Record of Youth (2020)
Quick Take: Record of Youth (2020), starring Park Bo-gum and Park So-dam. 9.0/10. 16 episodes 70 min.
Synopsis: 26-year-old Sa Hye-joon has had some success as a runway model, but his ambition is to become an actor. His mother and grandfather support him, but his father and brother deride and ridicule him. His best friend, Won Hae-hyo, is on the same path; however, Won Hae-hyo comes from a wealthy family and his mother actively involves herself in promoting her son’s career. At a fashion show the two friends meet Ahn Jeong-ha, a trainee make-up artist with ambitions of her own. The three become friends. Sa Hye-joon and Ahn Jeong-ha begin a relationship, but it gets complicated as his career takes off and then is threatened by a scandal.
Review: Record of Youth was Park Bo-gum’s final project before interrupting his career to join the military, just as his character Sa Hye-joon does — though Park Bo-gum wasn’t escaping a scandal.
Korea’s cancel culture comes under scrutiny in this drama. Just as his acting career takes off, Sa Hye-joon is accused of having dated a gay fashion designer. Hye-joon takes the high road and won’t respond to the accusations, which are false; but lack of defense is judged to be admission of guilt and he is dropped from projects and endorsements. It’s easy to draw a parallel with Kim Seon-ho’s travails in October 2021.
Although generally considered a disappointment after Encounter’s success, Record of Youth holds its own. Park Bo-gum is a perfect person (again); Park So-dam is cute, though not given the comedic opportunity to shine that she had in Cinderella and the Four Knights. Record of Youth provides insights into the Korean modeling and entertainment industries, entertainment agency politics, and Korean cancel culture. Themes include Believe in Yourself, and The Importance of Timing.
Rewatchable - 4, Compelling - 4, Plot/ Story/Writing - 9, Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 3. Bonus points for Park Bo-gum.
Notes:
Park Bo-gum
started learning to play the piano in kindergarten, and originally wanted to become a singer/songwriter. He has been acting since 2011. During his military enlistment in the Navy, he earned a hairdressing certificate. See him also in Reply 1988 (2015), Love in the Moonlight (2016), and Encounter (2018).
Park So-dam
developed an interest in acting in high school. After failing multiple auditions, she began her career in small indecent films. Her mainstream breakthrough came in her performance in The Silenced (2015). See her also in A Beautiful Mind (2016), Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016), and the internationally acclaimed film Parasite (2019).
Byeon Woo-seok
made his debut as an actor in 2016. See him also in Live Up to Your Name (2017), Flower Crew: Jose Marriage Agency (2019), Search WWW (2019), and Moonshine (2022).