...ing (VCD) (Hong Kong Version) VCD

Soon enough, a photographer named Young Jae (Kim Rae Won, from My Little Bride) enters both of their lives by moving into the downstairs apartment. Upon seeing her, Young Jae immediately does his best to win Min Ah's attention, engaging in a series of well-intentioned, but slightly juvenile acts that he hopes will make her change her mind. Although highly resistant at first, Min Ah eventually caves in to Young Jae's goofily charming persistence, and the two embark on a tentative friendship. Much to the delight of her mother, the friendship between Min Ah and Young Jae eventually turns to love (albeit chaste), and they soon plan a trip to Hawaii together. But with the bitter realities of Min Ah's fatal illness looming low on the horizon, one begins to wonder if the budding couple will be able to make it to Hawaii before it's too late.

With such a small cast, the burden of the film's success lies on the film's three principals, and the actors acquit themselves quite well in their respective roles. As the focus of attention, Im Soo Jung delivers a memorable performance in her role as Min Ah. And although they do have some highly charged emotional scenes, Lee Mi Sook and Kim Rae Won bring a welcome bit of comic relief to the proceedings, which in itself, is another positive of the film. Rather than bog down the narrative with the kind of hefty emotional baggage generally associated with the genre, the filmmakers instead use humor as a more natural way to get the audience to identify and/or sympathize with their characters. Part of what makes …ing a solid film experience is that if the terminal illness aspect were eliminated altogether, what remained – a story about a shy, reclusive girl falling in love with an outgoing young man – would sustain a film in and of itself. And considering the plethora of "terminal illness tearjerkers" plaguing the market these days, part of me wishes that element actually was excised from the film. But still, as far as these things go, this is a topnotch melodrama.

One of the more innovative aspects of the film is that the plot doesn't rely solely on the romance element, but instead gives equal, if not more time, to the unconventional mother-daughter relationship. Because Min Ah was deprived of friends her own age due to her constant trips to the hospital, her mother asks to be called by her first name, becoming, in effect, Min Ah's "best friend" from an early age. Even so, the way in which the two characters interact as mother and daughter comes across rather realistically, and Mi Sook's occasional deadpan "revelations" to her daughter always make for entertaining comic digressions.

Although the specter of Min Ha's possible death is ever-present, …ing feels less heavy-handed and contrived than most melodramas. Even within the parameters of the genre, the actors are able to convey a real sense of warmth, humor, and believability, thus making …ing a poignant, yet highly enjoyable cinematic experience. If you're a fan of this type of movie, then …ing won't disappoint.

By Calvin McMillin