Writer: Ayushi Dhiman (Delhi, India)
Editor: Ankita Panda (Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
A Werewolf Boy (늑대소년) is a 2012 South Korean film starring Song Joong-ki (송중기) and Park Bo-young (박보영). It premiered on September 11, 2012, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), then screened at the 17th Busan International Film Festival before it was nationally released in South Korea on October 31, 2012. This 122-minute-long film went on to become a huge box-office hit and one of the most successful Korean melodramas of all time. This box-office hit easily caters to the tastes of all fantasy romance genre lovers out there.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Directed and written by Jo Sung-hee (조성희), the story unfolds by introducing us to an elderly woman living a comfortable life with her family in the United States. Suddenly, she receives a phone call that leaves her bewildered, and she leaves for South Korea at once. She meets her granddaughter at the airport, and together they travel to the countryside. The girl looks a lot like her grandmother did when she was young, and her youth and innocence remind the elderly woman of her own life as a teenage girl.
Video Credits: Rotten Tomatoes Trailers
Now the story shifts the focus from the present day and takes us back to the mid 1960s, when the elderly woman is reminiscing about her past and the special someone she left behind. Her name is Kim Sun-yi, played by Park Bo-young, a 17-year-old girl. In the flashback, we learn that Sun-yi is battling some serious respiratory issues, and her delicate health condition is the reason her mother decided to move to the countryside to provide Sun-yi with a fresh, though isolated, living environment.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Sun-yi spent most of her time alone; as she didn’t have any friends, neither did she attend the school. One day, a savage boy appeared out of the woods, and his gestures were nowhere similar to ours. His blood type was unidentified; he didn’t know how to read or write and couldn’t even communicate his needs, his background, or his life. It appeared that this wild-like boy had never really spent his time amongst the humans and had indeed spent his time roaming around the woods, picking up traits he observed in forest animals and beasts.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Sun-yi’s mother was a kind woman, and she adopted the boy, thinking he might be an orphan or a victim of the Korean War. In Chul-soo, played by Song Joong-ki, Sun-yi found a companion, a friend, and someone to spend time with because the young girl spent all her time by herself. The discovery of the savage boy gave her something to look forward to in life apart from always frowning about her illnesses. But little did she know how the game of fate was going to unfold for the two.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Sun-yi found a dog manual, and she began training the feral boy, slowly and steadily, one step at a time. At first, it was just amusement for her, but with time Sun-yi unconsciously opened her heart to him. The feelings were mutual, as the savage boy, not aware of anything else in the human world, was actually getting more and more inclined towards the little girl.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Chul-soo would play with her, protect her, and be an ally Sun-yi never had until then. How precious this feeling must be. Sun-yi fell in love with the werewolf boy; yes, as the title suggests, the feral boy was actually a werewolf, a creature atrocious and ferocious to everyone, but it still knew how to fall in love.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Picture Credits: IMDb
Because of internal politics and interference from Sun-yi’s fiancé Ji-tae, played by Yoo Yeon-seok (안연석), their love was tainted. All the long-forgotten memories hit the grandmother like the infamous white truck, but this time she was much more sober and mature enough to hold her heart back. She refuses to sell the old house to anyone, the reason she was called back to her hometown, and decides to get back to her life.
Picture Credits: IMDb
I won’t mention exactly how this story ends, but one thing is for sure: it’s one of the most bittersweet endings I have seen in any movie, and it left me longing for more. The movie’s plot is quite heavy, but it is carried out in a very simple manner, which I absolutely loved. It does get too intense at certain points, but still the entire storyline is quite balanced and gives the audience enough time to process all of the emotions. It also opens the door to different interpretations and alternative endings, which makes this movie even more remarkable and worth remembering.
Picture Credits: IMDb
I would also like to mention that Song Joong-ki’s acting, as always, is tremendous here as well. But what makes this role much more distinguishable is that he had little to no dialogue in the entire film, and hence the only way for him to convey his emotions to the audience was through his eyes, his facial expressions, and gestures, which he did beautifully. I never craved verbal interactions in the entire movie, but again, the ending made me tear up.
Picture Credits: IMDb
Park Bo-young looks charming as always, and the chemistry between the two leads is memorable. This movie also introduces us to fun supporting characters, and whatever role they performed, they performed with utmost diligence, and their roles complete the film.
Picture Credits: IMDb
The entire movie is a perfect blend of the two completely contrary genres: Fantasy and Realism. The film, in many ways, also reminded me of the evergreen movie Titanic, with the feeling of longing and living with the craving for a forgotten familiar feeling, unattainable love; but then again, life is about moving on and cherishing those memories.
Video Credits: STONE MUSIC
Love is a universal feeling, and no amount of hatred can stand where love exists. It has no limits, no boundaries, and it stays with you forever. This classic film gives love a new definition, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
Have you watched the movie? Did it leave you with a lasting impression? Let us know in the comments!!
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A Werewolf Boy is the kind of love story that stays in your heart long after it ends. The innocence of Chul-soo’s love, his silent devotion, and that heartbreaking ending make this movie truly unforgettable. Some promises really do last forever.