Up until watching A Millionaire's First Love, Hachi was quite possibly the saddest movie I had the privilege of viewing. This South Korean romantic drama however may take home the prize of being the first feature that reduced me to tears for a majority of its story. Those who have seen My Sassy Girl may remember the moment Gyeon-woo explained to the Girl how South Koreans appreciate melodrama. Clearly there is some truth behind this logic, and A Millionaire's First Love contains a rich assortment of powerfully beautiful and sad moments that will certainly cause a number of intense emotions to flourish. More powerful than A Walk to Remember, and more romantic than Here on Earth, A Millionaire's First Love is a story of romance, life, family, and the choices that all of us make.
During the opening scene though, you could be forgiven for thinking you stumbled into a martial arts film by accident with the fight that dominates the screen. This however serves the purpose to show how the reckless Kang Jae-kyung (Hyun Nin), a soon to be millionaire who is as pretentious as he is arrogant, spends much of his time. His friends and acquaintances who occupy this spoiled existence with him are largely unexplored, despite appearing on more than one occasion, and the connection between he and a rich young woman who believes herself to be his paramour is strangely peculiar, in that not even the characters appear capable of comprehending this subplot.
At the same time though we are introduced to Choi Eun-hwan (Yeon-hee Lee), who lives a very different existence. Emotional, but at the same time strong in spirit, she doesn't have the luxurious upbringing that Jae-kyung has been gifted. Despite this, both of these characters coincidentally meet.
Originally difficult to follow due to the lack of background the audience is provided, a thorough back-story is eventually revealed, which magnifies the intense feelings that continuously tug at the viewer's heart strings. Each of the images, behaviors and items have a place in the story, these been purposefully revealed in the beginning stages of the film, only to be later put in perspective.
Jae-kyung's life of luxury is however thwarted by none other than his deceased grandfather, whose inheritance he was destined to receive. Informed by his lawyer that he needs to graduate from a predetermined school before receiving the wealthy entitlement, he finds that all he had taken for granted is denied to him. Sent to a school far from civilization, he discovers Eun-hwan, the young woman he met in the city, is a student there as well, their relationship being the focus of the film.
Through her, Jae-kyung is able to acquire for himself an appreciation for life's beauty, entering a world where ten dollars is capable of purchasing more happiness than he has experienced in a lifetime. These tender moments, combined with the brilliant acting by the leads, who demonstrate an exceptional emotional range, the in-depth writing of the story, and the feature's extraordinary direction, makes A Millionaire's First Love a film that is as poetic as it is memorable.
Although there may be room to argue that some of the plot is exaggerated and overacted, for the most part, A Millionaire's First Love is as terribly sad as it is incalculably beautiful. I personally spent over half of this film in a state of tears, with over a dozen tissues been sacrificed to stem the flow of liquid. To put it simply, if you take umbrage at films that may reduce you to an emotional mess, you might want to consider avoiding this feature.
Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always honestly romantic and charming, those who appreciate South Korean drama, or romantic films in general, will find this is one feature that simply must be included in their collection.
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