A Werewolf Boy (2012)

This is not a werewolf movie, nor is it a horror film, a thriller, or an action adventure. If A Werewolf Boy were to be contrasted with the wealth of werewolf related films and TV shows America has been quick to produce over the past decade, this South Korean romantic fantasy drama would, undoubtedly, be the best.At the same time however, though a love story at heart, the romantic themes bear no resemblance to plots developed from Nicholas Sparks' novels, nor are they similar to the romantic fantasy Painted Skin. A film conceived both tenderly and with much innocence, A Werewolf Boy focuses specifically on emotions and feelings, rather than desirous outward affection.Soon-Yi (Yeong-ran Lee) is an elderly woman - a grandmother - living in the United States, when a phone call regarding family property causes her to return to South Korea. Upon returning to the home she once resided in, she is immediately overcome with memories from her short time there as a child.Bo-yeong Park gives an outstanding performance, which is not only refreshingly lively but emotionally powerful, as the young Soon-Yi, a sickly adolescent girl who is home-schooled by her mother (Young-nam Jang). Although she has a familial relationship with her sister, Sun-ja (Hyang-gi Kim), Soon-Yi is largely isolated, with no friends her own age, and we are able to further glimpse how she feels through the poetry she produces. After the death of their father, they move from Seoul, to a life of poverty in the country, under the domineering eye of their vile landlord Ji-tae (Yeon-Seok Yoo), who deserves kudos for portraying such a wretchedly, arrogant man.Not long into their stay at the residence, Soon-Yi finds they are not alone at the establishment with the discovery of a young, unidentifiable vagrant later named Chul-soo (Joong-ki Song), who is more animal than human, some suspecting him of being orphaned during the Korean War. Unable to communicate verbally, and with lacking social skills, Song's ability to convey emotion through growls and facial expressions is truly excellent.Originally viewed as a nuisance by Soon-Yi and her sister after their mother takes him in, Chul-soo begins to adopt an ability to understand those around him, and settle comfortably into their lives as Soon-Yi dedicates much of her time to assisting him. In doing so, she begins to reveal the boy inside, and despite there been many who genuinely care for Chul-soo, there are an equal number of people who believe him to be a formidable danger. As these feelings escalate, paranoia and animosity befalls members of the community, and Chul-soo's future with Soon-Yi and her family is put in jeopardy.But after all this time has passed, is Chul-soo still waiting for the only girl he ever loved? Although much of the cast is young, the talent's intellectual depiction of their roles makes for a deeply emotional experience. Cleverly told, with mature, likable characters, A Werewolf Boy certainly offers its viewers a very unique experience. The effects, although infrequent, are exceptionally produced, and the soundtrack that accompanies the scenes really sets the mood.Much of the film takes place on the land Soon-Yi's family lives on, and though there are many films that require a wealth of locations, A Werewolf Boy is not one of them, and manages to keep the viewer's attention through the use of character development and plot. Moreover, the camera-work brilliantly captures the environment the story is set in, revealing the countryside's beauty.Despite there been a couple of story elements that remain largely unexplained, answers are not crucial for viewers to enjoy the feature, and although the film's final scene is a little anticlimactic, I personally am unable to find fault with the feature. A beautiful, heartwarming story about love, family, struggle and humanity, A Werewolf Boy is the kind of film that should come equipped with a gigantic box of tissues, because by the end, you are definitely going to need them.

I wanted to like "A Werewolf Boy", a newer South Korean drama by director Sung-Hee Jo. It has good qualities including some good performances by the younger actors, and competent cinematography. Where the movie fell short was in the storytellers and director's decision in two particular areas. First, the antagonist has no subtlety and is obnoxious in a terribly overhanded way. This takes away from any tension, and effectively gives away future conflicts. (spoilers) So there's little but cliché/derivative scenes with the bad-guys gang and his eventual demise. The 2nd area was the movie's humor. It was much too silly with laughably poor sound effect and music. Overall the movie had potential if it gets more serious and makes a better antagonist. You could do worse, but not really recommended 5.7/10

The Asian film market continues to deliver the most diverse films around with more actually working than not. They seem to take a lot more chances with storytelling and visuals than any other market. The latest A Werewolf Boy comes from Korea and offers a unique love story but does it work to tell the strange tale that it hopes too or is it one of those so far out there that it misses the mark and only speaks to certain audiences? A Werewolf Boy follows an elderly woman called back to a cottage that she used to live in when she was a girl. There she had encountered a young "wolf boy" living in the shed. What started out as a terrifying encounter turned into a love/friendship as she uses dog training tactics to teach the boy how to live in the real world that will change her life forever. This is one of those fantasy stories that sounds a bit boring and probably shouldn't work, but surprisingly delivers. Let's be clear, there are no actual werewolves in this film, but instead more of a feral young boy. The performances are really well done, especially from Joong-ki Song who plays the wolf-boy. He really plays up the dog behaviors making the character that much more believable without making it silly to watch. The film moves at a fairly slow pace with a few moments that could have been chipped to help it flow a bit better, but most of it is necessary for the overall story. There are some aspects that are a bit predictable for where this story is headed, but it never really continues on the standard path.There is no action or horror here, but instead a heartwarming fantasy story of two people finding their own path in the world. The film begins in the present, before jumping to the past for most of the film, but the finale back in the present offers a tearjerker type ending that is sure to please and makes the film even better than it already was. This isn't a film for everyone as it is character and dialogue based, but works well to tell this beautiful story.

No, this isn't a horror flick but a dull fantasy romance flick. I usually don't mind these types of flick but it's just so darn dull, predictable and boring most of the way through the build up. I am not sure if they just wanted to make a Korean "Twilight" with a werewolf or just cash in on Joong-ki Song popularity since he is or was the rising popular actor in Korea at the time. I just never found Joong-ki Song to be able to play tough, strong, cool or even charismatic characters. So he basically sticks to the the cute characters to win over fan girls which is understandable. But that is all this movie is for the most part, just Joong-ki Song being this obedient cut dog character. It's basically like "Twilight" where girls can fantasize and maybe even enjoy but guys will be bored while on the date. And the main villain is just super laughable and more of a joke than anything else. It's like they wrote his character so he can act like such a bad and vile guy that just tries so hard to be bad. Everything about the villain in this movie is so darn forced it becomes very very difficult to take seriously. I can see why girls might like this flick but guys should probably pass on this one. If your girlfriend however wants to see this with you, just do it. It isn't a unbearable movie to sit through but just not a very entertaining one for guys.5.2/10