The Wonder Years (Girl, Thirteen)

The Wonder Years (Girl, Thirteen)/ Thirteen Years Old Sua

note from me:

i just luv this movie... though it's not like other korean movie (w/c makes u laugh and cry)...this is more like an indifilm which is worth watching...

for the lead actress lee se-young (su-a/su-ah in the movie), i give her two thumbs up!!! wah she really acted so well on this movie. it's like i'm watching a different person coz i've seen her past movies "when i turned 9" (2003) and "lovely rivals" (2004) and i can say she really improved a lot for the last 4/5 years.

also, i like d movie bcoz i see myself in su-a's character when i'm in dat age (13 years old). it's like d attitude of su-a is somehow similar (but not entirely) to mine...

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The Wonder Years (2007) - 열세살, 수아 - Trailer

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others movie review:

The Wonder Years
aka Girl, Thirteen

Story: Soo-ah (Lee Se-yeong) is a withdrawn 13-year old girl, who thinks that she is being neglected by her mother (Chu Sang-mi). Soo-ah has problems finding new friends and finds shelter in her own little world. Most of the time her mother is occupied by leading her restaurant, or to spend her little free time with her new boyfriend (Choi Myeong-su), the owner of a junk yard. Soo-ah can't stand the new friend of her mother, even though he seems to be a good-hearted and kind guy.
It seems that Soo-ah is plagued by a deep-rooted loneliness since the day her father passed away. When one day she reads her father's diary, she finds out that her real mother is Yoon Sur-young (Kim Yoon-ah), a famous korean popstar. From that day on she wishes nothing more than to finally meet her.
Life becomes more difficult for Soo-ah when her mother has to give up her restaurant, because she has fallen victim to a con that cost her all of her money. They have to move into the home of Soo-haa's mother's friend, and even worse Soo-ah also has to visit middle-school now. She finds some new friends, yet skips school, because she is getting bullied by some of her schoolmates.
Soo-ah wants to flee her inner emptiness and gets on a train heading for Seoul, in order to go on one of her mother's concerts and finally meet her in person...


Review: There are a few dramas, that at first look like your typical genre treat, but as things progress prove to be surprsingly profound and touching. "The Wonder Years" is such a film, as the melancholic picture drawn of Soo-ah's life looks like typical art-house cinema work. However, only a few minutes into the movie we realize the drama's true strength - an indefinable warmth, that is woven into the pictures in a careful and subtle way, taking the viewer on a trip into the life of a teenager, who tries to find herself and her place in this world. Often enough we are presented with dramas that walk similar paths, but "The Wonder Years" actually succeeds in staying in our memory, because of its sincereness, and because the movie isn't nearly as much in love with itself as many films of the genre tend to be.

The plot is revolving around Soo-ah, a girl that is stuck in the midst of puberty and has to struggle with some serious problems. Since her mother has to take care of her restaurant, Soo-ah feels neglected by her to such a degree that she actually questions if she is her real mother. Moreover, she misses her father, to whom she apparently had a very good relationship. Therefore, it doesn't come as a big surprise that she faces her mother's new boyfriend with a lot of antipathy, even though he seems to be a nice guy. As Soo-ah's mother doesn't even have the time to accompany her daughter to a school fest, the girl has no other choice, but to flee into her own dream world. She idolizes popstar Yoon Sur-young, played by real popstar Kim Yoon-ah, and in her even sees her true mother. Over and over again she watches recordings of her concerts and builds up an ideal world to find shelter at. The things Soo-ah reads in her father's diary, concerning that the pop singer is in fact her real mother, aren't really a incontrovertible fact for the viewer, as the girl might mix up reality and fiction in her fantasy world. Thus, we don't have to take everything at face value of what we see from her perspective.

We are introduced to Soo-ah's dream world on several occassions, and we never run the risk to miss when this happens as these events are brought onto screen in a very apparent and grandiose way. The cold cinematography lightens up and warm colors along with a rare smile of the girl signalize that we have dropped out of reality for now. This is especially obvious in one scene playing at a train with a clown, or a certain singing scene of Kim Yoon-ah, which may kick in a little bit too sudden, yet somehow manages to avoid feeling out of place in this drama.
What's also standing out is that many shots are very tranquil and peaceful in its core. The pacing is always slow in a very welcome way, and it still never gets boring. However, despite all the tranquility and melancholy, the film doesn't restrain from using important dialogues or language as a tool of communication, which is completely different from what Mister Kim Ki-duk would have prefered. Therefore, "The Wonder Years" always manages to keep up a lively bond to the protagonists and thus never feels as cold or distant as it has to be criticized with so many other dramas.

The movie's center is Soo-ah's search for who she really is and her relationship with her mother, of course. Nonetheless, female director Kim Hee-jung always finds the time to shed some light on the problems of girls at Soo-ah's age on a relatively wide scope. Sometimes she just outlines them, at others she goes into more details. The girl finds two friends who couldn't be any more different from one another. One being a rich girl who soon gets into a fight with Soo-ah over a boy she likes, and the second one being a poor girl, who has a questionable job at a korean Karaoke Bar. Still, both girls, respectively both worlds, don't appeal to Soo-ah. Her short friendships just can't provide her with what she was hoping to find. Nonetheless, there is enough space to show Soo-ah's blossoming sexuality with a small kiss to her female friend, or just time to give some food for thought with some nicely implemented motives.
Only retrospectively you will understand many of the small details of the story and you'll eventually get aware that the director actually attached much importance on the story's small details. Together with some nice camera work and long shots, which are full of sincere acting, these facts show how much of their heart the filmmakers put into this drama.

The performances of the actors are all to be located at a high level, which is most apparent in the many long shots that come without any cut. Especially main actress Lee Se-yeong delivers an impressive performance. She plays the introverted girl without ever running the risk to lose herself in chlichés. She manages to create a complex character and doesn't only succeed in crying on cue, but also conveys a lot of emotions in an absolutely engaging and truthful way. Without any doubt her scenes with her mother, played by Chu Sang-mi, are the best of the movie, but even the supporting actors know how to make a very convincing impression on the viewer. This is mainly because of the fact that all the characters are drawn very honest and genuine.
Of course, there are also some flaws to be found, too. When Soo-ah visits the pop singer at a concert, this all leads to some emotionally overloaded scenes. Well, sometimes less is more. Moreover, it's a little bit sad, that the end is a little bit too stretched.

However, "The Wonder Years" is a special movie, because of its sincereness and its profoundness without having this strange feel of an Art-House flick to it. Furthermore, you really have to give the film credit for not trying to be one of those many tearjerker dramas. Especially the ending demonstrates this fact impressively. "The Wonder Years" radiates the kind of warmth and heartiness, you seldomly get from a drama. The comforting feeling the film bestows on us when the credits hit the screen are enough reason to clearly recommend this drama to any fan of the genre.

The Wonder Years (Girl, Thirteen)
Posted by luna6

Movie : The Wonder Years aka Girl, Thirteen / Yeol-se-sal Soo-ah
Year : 2007
Country : South Korea
Director : Hee-jung Kim
Starring : Se-yeong Lee (Soo-Ah), Sang-Mi Chu (Mom), Yoon-ah Kim (Pop Singer)
Run Time : 94 Minutes
Website : http://www.girl13.co.kr/
Editor Rating : 7.0
Users Rating: 9 (10 votes)

Plot Synopsis : Soo-ah is a withdrawn 13 year old girl that walks through life, counting each step to herself. Her widowed mother spends most of her energy running a small restaurant. Soo-ah holds contempt against her mother and doesn’t approve of her mother’s love interest, a good natured guy that owns a scrapyard. Soo-ah also believes that her real mother is the famous Korean pop singer, Yoon Sur-Young.

As Soo-ah begins junior-high she also has to deal with school bullies and making new friends. She becomes more withdrawn, as she keeps daydreaming about her “real” mother, Yoon Sur-Young. Soo-ah finally decides to buy a ticket to Seoul to meet her real mom.

Movie Review : While vacationing in Korea this past spring, I sadly missed watching “The Wonder Years” on the bigscreen. As it is the case for most Korean films the movie poster gave off a false generic comedy feel to the movie, so I didn’t watch it on first opportunity. I regretted that decision because after only a few more days the movie was already finished playing in the theaters (less than a week!). The cinemas by this time were overtaken by multiple showings of Ocean 13 and Shrek 3. Luckily the DVD was released a short 6 weeks after its theatrical run.

When I did finally watch the movie, I knew from the opening scenes that I would enjoy “The Wonder Years”. The filmed opened up with grainy, over-saturated digital film shots of a young girl roller blading for the first time, accompanied by minimal circus like electronic music (always think of it as Sympathy For Lady Vengeance music). The film then cut to a scene of the same girl walking down a shabby neighborhood road, counting each of her step to herself.

From there the movie drew me in more by the aloof mannerisms of Soo-Ah and the people in her life. There’s the local street vendor lady that’s awfully nice to her (you’ll figure out why later), her mother that didn’t come to her middle school graduation because of her restaurant and the man still sitting in the restaurant with her mother. The movie then opened up Soo-Ah’s life and revealed the turbulent times that she would have to go through, all flavored from the vantage point of small town life in South Korea.

The scenes of Soo-Ah making friends with two different girls, one from the richer part of town and one from the poorer area, was done just right. Those scenes will likely strike a chord with most viewers, bringing back memories of the awkward stage when friendships first occur. The movie then brought up the dilemma of who actually was Soo-Ah’s mother. At first I dismissed the notion that Soo-Ah’s mother could have been Yoon Sur-Young, a famous K-Pop singer (played by actual pop singer Kim Yoon Ah of Juarim fame). Soo-Ah often made up stories and the notion of her real mother being a pop star must have been one of those stories..right? Well not exactly. Soo-ah then read her father’s old diary, which recounted the days when her father carried Soo-ah on his back while waiting for her mother…Yoon Sur-Young. All of a sudden you realize that Soo-ah may not have been as kooky as you once thought and there well could be truth to her unusual assertion. Things all come to a crescendo when Soo-ah makes a trip out to Seoul to meet Yoon Sur-Young.

While Se-yeong Lee isn’t a newcomer to acting, having previously performed in comedies “My Lovely Rivals” and “When I Turned Nine,” she did appear to have turned a new leaf in her young acting career. Her performance as Soo-ah was nuanced and absolutely compelling. Often just a shy smile or a quizzical looked expressed the depth of emotions that would pass through her mind.

“The Wonder Years” also marks the directorial debut by talented newcomer Hee-Jung Kim. It seems she has already built an impressive resume, having graduated from the Polish National Film School in Lodz and becoming the first Korean to win support from Cannes Residence Program. What Hee-Jung Kim did so well in “The Wonder Years” is embellish in the small details of life that people can take for granted.

A few small complaints with “The Wonder Years” would have been a handful of musical dream sequences that didn’t work well and an ending that could have been shortened by five minutes. Also, some of the more dramatic scenes in the film didn’t reverberate in the same manner as the quieter scenes. The film did deftly portray the ordeals of adolescence told through the perspective of an insecure and withdrawn young girl. “The Wonder Years” will likely bring back childhood memories for older viewers and easily identifiable dilemmas that younger viewers face on a daily basis. If you’re disenchanted by this summer’s batch of CGI enhanced blockbusters without much heart, than give “The Wonder Years” a try. This one oozes out heart.


The Wonder Years

Film Director: KIM Hee-jung
Year: 2007
Running time: 95'
Country: Korea

The Wonder Years is a debut feature from director Kim Hee-jung, an alumna of the Lodz Film School and winner of the Wide Angle Prize at PIFF for the short Once, Someday (2001). Thirteen-year-old Soo-ah (the original Korean title), played by Lee Se-young (the childhood Geum-young from TV drama Jewel In The Palace), is a shy, borderline-autistic girl living in a small Cholla Province town. Deeply unhappy, she believes that a popular singer Yoon Seor-yeong (Kim Yoon-ah, a real-life vocal artist) is her real mother, to the bafflement of her working mom Young-joo (Choo Sang-mi, A Smile, Turning Gate). When her junior high school life turns out to be more of the same, i.e. peer abuse and indifference, Soo-ah resolves to travel to Seoul and confront her real mother.

One thing Korean cinema has done rather well in the last fifteen years is its continued support for, and introduction of, female directors with strong personal visions, beginning with Yim Soon-rye (whose Forever The Moment is 2008’s first big Korean hit), Jeong Jae-eun (The Aggressives) and Byun Young-joo (Flying Boys). Kim Hee-jung is the latest in this roster of talented Korean female directors. Her Wonder Years is a gentle, composed character study that will probably bore viewers expecting either a well-heeled, cliché-bound melodrama with copious amounts of tears, or an adolescent phantasmagoria with surrealistic flights of fancy. The movie truly excels when writer-director Kim observes the seemingly mundane details of Soo-ah’s life with a compassionate gaze, letting the girl’s slouched, awkward walk or her disappointed expression at a broken VCR player - rather than spurious narration or distracting mise en scene - to speak for the character’s feelings.

It would surprise no one that Lee and Choo are two principal reasons to check out The Wonder Years. Lee Se-young’s portrayal of Soo-ah is remarkable in its subtlety and restraint. It is to her (and director Kim’s) credit that the latter’s terse (but often amusing) responses to adults' efforts to “make conversation” never once strike us as “precocious”. Choo Sang-mi, one of the most skilled and naturally talented actresses working in Korea today, is brilliant as usual, conveying, for instance, Young-joo’s lifetime of remorse and pain - but also the spiritual courage mustered by her to overcome them - in the brief moment of hesitation regarding where to hang a mirror. Truth be told, both actresses are so ridiculously beautiful that we at times have trouble seeing Soo-ah and Young-joo with the contemptuous eyes of the other characters in the movie. Lee’s face positively glows whenever the camera focuses on it: she is like a Winona Ryder going on 18 trying to play Ugly Betty. When one character grumbles, “Boy, not only is she ugly but…,” my only possible reaction is “You need an eye exam, kid”.

The Wonder Years is not without weaknesses. The story arc is rather predictable and ends in a disappointingly conventional resolution regarding Soo-ah's parentage. More seriously, director Kim’s interpretations of Soo-ah’s imaginary universe are surprisingly lackadaisical. In particular, the musical interludes, featuring Kim Yoon-ah belting out torch songs amid confetti and amber floodlights, look rather cheap and poorly choreographed. (I wish director Kim had employed some other tactic, like, say, Persepolis-like minimalist animation) While not an exciting and powerful debut feature comparable to, say, This Charming Girl Or Take Care Of My Cat, The Wonder Years is a solid character study with its own sense of integrity, as well as an excellent vehicle for the young actress Lee Se-young to showcase her considerable talent.

-- Kyu Hyun Kim