A Werewolf Boy

It’s easy to at first dismiss writer-director Jo Sung-hee‘s A Werewolf Boy critically and commercially successful 2012 film avoid the list of saddest Korean movies. It's possible to mistake this romance-fantasy hybrid movie for South Korea's effort to cash in on the Twilight franchise's popularity. A Werewolf Boy, however, demonstrates that it is more than what it first looks to be and is a superb work of narrative in its own right.'

Director Jo Sung-hee's film does not take the werewolf topic in an action or horror direction. Instead, this is the love tale of Sun-yi, a werewolf played by Song Joong Ki, and Park Bo Young's daughter. Sun-yi's family stumbled upon a weird youngster with a wild lifestyle who could not even communicate in a human language. They accepted the boy as a member of the family rather than feeling afraid or abandoned.

Slowly, the wild innocence of the werewolf (called Chul-soo) won over Sun-yi's introverted heart. A sincere, selfless love developed between him and his mistress, encouraged by the lovely childhood memories. Additionally, Sun-yi painstakingly teaches him social customs to assist Chul-sooo adjust to life. The youngster still had a wild animal's nature, though. Chul-soo changed into a wolf to attack the young master Ji Tae (Yoo Yeon Seok) when she observed him mistreating Su Ni. The boy's true identity frightened the villagers, and in the end Sun-yi had to send him away with a promise: "Wait for me, I will come back to you."

After then, Sun-yi's family also relocated, and she didn't go back to her former house for another 47 years. Unexpectedly, the werewolf was still loyal and standing at the old home to meet her. Chul-soo is still only a werewolf lad in her twenties, whereas Sun-yi is now a 70-year-old woman who has walked her entire life. The moment of the two's reunion was simple and pleasant, and the audience's hearts were brimming with emotion when Chul-soo pulled out the old piece of paper and lowered his head to wait.

Release date: October 31, 2012

Director: Jo Sung-hee

Cast: Song Joong-Ki, Park Bo-Young, Yoo Yeon-Seok, Jang Young-Nam, Kim Hyang-Gi,...

Running time: 122 minutes

Rating: 7,2/10 IMDb