A
Still Picture 스틸 사진
KBS (2012) 1 Hour Drama Special
Melodrama, Grade: B+ Korean Drama Review by Jill, USA (Some Spoilers)
~~~~~~~~~
When I saw the cast list for
this one hour Korean drama special from 2012, A
Still Picture, I said out loud to myself, "Oooh!
I'm in!"The leading man, Nam Goong
Min, I had been watching in dramas and films since
2005's classic My
Rosy Life, and on through other
unforgettable performances of his, like in Remember
(2015-16), where he literally stole the entire drama
away from all the other fine thespians in the cast. He
is always fascinating to watch, often playing complex or
dark characters. I had the same reaction watching him in
this drama special:I couldn't tear my
eyes away from him, even though sometimes I wanted to
slap his character and shout, like Cher in Moonstruck,
"Snap out of it!"
Nam Goong Min In His Best Role:
Remember
Also in the cast was a very young
Park Bo Gum (Tomorrow's
Cantabile, Encounter)
just starting out in his acting career, playing the younger
version of Nam Goong Min's character. So young and cute I
wanted to pinch his cheeks. LOL
Another plus for me was seeing yet another
role by the actress Moon Jeong Hee, who had played the evil
Jessica in Vagabond
(2019) and the going-blind Aunt in I'll
Go To You When The Weather Is Nice (2020). She
was younger here and even more beautiful in this drama
special.
Also of interest to me
was the actress Shim Yi Young who had played the klutzy,
awkward Aunt in The
Suspicious Housekeeper (2013), here playing
Nam Goong Min's long-suffering wife. I always break into
a grin when I see her in a cast list.
Finally, rounding out the brilliant main cast, is the
actress who played Moon Jeong Hee's character as a teen,
Kyung Soo Jin. I immediately recognized her as the actress
who had played the younger version of Ye Jin Son in the
masterpiece Shark
(2013). She has such an interesting, intelligent face, and I
enjoyed her performance in this short drama special as well.
Since the best things in life often come in small packages
this drama special was not one I was going to miss!
The Story:
A handsome, personable young man named Hyun
Soo (Nam Goong Min) has
been a part-time lecturer in photography at a prestigious
university for ten years. Once, when he was a teen (Park Bo
Gum), Hyun Soo had dreamed of becoming a professional
photographer for magazines and newspapers, concentrating on
righteous causes like improved civil rights in his country,
but now in his thirties his much more practical goal is to
become a full-time professor at his university, and to make
a full-time salary instead of just a part-time one.
However, Hyun Soo is told by his best
friend, Joo Sung Tae (Park Hyuk Kwon), that in order to
become a full-time, tenured professor he will require money
and connections, but he possesses neither of these
necessities. He's barely scraping by financially, he's in
debt, his credit cards are maxed out, and his wife Choi Min
Shin (Shim Yi Young), to whom he has been married for ten
years, has been the principal breadwinner, working as a
luxury car saleswoman. She seems to be the one making the
most sacrifices in the marriage. It is revealed later that
she had even paid his college tuition while she worked and
he finished school. It's obviously past time for Hyun Soo to
step up to the plate and become the main breadwinner of his
family, to give his poor wife a break from working so hard
for him in a male-dominated field. But how to do this when
the cards seem stacked against him?
Then one day out of the blue his first
love Eun Soo (Moon Jeong Hee, adult, Kyung Joo Shin as
teen) appears before him on the street. They recognize
each other right away, even though they haven't seen each
other in many years. Eun Soo was the person who had taught
Hyun Soo how to take pictures and who had inspired his
growing talent in the field. Despite himself, Hyun Soo
can't help noticing that his heart is fluttering for the
first time in a long time when he's in Eun Soo's presence.
Later, Hyun Soo's senior at work tells him that she is a
strong candidate to become the new full-time professor at
their university, the job for which Hyun Soo is also
applying. She had even returned from a prestigious job in
America, in the hopes of earning this job in Korea, and
being able to settle down in her home country once again.
When Hyun Soo learns that they are up
for the same job he has a big decision to make. Should he
back down and let his first love - who is obviously a much
better, sophisticated choice for it - get the job? Or
should he finally start fighting tooth and nail to get it,
and shove Eun Soo out of the way for his personal
ambition? This is when we see Hyun Soo's real nature take
over, and it's not very pretty.
Nam Goong Min was perfect
casting to play this complex role. We want to like him but
we can see his dark side, too. If you are his fan don't
miss this one hour drama special, even though it's rather
hard to watch sometimes, especially near the end. You can
watch it here with no annoying commercials or screen bugs.
Just press the Play button. Enjoy.
