Closer To Heaven (South Korean)

Closer To Heaven is so a beautiful romance movie from South Korea that the whole world could learn from. Ha Ji-won and Kim Myung- min truly did a remarkable job in making us believe in their love and hope for a happy ending that never comes.


"Lee Ji-soo was a twice divorced funeral director who reunited with old friend Baek Jong-woo for funeral services for his mother. Jong-woo had suffered from Lou-Gehrig-Syndrome in which he battled as teenager ever since. Ji-soo, who had suffered two divorces, finds herself bonding with Jong-woo and they begin to fall in love with other. Later on they get married, however they went through several trials along the way." - Wikipedia

Do not expect a happy ending or in other words don't expect an American ending. This film is realistic in it's love, so realistic that it hits our hearts at full force. To the point we also might think about our mortality and wondering if we too had ever had true love like these two characters had.
I don't know any girl that would stay at my side if I had ALS or even other serious disease and take care of me. I realize through this film that I never felt what true love is..Do you?

Lee Ji-su (Ha Ji-won) is a funeral director who no man could love because of her hands. She prepares the dead for the afterlife by cleaning them up and making them look better than ever. She never expected to fall in love with a man from her past that was fighting a serious disease. She like a lot people did not know what ALS was and despite finding out what it is she stayed by her loves side.
Even when he made  a turn for the worse she left but came back. She could never deny the fact she loves the man. Ha Ji-won made a stellar performance and proves she can play dramtic roles and not just comedic roles.

Baek Jong-woo (Kim Myung-min) is a made stricken with ALS and is bound to a wheelchair. He gets better then gets worse to the point he can no longer move by himself. All the time he has the love of Lee Ji-su though he tries to push her away she eventually comes back to stay by his side until the painful end. It's my first time seeing Kim Myung-min act but it will not be the last. He did such a great job depicting the pain of ALS patients and a man in love that knows he will die.

This movie hit home with me since I knew someone who went through ALS and eventually died in his sleep. I saw him go through most of the stages I saw in the movie nad heard about what he went through during his last part of his life. That's how I knew the scenes in this film are realistic, as are the feelings that float all around this film.

Good night true love, I'll see you again when the time comes

3.9/5