I'm probably not going to watch this but I'm glad Song Joong Ki found the project to show his talent again.

There were some parts that were hard to watch as he has to endure betrayals, backstabbing, being overdosed with drugs and yes seeing working hard to stay alive and avoid being caught in the end of the day, but Song Joong Ki did rather well in this movie

If it were a drama I think I may watch it. I wasn't a fan of his bravado style acting in Descendants of the Sun and Reborn Rich, but there was a glimmer of something very attractive in his portrayal of his first life in the beginning of Reborn Rich (struggling assistant) that made me want to keep watching him. When I saw the trailer for this movie, it reminded me of that character and caught my interest as well.

For me, this would have worked better as a mini series. There was so much in the opening hour that could have been explored in greater depth: how did Kiwan get out of his camp in NK to China? What issues did he and his mother face as NK illegal immigrants in China and what happened to others like them? What went down in China that he ended up having to hide in his home? These things were covered in minutes and left me wanting more: this could have been a very powerful introduction to the status and situation of NK refugees if we'd had one or two episodes devoted to it.

In Belgium, we faired slightly better in learning how a potential refugee is literally on their own for months until their case comes up in court and I felt this was the strongest part of the film: SJK did a great job of convincing me that he was absolutely starving, out of his depth, but going to keep fighting for one more day. A bit more time here, and we could have had a strong episode on the asylum seekers' world in Belgium.

When Mari turned up, I found it very hard to get invested in her - total immoral brat and I wasn't convinced she changed much - and we did not get enough of her background to understand her or to sympathise with her. More time in a mini series would have paid dividends here so that we had a better idea of her demons and how she'd got herself in her situation. We might have better understood why she attached herself so firmly to Kiwan and saw some sort of salvation in him (was it his "goodness" in contrast to her bleak situation?)

Perhaps due to my disinclination to warm to Mari, I found the fact that the film suddenly became a love story an irritation. On the one hand, I was forced to consider how that might exactly be the case for asylum seekers - due to the interminable waiting for the system, the monotonous and poorly paid work, the horrendous living conditions, finding a romantic partner might be exactly how people deal with it. On the other hand, it felt like Kiwan lost his bearings and the fight he'd been in since birth to become himself - running out of the middle of his court case to achieve refugee status just to save Mari on the off chance that something had happened to her felt so contrived. If we'd had longer to see the relationship develop, and to understand how intense it had become for both of them, I might have bought this more.

In short, I loved the premise and the idea. Loved SJK's acting. Loved the visuals and the sense of place. Wanted this to have a different focus (surviving and thriving, not romantic love), and wanted it to have maybe 4 hour-long episodes so we could be thoroughly invested in our characters. Happy to have watched it; won't be watching again.

Thank you @dramaddictally!
I haven't watched the show yet, but I'm glad there's a review to return to after watching it.

Ahh this makes me so conflicted but also tracks so well with my experience with Korean movies.. or rather just movies in general. I love the premise and it sounds like the setup of the movie is AMAZING and SJK does a stellar job. However, I feel like movies tend to suffer from third-act deterioration pretty frequently these days, and I've watched a few K-movies lately that start going a bit off the rails towards the end. I'd been really looking forward to this one though and it sounds like it's definitely still worth it though, so I'll probably check it out soon.

Thanks, Dramaddictally!!

I started watching this just on the strength of a "Must Watch" video. I overlooked the fact that it was a movie. Because I was thinking "K-Drama," I kept looking at the clock, "Wow, episode one sure is long." I may have woken my neighbor when I moved into "Chicago Mother" mode:
"Don't leave your backpack!"
"Don't keep your money in your wallet!"
"Don't trust him!" and "Don't trust her!"

I couldn't watch the heart-breaking scenes of Kiwan being exploited, harassed and cheated. But I forgot the clock.

Then, love happened as two weary souls found one another. More "Chicago Mom" screaming until . . . the beautiful ending with the hope that they will travel to all those poster places together, along with their right to leave a place and return (or not).

OK, so I am a sucker for romance.

I'M SORRY! I didn't mark my post above as "Spoiler ahead!" Ad I don't know how to fix it . . . .

After years of watching dramas, movies these days tend to be a conundrum as I’m so used to see the story taking its time to lay out the background and pace out character and plot developments. But movies do not require the time commitment and patience required of dramas.

Having said that, I agree this would work better as a series (perhaps 4 episodes). The initial story is engaging and Song Joong-ki is doing a mighty fine job and he single-handedly earn your tears as this downtrodden and run-out-of-luck guy. The plight of getting refugee status is shown realistically and Loh Kiwan is quite lucky to have met a couple of good people. SJK’s project choice of this is a smart move after Reborn Rich which is a Lee Sung-min show with his grandson role merely a plot movement device (the witness of history). I always think that his best works are mostly pre-DOTS (which I didn’t enjoy). Vincenzo is highly entertaining rather than an acting vehicle and we’ve already seen his best ‘playboy’ portrayal in Sungkyunkwan Scandal - he and Yoo Ah-in are the best things of that drama. Wonder what it’ll be like for his next movie, also about immigrants but in Bogota.

I am Choi Sung-eun biased as having seen her excellent acting in Beyond Evil (a drama full of powerhouse acting and her ability to make her role memorable is a feat). Therefore, I don’t have much issue like some other Beanies with her character that would however clearly benefit if more time is available to explain her internal guilt.

I certainly did not expect this to be a love story. I am in two minds as to whether he should run out of that court - but understand this is a guy falling in love for the first time. It’s a bit teenager like but not improbable. Spoiler ahead…

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No objection to the happy ending though.

Thank you for another brilliant review. Song Joong-ki has really shined. You have described the character's motivation and the actor's performance so well. Like most K-movies this is such a hard watch. Kudos to the production for choosing such a tough subject and handling it so beautifully and with such delicacy of touch and respect. I feel so happy and energized to read your reviews, it gives me the strength and courage to watch what I would ordinarily not choose by myself. Your reviews make me braver. ♥️😍

I liked the movie overall, I could feel his loneliness and his struggles in a new country. And the help and sometimes betrayal that comes from the people from your own background. Their guilt over an almost similar matter is what drew them together and were able to support eachother. I didn't mind him leaving for her and losing what he achieved with his immigration status because probably she could have never come back anyway. I liked their acting, but not the european ones that looked cartoonish to me.

A total waste of time. What else can I add?