Yonder 욘더 (2022)
Directed by Lee Joon-ik, starring Shin Ha-kyun and Han Ji-min.
Watched 24 October 2022 — 6 episodes (DRAMACOOL)
*Enjoyed this sci-fi short web series (6 episodes of approx. 30 minutes each) about life after death, grief, happiness and memories.
*The story premise is interesting and thought-provoking but in the end the show didn’t capitalise on the great potential it had. I guess it was hampered by the short runtime. This would definitely have benefited from more episodes, so there would have been more room for story and character development.
*Science makes it possible to design your own death and have an afterlife in Yonder. I like the concept of choice, that even if you know it to be fake/an illusion, you can still choose to enter (and exit) that alternate world and experience happy moments/memories with your deceased loved one. It’s all what you choose to believe, just like it is with religion. (It’s not morally correct, though, since they’re exploiting people’s pain and grief.)
*I like the concept of preserving memories, because how often do they fade away?
*I thought the reveal and conclusion was a bit disappointing, and left some questions unanswered. Also, I had expected more from the last moment the main couple shared together. They drank the liquid from the vial and thus breaking the illusion, but I thought their final goodbyes could have been more emotional.
*I really like the male lead Shin Ha-kyun and it was nice to see a mature actor. I also like Han Ji-min but somehow I was never really emotionally invested in their characters. Which is a bit strange, considering the emotional subject. But their happy memories had a melancholic feel which I liked a lot.
*The baby is just too cute!
*Great production values. Amazing cinematography. Beautiful shots and colour palette, great sets, and everything looks so stylish. Maybe it’s too stylised at times. Also a good music score.
(Collage made by me, with screenshots taken by me.)