★★★★★
The 2018 Korean drama starring Song Hye-Kyo
as Cha Soo-Hyun and Park Bo-Gum as Kim Jin-Hyuk. Directed by Park Shin-Woo and
written by Yoo Young-Ah, also known as Boyfriend.
Brief synopsis: CEO of Donghwa Hotel Cha
Soo-Hyun goes to Cuba for business at the same time Kim Jin-Hyuk is there
taking a once-in-a-lifetime photography vacation. They meet by accident, but
from the moment of their encounter Kim Jin-Hyuk starts to show Soo-Hyun the
beauties of a life beyond what she’s always known. Soo-Hyun and Jin-Hyuk part
ways and return to Korea, assuming that they’ll never meet again. But Jin-Hyuk
has just managed to get a job under Donghwa Hotel and he can’t help the desire
to get closer to his new boss: CEO Cha Soo-Hyun.
This drama is impressive for so many
reasons, but the three that stand out the most are the cinematography, the
unique Latin-American influence, and the sweet fairy-tale theme that drives the
whole story. The shots of Cuba are all bright and vibrant, the editing between
scenes is smooth and fluid, and every retrospective flashback is shown
artistically in a different style of film that not only makes them easy to
distinguish, but also appeal aesthetically. The Latin-American style has
recently become an integral part of kpop’s trend (for examples, you can refer
to “Lo Siento” by Super Junior, “Airplane Prt 2” by BTS, “Hola Hola” by
K.A.R.D., or “Egotistic” by MAMAMOO) but Encounter
attempts something new by incorporating it into a romantic drama. Cuba is the
happy place. Everything about Cuba, including the music, the salsa dancing, and
even the shoes become symbol of their ideal and hope. Yet the romantic drama
alone is remarkable for the fanciful themes that remind us of some of our
favorite stories, including Cinderella,
Rapunzel, and Aladdin. Park Bo-Gum plays the poor yet adventurous young man Kim
Jin-Hyuk that wins our hearts almost instantly. Cha Soo-Hyun is the
tight-laced, naïve CEO who lacks nothing but a life’s loveliest experiences.
However you see their story, it will still remind you of the story books your
parent’s probably read to you before your bedtime. I found it very relaxing and
even needed a few breaks just to nap a little!
I don’t know if we could call it a weak
point, but sometimes the drama is just too relaxing. The drama does not really
expand beyond the main characters’ relationship and the social pressure they
face against their attachment. But it’s not so much of a weakness as it is a
genre specification.
There are a lot of creative elements that make watching this drama worth the
while.
1. It’s full of great dialogue. My Korean is
still a little rusty, but even I can recognize the beauty in lines like “A
person must be happy in order to live” (Manager Nam Myeong-Sik) or “If making
waves is the ocean’s work, thinking about you is my work” (Book, or Kim
Jin-Hyuk, ep 9).
2. One of the most mood setting
components was the use of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Maybe you’ll recognize it.
Whenever the plot events in the drama turn away from our happy ending, a
distorted minor rendition of the song picks up just different and agitated
enough to help you feel the similar confusion and frustration of the
protagonists.
3. The drama’s tone may remind you
of a fairy-tale. Much like Disney’s Aladdin,
Kim Jin-Hyuk grabs our attention as his role is to show the sheltered Cha
Soo-Hyun a whole new world, one much more fun that what she has grown up with.
He even makes that kind of “Do you trust me?” face, although he never asks it
out loud. But Kim Jin-Hyuk could also be the Cinderella of this story. He’s
from the poorer side of the economy trying to be with someone who just so
happens to be from the richer side. A fairy godmother-like Manager Nam even
shows up to take him to the masquerade ball! (Or maybe is that still a genie
thing?)
4. A common item we see repeated
throughout the drama is a pair of shoes. Both of our main characters
practically build a shrine around pairs of shoes. Jin-Hyuk keeps the pair of
shoes Soo-Hyun accidentally left with him in Cuba and places them in a
particular spot in his room. Soo-Hyun does the same with the more practical
sandals Jin-Hyuk bought for her. If you remember the drama Boys Over Flowers, the character Min Seo-Hyun tells Geum Jan-Di
that “good shoes take you good places.” In Soo-Hyun’s case, a new and different
pair of shoes take her new and different places. After buying that pair of
shoes in Cuba, her feet start finding themselves in all sorts of new
situations. Those shoes symbolize the story’s pick-up and beginning, as well as
the adventure of a relationship Kim Jin-Hyuk and Cha Soo-Hyun embark on, but
also their ideal and hope that they find in Cuba.
5. Cuba is obviously the
characters’ highlight, ideal, and euphoria. The colors are so much brighter and
defined in the scenes of Cuba that we can easily understand why Cuba is their
paradise and sanctuary.
6. The cinematic technique is
explorative and innovative. There are way too many aesthetic shots to address
them all, but the use of foreground is definitely a favorite style (such as the
book at the pier in episode 9). Moreover, the opening sequences play with a
shadow puppetry concept that is especially creative. We know that shadow puppet
theatre probably became a thing in Central Asia or China during the last 1000 years BCE and
it’s native to Eastern Asia, but the producers put an inventive fairy-tale spin
to it in the opening sequences that can remind you of the fairy-tale pop-up
books you read as a child.
Beyond all of those, we also see some fun
cameo roles from Pyo Ji-Hoon (Block B’s P.O.) and Park Jin-Joo. They certainly
spiced up the drama!
My favorite things:
1. I really liked seeing red-room
film processing in episode 9. It’s a technique that has become less common as digital
photography becomes the norm, but it’s also a technique that helped shape film
history. The drama casts some attention on it that helps us remember the value
of photography roots and reflect on the pure purpose of capturing the images in
front of us.
2. Manager Nam was overall my
favorite character. He totally rocked the fair-godmother/genie role but I loved
how he knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to get it. He wanted Jin-Hyuk and
Soo-Hyun to be together and he protected that. Our Manager Nam also get keep a
sense of humor, even if his face was too big for his little mask!
3. Date ideas! What Jin-Hyuk
mentions in episode 7, the library date, sounds really fun! It might be worth a
shot with your significant other?
To sum it up, not only is the drama’s
structure impressive, but the story is cute and the cast wins our hearts. I
recommend watching it if you crave something cute and simple or a pick-me-up.
5/5 stars!
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