Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1784. O Youth! (청촌이여!) (1994)

    1784. O Youth! (청촌이여!) (1994)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on June 11, 2017 1994, 6 - 7.9, 80-89 mins, Comedy, Jun 17, Movies Of 2017, North Korea, Review, Romance
    7.2 Pleasant and light-hearted
    • Acting 7.2
    • Directing 7.2
    • Story 7.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Li Il-cheol, Jon Jong-pal, Han Yeong-chaeg

    Director: Jon Jong-pal

    Running Time: 88 mins


    O Youth! is a North Korean film about a family composed of five daughters, all sportswomen, and one son, a studious but non-sporty individual. When his parents begin to push him to get married, they take differing opinions on what sort of woman is best for him. Should she be another sportswoman to join the family? Or should she be a traditional homemaker that will do more for the country? With opinions all over the place, complications arise when he finally meets a woman that nobody could have expected at first.

    You may not think of North Korea as the natural home as the romantic comedy, but the truth is that O Youth! is every bit as generic and formulaic as anything you get out of Hollywood. In fact, it’s often a little better, thanks to its more family-oriented focus that allows for a fresher story to the normal rom-com fare. Of course, it struggles a little when it comes to raucous humour, but on the whole, it’s a surprisingly pleasant, sweet and engaging film from start to almost finish.

    The best thing about this film for me is definitely the story. Yes, on the one hand, it does have a generic rom-com element to it, surrounding the identity of one of the two romantic leads. Like any Hollywood rom-com, it’s all about keeping a secret from the other to keep the relationship going.

    However, the majority of the plot here isn’t just about the two love interests. The most entertaining part comes from the family dynamic behind the central romance, with the very entertaining battle between the mother of the family and the father as they both try to push their son towards different woman, taking a fun and convincing turn as things become all the more complicated for the characters.

    So, whilst I can’t say that this film provides any side-splitting laughs, the eccentric performances from the mother and father go a long way to making it a good bit of harmless fun. What’s more is that the film does a great job to make it all feel a lot less like a generic rom-com. Not just because it’s a North Korean movie, but also because there’s so much more focus on the family side of things than normal, giving the story a more wholesome atmosphere that’s far more interesting than the most formulaic Hollywood romantic comedies.

    Now, unfortunately, this film isn’t quite as perfect as I would have liked it to be. The first two acts are surprisingly entertaining and sweet, working well as a light-hearted romantic/family comedy, but the third act sadly undoes a lot of the good work earlier on with a dull, propaganda-heavy finale.

    It seems as if the entire movie just stops about two-thirds of the way through to make way for a rousing, patriotic climax that doesn’t really fit in the story. Earlier on, the various mentions of the North Korean state, and leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il actually don’t feel that out of place in the dialogue, but when the film then turns to a Rocky-style sports finale, where the North Korean athlete annihilates a Western one, then proclaims their love and undying gratitude to the state, it all feels a little too much like pure propaganda.

    And that’s a real shame, given that the first two-thirds of this movie are very pleasant and light-hearted. The fact that the cinematography makes it look like it’s straight out of the late 60s/early 70s (not deliberate, that’s just the technology that was available then) gives it an even softer and sweeter feel, but when it all turns to pure propaganda, it really loses the surprising genuine heart and sense of humour from early on, and that’s why I’m giving O Youth! a 7.2 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    October 26, 20210

    3526. The Rescue (2021)

    8.6
    Review
    May 9, 20170

    1750. The Grey (2012)

    8.6
    Review
    January 20, 20170

    1624. Patriots Day (2016)

    8.0
    Review
    October 5, 20140

    710. Paths Of Glory (1957)

    8.1
    Review
    April 14, 20220

    3708. Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.