Dream to You

Presentation

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Overview

Synopsis

When they were teenagers, Woo Su Bin and Joo Yi Jae dreamed of becoming movie directors. But Su Bin suddenly left. Years later, he has become a genius movie director. He returns to South Korea to meet his real dream, Joo Yi Jae.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

It may be my unpopular opinion – because many criticized this drama – but I really liked it. Though the first two episodes didn’t convince me right away, it got better the moment Yi Jae accepted to talk to the male lead again. After that, the drama really delved into their traumas, their family relationships and their dreams. The romance is nice but I especially liked the way the plot is written. Characters mirror each other (Su Bin and Ha Na are similar, while Yi Jae and Yu Geon share the same struggles). Mothers are the perfect opposite of each other as well. I enjoyed watching the evolution of both couples and it really felt like they were a quartet more than a lead and secondary couple. Finally, I loved how they used the movie industry to support the narrative. It’s at the core of characters’ lives, struggles, dreams and futures. All in all, I was positively surprised by this drama.

Analysis

• Mirroring characters
  Woo Su Bin and Oh Ha Na, the step-siblings
  Ju Yi Jae and Sim Yu Geon, chasing a dream
  Woo Su Bin and Ju Yi Jae, the movie directors
  Oh Ha Na and Sim Yu Geon, the lead actors
  The mothers, complete opposite
• The film industry
  The movies
  Money rules it all
• The ending

Mirroring characters: The best part of the plot is that characters are set in pairs. These duos share similar backgrounds or experiences or life struggles or desires. There’s a mirroring effect that is compelling. They may have the same starting point but their journey differ to eventually lead to a common destination.

Woo Su Bin and Oh Ha Na, the step-siblings: Apart from the fact that they have the same mother, Woo Su Bin (Hwang In Yeop) and Oh Ha Na (Lee Yul Eum) have similar backgrounds and experiences. Both have been raised by controlling parents – Soo Bin’s father is violent, beats his mother, wants to decide his future and make him a doctor, refuses to be told no, while Oh Ha Na’s mother has a say in everything in her life even in her late 20s. She decides her career, her schedule, her contracts. Both are suffocated making them very lonely characters in need of affection, independence and freedom.

Ju Yi Jae and Sim Yu Geon, chasing a dream: Ju Yi Jae (Hyeri) and Sim Yu Gyeon (Baek Sung Chul) have been friends since high school and experience broken dreams and/or life that doesn’t go the way they want to. Yu Ji Jae dreamed of becoming a movie director as a teenager, but her dream collapsed when Su Bin left her side and she got into a car accident. Rehab took a very long time and she had no choice but to let go of her dream. Sim Yu Geon is an aspiring actor who’s been struggling for 10 years. He comes from a poor background and tries hard to make it big. In their case, parents have a lot in common – they love their children and want what’s best for them. But their desire to protect comes with a reluctance to let them pursue their dreams. They don’t want to see them struggle, so they try to convince them to give up.

Woo Su Bin and Yu Ji Jae, the movie directors: Su Bin’s life changed when he met Yi Jae. She gave him a purpose, meaning to his life and a future. She inspired him to pursue his dream – or rather her dream – and insufflated love for movie direction. 10 years later, Su Bin made it big and wants to bring the same passion back to Yi Jae. So he reaches out to her and convinces her to finish the movie they had started together 10 years ago. As co-directors, not only do they give an ending to their script, but they also rekindle the flame and renew with lost dreams. Yi Jae gave Su Bin hope in the past and now it’s time for him to pay his debt.

Oh Ha Na and Sim Yu Geon, the lead actors: These two unexpectedly meet on a shoot when Yu Geon is on his part-time delivery job and is cast as substitute of the male model. They are immediately attracted to another. Oh Ha Na is constantly criticized for being difficult to work with and notoriously bad at romances, but it’s different with Yu Geon. He’s the only friend she has, the only person who sees her for who she is and the only one who accepts her. Reversely, Yu Geon finds comfort in Ha Na. Though they are at different stages of their career, they bring love to the other and to their characters, turning the movie into a reality. In the meantime, they both manage to grow as actors and make it big.

The mothers, complete opposite: Woo Su Bin has two mothers in the drama that could not differ more. Interestingly they are the perfect opposite of the other. His biological mother, Ahn Su Hee (Park Ji Young), is selfish and self-centered. She doesn’t care about him because he reminds her of a past she wants to forget. His adoptive mother, Lee Hwa Yeon (Pang Eun Jin), is a true mother who protects him and even accepted to suffer domestic abuse for him. She is selfless, altruistic and kind. The issue with both mothers is that their personalities are radical. Hwa Yeon is too good which makes her an easy prey for her husband, while Su Hee is extremely egocentric making it difficult to appreciate her. However, there’s a shift by the end of the drama. Characters grow and understand that they need to change if they want to survive their relationships. Hwa Yeon asserts herself and stands strong on her feet, while Su Hee becomes more humane and mother-like.

The film industry: I loved how the drama used the film industry as background, but also as catalyst of everything that happens to characters. Everything is intertwined with movie making, slowly blurring the lines between fiction and reality. The show also provides some insights on the backstage of the industry which is not always buds and roses.

The movies: Gyeongseong Love Story is the first movie made by Yi Jae and Su Bin when they were still in high school. It is the result of Yi Jae’s ideation and passion onto which Su Bin held for years in hope of getting Yi Jae back. This scenario gave him strength and direction when he had to leave Yi Jae. It’s the reason of their reunion, as well as the accomplishment of their love and dreams. At the end of the drama, Su Bin gives Yi Jae his own scenario entitled Dream that he wants to co-direct with her. Though it’s a tempting offer, Yi Jae refuses and leaves for Canada for two years to study and build her career. However, she keeps the scenario and uses it as a source of strength and inspiration, just like Su Bin did years ago. When she comes back, the pair can finally reunite and fulfill their own dream: Being a director capable on standing on her own for Yi Jae and being with Yi Jae for Su Bin.

Money rules it all: When it is revealed that Ha Na and Su Bin are step-siblings and that their mother is the movie’s main investor, the story becomes a scandal. Investors start to pull out of the project endangering the movie. So Su Bin offers to step down, but the crew refuses and fights investors. These events shows the behind the scenes of movie production which is a ruthless and cruel world where money rules. There’s a clear distinction between investors who want ROI and the movie staff who are doing it for the arts. And sometimes, these two sides collide.

The ending: To me it made a lot of sense that Yi Jae would leave to make a name for herself first rather than relying on her boyfriend all her life. She says it herself, she doesn’t want to live with regrets. Ten years ago, she chose Su Bin, ran out of the bus for him and got into an accident. This derailed her life entirely. Now, she’s given a second chance at fulfilling her dream, so she wants to make it right. This time, she chooses herself and stays in the bus (if I continue with the metaphor). It turns out well because her return is synonymous with success, self-confidence, and love. She gets back to Su Bin as an accomplished director who now stands on an equal level as him.