Ajji appa

It's hard to believe that Shim Eun Ha was ever in a movie as pitiful as this. But, it was her first -- probably the best available between TV series. It's not a stinker. It just fell short. In almost every aspect.

Take a formula Korean movie with worse direction and photography than usual (maybe that was due to the transfer to DVD on the Chinese DVD I saw). Let it start out lighthearted -- but bereft of cleverness. Let it fail to develop the motives of the characters -- or even build sympathy for them -- so that when the plot turns weepie, you're not moved.

The actors -- Choi Min Su as the policeman and Shim Eun Ha as the girl -- are way too good for this. Eun Ha would make only six more films -- the last, released in 2000 when she was a top star and still shy of 30 years of age. Her quality films (and outstanding ones they are) are Christmas IN AUGUST and ART MUSEUM BY THE ZOO (both released in 1998).