Korean pop culture is on its second major rise in the Philippines when we’re beginning to see more from them than just music and telenovelas. With mainstream cinemas starting to show Korean movies, we can see that the Hallyu wave doesn’t show any signs of slowing down – which is something nobody could really complain about. Korean pop culture has always had a mesmerizing effect on us Filipinos as even if their customs and behavior are strange to some, they latch on to the same affectations Pinoys are so fond of – like the hugot culture to be exact. This shows with how audiences open-arm welcomed the movie On Your Wedding Day and are still abuzz about it 2 weeks into its local release.
On Your Wedding Day follows the story of a high school couple and how their relationship goes on and off and on again as they mature through college and adulthood. It’s not really a new plot. It’s something that’s probably already been run to the ground by the abundance of romcoms in media – especially from koreanovelas – but On Your Wedding Day sets itself apart by not being an idyllic vision of love, rather showing it as a product of countless rebuilding and forgiving over mistakes, finding your sense of self in the midst of a relationship, and appreciating things that happened in your life, no matter how perfect or imperfect they are.
Deviating from the usual Korean formula of tasteful buildups to powerful tearjerkers to tell a love story, On Your Wedding Day still achieves the same level of “realness” with a lighthearted and comedic approach. It has no scene whatsoever that’ll make you reach for a tissue, but it still leaves you with deep and heavy emotions, like being reminiscent on how outlooks and emotions were simpler when you were younger yet somehow face those same thoughts and feeling with difficulty as you get older – all the while looking at these memories by joking about them and remembering what was good about them instead.
The actors – Park Bo-Young and Kim Young-Kwang – play the adorable lead couple. Despite being a little bit too good looking for their roles as bumbling losers and nobodies, they do a good job in portraying flawed and real people. They both have an impressive emotional range from bubbly, perky, and funny – to somber and melancholic. You can really see how their characters grew from high school to college to adulthood. Park’s performance here is reminiscent of her successful stint on Oh My Ghost – a romcom telenovela that has the same happy-go-lucky vibes. Kim on the other hand is commendable for exquisitely playing a “lovable loser”, easily becoming the movie’s sweetheart for being able to be relatable and likable past his mistakes, and it’s really fulfilling to see the journey his character went through.
“Cute” may be an understatement to describe the movie, but that is probably the best way to leave it. On Your Wedding Day is a refreshing experience, like meeting up with an old friend in a cafe, looking back at good times, and looking at where the both of you are right now. And as such, I can now see why many Korean movies are held in high regard, especially when playing to their element of drama and romance, that even a tired old story can feel like a new experience when played with the right chemistry. If this is just the tip of what they have to offer, I say bring on the Hallyu wave again.