[HanCinema's Film Review] "Love Me Once Again" + Full Movie

First part of a franchise that would spawn two sequels and a number of remakes, "Love Me Once Again" was a box office hit and pop culture phenomenon, with its intensely melodramatic premises helping the most in that regard.

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The film unfolds in two parts, which occasionally intermingle. In that regard, the story starts in the present, when Sin-ho, a successful businessman is enjoying a Sunday picnic with his wife, Mrs. Yoon, and two children, in what seems as a happy, normal if somewhat rich family. His day, however, is ruined when a friend of his visits his house, informing him that a girl from his past, Hye-yeong, has returned to town and wants to meet him. The story then goes eight years back, when a young Sin-ho was living in a lodging house working away from home, while retaining a loving relationship with kindergarten teacher Hye-yeong. Alas, he was still married at the time, something the girl did not know, to the point that she turned down an arranged marriage her family had imposed on her, to be with him. Eventually, though, his real wife appears in the area with their two kids, to Hye-yeong's shock, who, after a rather dramatic confrontation, leaves the area, just before she lets him know that she is pregnant. Even worse for her, when her father learns of her situation, he kicks her out of the family house, despite the pleas of her mother, forcing her to raise her son, Yeong-sin, on her own.

The second part returns to the present, with Hye-yeong presenting their son to her former lover. His wife, though, learns of the events that are transpiring, and after a meeting with her "adversary", takes Yeong-sin to their house to raise, cautioning both mother and son, though, to forget about each other. The cohabitation is not smooth at all, with the fighting between the two boys being constant, and the insistence of Sin-ho for the boy to forget his real mother adding more oil to the fire.

Jung So-young-V directs a genuine Korean melodrama, where things go from bad to worse as the movie progresses, only for a happy ending to appear in the finale as a sort of catharsis that definitely does not work as well as in Greek tragedies though. In that fashion, Hye-yeong and Yeong-sin's life, despite the evident love they have for each other, is quite hard for both of them, being poor, and essentially considered misfits by a society that cannot fathom the presence of a kid out of wedlock, in a direct comment against the patriarch and overall conservatism of the time. Furthermore, that the kid is in dire need of a father is revealed quite eloquently in the scene on the beach, where his longing as he sees another boy playing with his own, being as dramatic as possible. That Mrs. Yoon takes away the boy, in order for him to have a better future, shattering his mother, and creating a series of issues for the whole family, adds even more to the melodramatic approach, with Yeong-sin's cries as he is being tormented by both his brother and father, intensifying this approach. Also of note here is the fact that Kim Jung-hoon-VIII gives a great performance in the role, despite his rather young age.

On the other hand, there are some elements here that make the film stand out. The punishment Hye-yeong receives for having a child from wedlock and the success Sin-ho enjoys later in life, despite being equally, and even more responsible, could be perceived as a comment in favor of patriarchy. On the other hand, the way he also suffers when his new son arrives home, as much as the ending of the movie, actually move towards the directly opposite direction. The same applies to the way Mrs. Yoon decides to take the boy in, or her general reaction when she learns of her husband's affair in the first part, in a fashion that subtly suggests that having affairs and children out of wedlock is not a social death sentence, at least not for men. Furthermore, that the affair is presented as a result of deep love by both parties, is also quite unusual for the era, as the movies of the time were pretty clear in condemning such relationships.

An Chang-bok's cinematography captures the two different time frames with artistry and realism, with the scene by the lake, the one on the beach, the confrontations of the two mothers and Hye-yeong getting kicked out of her family house being the apogee of his work. At the same time, these two scenes are also the highlight of Jeon Gye-hyeon as Mrs. Yoon and Moon Hee as Hye-yeong, with the latter stealing the show, however, with her overall convincing, if somewhat overdramatic performance. Hyeon Dong-chun's editing results in a relatively fast pace that works well in entertainment terms, while the flashbacks are well placed within the narrative.

"Love Me Once Again" is no masterpiece, since, despite its merits, none of its components is actually top-notch, perhaps with the exception of the acting. At the same time, it is interesting in the way it approaches cheating and wedlock, and a rather entertaining story that at 87 minutes, is quite easy to watch.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Love Me Once Again" is directed by Jung So-young-V, and features Shin Young-kyun, Moon Hee, Jeon Gye-hyeon, Park Am, Lee Choong-beom, Kim Jung-ok-I. Release date in Korea: 1968/07/16.