyes. He more than makes up for the lack of remaining precision with his commanding presence on screen. As Chul-soo, Jung hits me with his skill at eliciting strong emotions. A veteran at the time of writing, he is one of the finest Korean artists, acknowledged for his stellar acting. His adonis features and masterful interpretation of Chul-soo’s love, anguish, and fidelity to his wife as a broken man who also comforts while concealing his scars melt our hearts in A Moment to Remember.

Thanks to the film’s creators for complementing the work with a befitting OST and amazing visuals. The evolution of the plot, the character transitions, the truth of some nihilist elements of Korean culture, and a heartfelt love story at its center all coalesce to create an exceedingly good Korean romance picture speaking of true love that still holds sway over everything. Its suffering is severe; but ends most beautifully, and for me, that’s “my moment to remember” from the film.