A scene from the coming-of-age film "Before We Knew" / Courtesy of JNC Media Group
The coming-of-age film "Before We Knew" centers on two childhood friends who go through emotional shifts and awkward stumbles of first love.
Just before middle school graduation, Yeo-ul (Kim Sae-ron) is caught off guard when her longtime friend Ho-su (Lee Chae-min) confesses that he has liked her all along.
The unexpected admission leaves Yeo-ul in a spin, putting their cherished friendship on uncertain ground. To her, Ho-su is as close as family, and that is precisely what makes her so afraid of losing him.
The film quietly traces the ordinary teenage lives of the two and their mutual friends — incomplete, anxious yet brimming with fresh and youthful excitement. Their shared world is built on small, familiar things: a mutual love of basketball, cooking ramyeon after school and confiding in each other about family troubles.
There are no dramatic twists or grand gestures. What draws audiences in is precisely that ordinariness, the kind of everyday moments that feel so familiar, because everyone has lived them or will.
Yet the film's rough edges leave something to be desired.
Its execution stumbles at times, with some scenes feeling abrupt and underdeveloped. For example, Ho-su's sudden physical advance toward Yeo-ul feels out of character. Equally jarring is the unexplained change of heart by Ho-jae (Ryoo Ui-hyun), Yeo-ul's crush since middle school, whose shifting behavior feels baffling, and whose appearance looks too mature for the teenage role.
Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, the film is Kim Min-jae's directorial debut. It also serves as the final film release of the late actress Kim Sae-ron.
Originally filmed in 2021, the film's release was put on hold following Kim's drunk driving in May 2022, and was further overshadowed by her sudden passing in February last year.
Source: Korea Times News
