Pure nostalgia of love. Genuine, melancholic, and heartbreaking Korean romantic sci-fi drama infuses never-ending fantasies about time, fate, luck, and chance. Everywhere we contemplate “What if?” scenarios even when everything is too fantastic to believe. When you fall in love blindly there is always a moment to let go at the right time. Usually, it is almost impossible to accept, give up, and move on to a new chapter. Director Seo Eun-young (her previous two films competed in Busan and Warsaw) rewrote her own beloved Korean classical romance of the same name from 2000 into this loosely tied remake. Most of us have not had a chance to see the original.

Freshman of engineering Yong and sociology bachelor Mu-nee study at the same university and live in the same dormitory, but they’ve never met. Mu-nee has an assignment to interview someone she doesn’t know. That’s why Mu-nee uses a radio to approach occasional listeners on a walkie-talkie. During a total lunar eclipse, Yong hears a voice on his radio and responds. They continue to chat until a crucial moment when Yong proposes to meet near a phone booth. Mu-nee arrives on time but doesn’t recognise Yong, who also fails to see her. After a second attempt, the radio buddies realise that they are separated in time: Yong lives in 1999 and Mu-nee speaks in 2022. Their platonic love remains intact as youngsters share their current crushes, sparks, admiration, and friendships. In such an unbelievable way they both inspire each other to make right decisions while we gradually learn who they really are. Just don’t forget to prepare your napkins for tear-jerking revelations in this guilty pleasure kind of melodrama!

Edvinas Pukšta