20th Century Girl (2022) Review: A Crush by Proxy

Is 20th Century Girl worth watching?

Yes, for anyone in the mood for a sincere first-love story. 20th Century Girl is a gentle, handsomely made Korean romance that captures the awkwardness and intensity of being seventeen, and its two leads make even familiar beats feel fresh. Director Bang Woo-ri trusts small moments rather than grand gestures, which gives the film real warmth. The reservation is that it takes its time, leans on well-worn teen-romance devices and pushes hard for tears, so viewers who dislike overt sentiment will feel the strings being pulled.

What is 20th Century Girl about?

It is 1999, and high-school student Na Bo-ra (Kim You-jung) is fiercely loyal to her best friend Yeon-du (Roh Yoon-seo). When Yeon-du has to leave the country for heart surgery, she makes Bo-ra promise to keep watch over Baek Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo), the boy she has fallen for, and to report back on everything he does. Bo-ra, who takes the mission very seriously, decides the quickest route to Hyun-jin is through his quiet best friend, Poong Woon-ho (Byeon Woo-seok).

Spending her days tracking one boy for someone else, Bo-ra finds herself drawn to another, and the careful arrangement begins to wobble. A framing story set in the present day, with Han Hyo-joo appearing as the adult Bo-ra, adds a wistful layer of memory to the whole film.

20th Century Girl is Bang Woo-ri’s first feature, a South Korean film in Korean released on Netflix, and it runs 119 minutes.

Kim You-jung and Byeon Woo-seok make it sing

The film lives on its lead pairing. Kim You-jung plays Bo-ra as a bundle of energy and determination, funny in her detective-like devotion to her friend and surprisingly moving as she realises what she wants for herself. It is a lively performance that never tips into cuteness for its own sake.

Byeon Woo-seok, in the film that first brought him wide international attention, gives Woon-ho a shy, grave stillness that is the perfect foil for Bo-ra’s bustle. Their scenes together, a radio shared between them, a walk home after school, have the halting rhythm of real teenage courtship. Park Jung-woo and Roh Yoon-seo are appealing too, and the friendship between the two girls is given as much weight as the romance, which is one of the film’s quiet strengths.

A 1999 remembered in soft light

Bang Woo-ri and her team recreate the late 1990s with affection: school uniforms, video rental stores, portable music and bedroom walls covered with the pop culture of the time. The images are bathed in warm, hazy light, and the film is less a realistic period piece than a memory of one, which suits a story about looking back on first love.

That approach gives the film its charm, but it also limits it. Everything is prettier and gentler than adolescence usually is, and the nostalgia can feel curated for an audience that already loves the era.

A middle that circles

At nearly two hours, 20th Century Girl is longer than its story needs. The middle section circles the same misunderstandings, and the love triangle relies on secrets and missed chances that anyone familiar with Korean romance will see coming. The later stretch shifts into a more melancholy key and works hard for an emotional response. Many viewers will be happy to give it; others will feel the film has decided their tears in advance.

Who should watch 20th Century Girl?

It is an easy pick for fans of romance and coming-of-age stories, for anyone who grew up in the late 1990s, and for followers of Byeon Woo-seok who want to see an early lead role. It is gentle, with no violence and little to worry about beyond emotional sadness, which makes it suitable for teenagers. Keep tissues nearby.

If it works for you, try these next:

• Soulmate, another Korean drama about a close friendship between two young women tested by love and time, with Byeon in a supporting role.
• House of Hummingbird, a quieter, more realistic portrait of a Korean teenage girl in the 1990s.

The verdict

20th Century Girl is a warm, heartfelt Korean romance that gets the feeling of first love right, even when its plotting is predictable and its tearjerking obvious. Kim You-jung and Byeon Woo-seok are good enough to carry the slow patches, and the film’s affection for its characters and its era is hard to resist.

Rating: 4/5