← Back to results
20th Century Girl
20세기 소녀
2022 119 min South Korea 12+
★7.8
Romance, Drama
Director: Bang Woo-ri
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Description
In 1999, a teen girl keeps close tabs on a boy in school on behalf of her deeply smitten best friend – then she gets swept up in a love story of her own.
Budget:
$119
Starring
Kim Yoo-jung
Actor
Byeon Woo-seok
Actor
Park Jung-woo
Actor
Awards
2 nominations total
Key opinion
20th Century Girl is a nostalgic and emotionally resonant coming-of-age drama that effectively captures the atmosphere of the late 90s. While the screenplay relies on familiar romantic tropes, the film succeeds through its charming performances and its ability to balance lighthearted youthful folly with a poignant, bittersweet conclusion.
| Production | The film masterfully recreates the late 1990s through authentic period details like pagers, VHS tapes, and bulky computer monitors. | |
| Acting | Kim Yoo-jung delivers an endearing lead performance that anchors the emotional weight of the friendship and romance narratives. | |
| Emotion | The narrative blends themes of first love and tragic loss into an organically uplifting experience. | |
| Screenplay | While the script effectively executes a rom-com structure, the writing itself is considered unremarkable and occasionally sophomoric. | |
| Accessibility | The film's cultural specificity provides an immersive experience for some, while posing a barrier to character identification for non-Korean viewers. |