G | 1h 58m | Drama, Romance | 2012
Having recently reviewed a couple of rather tepid American romantic comedies this past month, I thought I’d refresh my palate with something drastically different (and hopefully better). Romantic movies from South Korea have always had a reputation for eliciting strong emotions in those who watch them, so after reading the relatively straightforward premise of writer and director Lee Yong-ju’s 2012 romantic drama “Architecture 101,” I felt that it might just be the change of pace I was looking for.
At an architecture firm in the bustling metropolis of Seoul, architect Seung-min (Tae-woong Eom) is a hardworking company man who is so dedicated to his job that he sometimes sleeps in his office overnight, only to be roused by his unappreciative boss.
One day, after Seung-min wakes from his office slumber, co-worker Eun-chae (Jun-hee Ko) tells him that someone has dropped by to see him. The mysterious visitor is a pretty woman named Seo-Yeon (Ga-in Han). Although Seung-min doesn’t immediately recognize Seo-Yeon, he begins to recall that he met her 17 years ago while attending college. She tells him that she wants to hire him to rebuild her family home located on Jeju Island (south of the Korean peninsula), which has fallen into disrepair.
Since Seung-min has never rebuilt a home before, he tries to refer her to someone else, but his boss assures him that he has what it takes to do the job. Seung-min unenthusiastically accepts the job, and Seo-Yeon takes him to see the property. In the following days, Seung-min drafts a few renovation plans that he has in mind for the house, but Seo-Yeon doesn’t care for any of them.
Things flash back 17 years, and we find the younger versions of Seung-min (Lee Jehoon) and Seo-Yeon (Bae Suzy) in the titular Architecture 101 class together. As part of a class exercise, the teacher instructs the students to reveal what route they take home by marking it on a map. Attracted to Seo-Yeon from the get-go, when Seung-min discovers that they not only share the same bus ride home but also live in the same neighborhood, he is totally smitten.
Seung-min eventually meets Seo-Yeon at a local park and the two quickly become friends. Seo-Yeon is new in town and wants Seung-min to be her homework partner since she’s actually a music major and isn’t pursuing architecture like he is. (She has other reasons for taking the class.)
As Seung-min and Seo-Yeon get to know each other more, he begins to develop stronger feelings for her. However, Seo-Yeon is attracted to one of Seung-min’s buddies—a “tall and handsome” classmate named Jae-wook (Yoo Yeon-Seok). Since Jae-wook seems to be too preoccupied with other girls, she admires the popular young man from afar.
Back in the present day, Seo-Yeon begins to show an attraction to Seung-min, even though she is supposedly married. She even buys him a nice tie for their dinner meeting. However, when he shows up with Eun-chae (Jun-hee Ko) in tow and Seo-Yeon finds out that the two are engaged, she tries to hide her disappointment.
Seung-min takes Seo-Yeon out for a client dinner one evening at a pier-side restaurant and, as she gets more and more inebriated, she reveals to him that she’s recently gotten a divorce. She also admits to him that she only married her ex for money, since she failed at her chosen career path as an announcer. In her drunken state, she collapses onto the ground while weeping about how rotten her life has become. Seung-min lifts her to her feet and the two caress, perhaps stirring some feelings that may have been lying dormant over the past 17 years.
As a fan of the flashback method of cinematic storytelling, I enjoyed director Lee Yong-ju’s use of this technique, since both the past and present scenes weren’t too short to enjoy, yet didn’t drag on for too long. Of course, it also helps that both sets of actors who played the two main characters, Seung-min and Seo-Yeon, are very talented. Their performances are just emotive enough without descending into a saccharine-filled sap-fest.
There is also an element of suspense unfolding in the background, as both Seung-min and Seo-Yeon are dealing with familial obligations. While Seo-Yeon’s responsibilities are for her dying father, Seung-min is frustrated with the relationship he has with his widowed mother, and is stressed about the impending move to the United States with his fiancée, Eun-chae. This keeps the narrative peppy and gives it an almost race-against-the-clock appeal, since the tenuous circumstances might change at any time.
Although this movie is billed as a romantic drama, it does have some comedic moments that caused me to chuckle on more than one occasion. One of the funnier scenes involves Seung-min’s more seasoned neighborhood friend, Nabddeuckyi (Jo Jung-Suk), as he tries to show Seung-min how to pick up girls.
“Architecture 101” is a very well-made romantic drama that wisely sidesteps the usual overwrought melodrama. Instead, it delivers a believable love story that is also very relatable, especially for those who have ever had an unforgettable crush.
