‘This is it! This is what life is all about,’ I wondered as the story of Oh Ae-sun and Yang Gwan-sik in Netflix’s global sensation When Life Gives You Tangerine came to a close. While Korean shows have been a rage for a while, this IU and Park Bo-gum-starrer beautifully executed 16-episode series, with an IMDb rating of 9.4, has struck a cord. And its beauty lies in simplicity.
The show is about the six-decade story, starting from the 1950s, of Oh Ae-sun (played by IU and then Moon So-ri), and Yang Gwan-sik (played by Park Bo-gum and later Park Hae-joon), childhood sweethearts whose lifelong companionship withstands the relentlessness of poverty, loss of loved ones including the youngest of their three children, and time itself.
Most of their lives unfold on the rocky shores of Jeju Island, whose main crop is tangerine, hence the name of the show, which is as much as the bitter-sweet nature of life as finding happiness in the smallest things. Ae-sun is fiercely independent, and Gwan-sik is fiercely loyal to her.
The plot is simple, and its USP lies in capturing the mundane. For example, Gwan-sik gets Ae-sun hairpins since childhood, which sustains till the end. “Yes, I am. I am just so happy,” Ae-sun says, with hands on her heart, whenever she achieves anything small or big.
In a world where every person seems to be sprinting, the show slows you down as emotions simmer.
Then there is the focus on community. “It takes a village to raise a child,” they say, which the show beautifully showcases, and rightly so, especially in contemporary times, when while being connected through devices constantly, communities feel increasingly disconnected. Whether while braving poverty or the loss of her child, the community’s warm presence is always there. In one such scene, as Ae-sun holds the lifeless body of her child and the otherwise stoic Gwan-sik breaks down, the camera pans out, and one sees their extended family, neighbours, and other villagers, there, sobbing and grieving with them.
The show is also an ode to womanhood and sisterhood. When Ae-sun stands for the post of the village chief against a man, and the other men appear siding with him, showcasing the deep-rooted patriarchy, it’s the women and a few men, who stand beside her.
In the end, When Life Gives You Tangerine is a slow-burning slice-of-life soul watch, which is intimate and refreshing. And if you happen to have already watched it, there are two other recommendations: Reply 1988, also starring Bo-gum, and Summer Strike starring Kim Seol-hyun, both streaming on Netflix.
