La Dolce Vita: what is 'ennui' in Korean?

[dangermousie]

So, despite the fact that it's not yet entirely subbed, I started La Dolce Vita (the kdrama). LDV is a story of a 36-year-old housewife, trapped in an empty life and marriage, who finds out her husband has been unfaithful and it has turned into something more. She travels to Japan to kill herself (more out of impetus to do something, anything, in her life, than any jealousy or grief) and her paths cross with a young man ten years her junior, who is even more damaged than she is.

This drama reminds me of nothing else as much as a European art movie. It has a looping, non-linear structure (not only is the entire story told in flashback: the drama opens with apparent suicide of the young man, but there are flashbacks within flashbacks), a very subdued and washed-out palette, a cast of characters who are both intelligent and miserable (not to mention none of them are commendable individuals), the dialogue is full of allusions, and the whole world is sort of dreary.

I like it quite a lot so far (three eps in) but oh boy is it depressing.

Even the sex scene (yes, there is one) is not motivated by love or joy or even passion, but a certain desperation on the part of the heroine to feel something, anything, again, and to recapture a bit of her youth (it struck me so much that on seeing the mistress, she is not jealous her husband likes someone else, but is jealous of the girl's vitality and youth. It's made clear earlier her husband doesn't see her as sexual or feminine at all). (I am still not sure what motivates the young man to it: other than glimpses of some disturbing memories of his, we are still in the dark as to what motivates or moves him).

Also, like in a European art movie, they show things I don't normally associate with kdramas.

















(got these from soompi)

Comments

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

*is dead from desire to see this*

But this one looks like it has a good chance of ending up like What Happened in Bali.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the ending doesn't seem like it will be chirpy...

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Not for me then, I can't stand most of the artsy stuff. Not a big fan of flashbacks either. I'll still read your rec posts though, they are all kinds of fun. ;)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

This one is a bit dreary.

[december-clouds.livejournal.com]

I really hope that appears on crunchyroll sometime soon!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You can find it on mysoju.com

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

Dear...I just checked out some screencaps of the last episode of this drama at soompi and it seems like we're up for another heartbreaker!!

***hmmm....should I watch it?***

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Do it :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Do it :)

[lightsjustright.livejournal.com]

Is that LEE DONG WOOK? Like, My Girl dude? Because if it is, my mind is blown. But I can't really tell...

Anyway, this seems like something I wouldn't normally go near - excessive melodrama is the biggest drama turn-off to me - but just for him...

So what did you think of it overall once you got more into it? Was it worth it?

I just googled and LDW is the one that kills himself? The hell, this show looks like it's out to break my heart :(