When we heard Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women is getting a Korean adaptation, we were stoked. It has every ingredient to add to the long list of romantic kdramas. But then the director Kim Hee-won revealed during an interview that this version will be set in the present day Korea. Parasite has made it abundantly clear how South Korea differs from what is shown in kdramas. That did make us excited but we weren't ready for such a unique transformation of the narrative. There are five ways in which Hee-won's version impressed us. Little Women: Kim Go Eun, Nam Ji Hyun, Park Ji Hu And Wi Ha Joon To Be Part Of Korean Adaptation; Know All About The Actors Here.
The plot itself
While we love to see a story in the victorian era with all its lace and curls, a modern adaptation of Little Women just opened up so many possibilities for the narrative. It uses sub-plots like embezzlement, deceit, revenge, alcoholism and a bag of 7 billion won. It adds mystery to the narrative, not once but twice. Yes, they are poor, the story doesn't duel on this obvious plot for too long.
The characters
It was evident from the trailer that the characters are a complete departure from Alcott's novel. All three women are strong, determined and independent unlike the torn and pushed March sisters. The youngest one, In-Hye (Park Ji Hyu), is a teenager but uses her abilities to make things better for her family. Elder siblings, In-joo (Park Go-eun) and In-Kyung (Nam Ji Hyun) are earning money and doing a good job at it. Yes, money is still scarce but they have been written in a way to represent today's women. That adds a lot of depth to the characters.
Character tweaks
The mother's role has been tweaked from being a support system for the girls while their father is away at war, to a woman who runs away with their money. Honestly, we don't know how that will lend to the story yet but we have feeling everything will converge on a bigger truth. As for Laurie, we still aren't aware who is him or whether he is part of the narrative. Those of you have read the novel or watched the movies, must be wondering where is the fourth sister. Well, the next episode might have the answer for that. Little Women Movie Review: Greta Gerwig's Adaptation is Emotional and Cleverly Crafted for Our Times With Stellar Performances by Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh.
The suspense
Little Women novel puts a lot of focus on their poor setting, their romances and their struggle to make their lives better. While the struggle is maintained in the Korean adaptation, the addition of mystery makes it more like a thriller than a romance drama. That has heightened expectations from it. It doesn't reveal all the cards easily. It does take some time for you to adjust to this changed story flow but it sucks you in.
little women (2022) dir. kim heewonpic.twitter.com/oEQMphuquM
— ً絢追 🎥 (@kiyoshiroze) September 4, 2022
Romance takes a backseat
Romance was at the crux of Alcott's story but here while there are hints of romance, it isn't at the heart of things. Don't know why but we love that it isn't. Sometime love stories can overwhelm narrative and derail the process.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2022 07:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).