25-21 (2022)
Quick Take: 25-21 (2022), starring Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Tae-ri. 9.6/10. 16 episodes, 70 minutes each.
Synopsis: This endearing coming-of-age story is set during the Korean financial crisis of the late 1990’s, when unemployment tripled and 80% of households lost income. The main characters are teenagers in 1998. Baek Ye-jin has to drop out of college when his chaebol family goes bankrupt. He struggles to find even a menial job. Na Hee-do is a fencing prodigy, but she has to transfer to another high school when funding cuts end the fencing program at hers. They both struggle with family issues and career issues, but they provide support and encouragement to each other. Can that love grow into happily-ever-after love? Three other friends in their circle have their own stories to tell.
Review: 25-21 is a wide-angle story; the troubles the characters face are part of the broader social/cultural/economic context. The narrative frame is Na Hee-do’s daughter in present day visiting her grandmother and finding her mother’s diaries. The daughter wants to give up on ballet, but after reading about her mother’s struggles to become an Olympic Gold Medalist in fencing, she reconsiders. 25-21 was hugely popular in South Korea during its 2022 run, though some fans were unhappy about the unanswered questions at the end. FWIW, I wasn’t one of them.
Leads are A-list actors Nam Joo-hyuk (Start-Up, 2021) and Kim Tae-ri (Mr. Sunshine, 2018). Kim Tae-ri received the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress 2022 for her performance. The more I see of Nam Joo-hyuk, the more I like him. Like Kim Seon-ho, he conveys nuanced emotion without saying a word.
Recommended.
Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 10, Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 6. Bonus for complex, believable characters as written and as acted.
Notes:
Nam Joo-hyuk
began his career as a model. He gained notice in the tv drama School 2015 (2015) and rose to popularity with lead roles in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016), The Bride of Halbaek (2017), Radiant (2019), and Start-up (2020).
Kim Tae-ri
has been active in films from 2013, including The Handmaiden (2016), Little Forest (2018), and Space Sweepers (2021). She made her small-screen debut with a lead role in Mr. Sunshine (2018). 25-21 was only her second multi-episode television drama.
Bona
is the stage name of Kim Ji-yeon. She made her debut as a member of Kpop group WJSN in 2015, and started acting in 2017. She won praise for her role as an Olympic fencer and professional rival of Kim Tae-ri’s character in 25-21.