20th Century Girl offers a rollercoaster ride to viewers who are fans of first love stories, and the Netflix Korean film successfully stirs viewers' curiosity about whether it is based on a true story.
The rise of Korean dramas and films globally makes fans realize the power of the industry to produce non-cliché flicks. But unbeknown to others, some of them were based on real-life stories of popular people; others were inspired by the writers' experiences.
Among the popular dramas that are rooted in real people's lives include Fight For My Way, Deserter Pursuit, Signal, Move to Heaven, and Reply 1988.
With the popularity of Kim Yoo Jung and Byun Woo Seok's Netflix movie, 20th Century Girl, K-drama fans are now curious whether it is based on a true story.
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Did 20th Century Girl Happen In Real Life?
The now-hit Netflix movie is set in South Korea in the year 1999. 20th Century Girl explores the life of Na Bo Ra, played by Kim Yoo Jung, a 17-year-old student who is a member of the broadcasting club and known for her bright personality.
She meets Poong Won Ho (Byeon Woo Seok) in the same club. He is friends with Baek Hyun Jin (Park Jung Woo), her best friend Kim Yeon Doo's (Roh Yoon Seo) crush. When Kim Yeon Doo has to go to the US to undergo heart surgery, she asks Na Bo Ra to learn more about Baek Hyun Jin through Poong Woon Ho.
During the process, Na Bo Ra grows closer to both young men.
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Following the movie's release, the director sat for an interview on Monday (via The Korea Times) and address how she came up with the storyline.
Although it is seemingly about a love story that happened in real life, director Bang Woo Ri explained how she based it on her own experience. Per the filmmaker, 20th Century Girl was inspired by the time she exchanged a diary with a friend in school. The notebook reportedly has notes about a boy her friend liked.
"I wanted to make a teen romance film based on Korean culture. As this film was based on my own experience, I thought a broader audience could relate to it," she explained. "As the story goes back to the old time and evokes nostalgia, the plot makes it hard to avoid cliches. I decided to face the challenge head-on."
20th Century Girl Director Scored the Project After Receiving THIS
Elsewhere in the interview, director Bang Woo Ri talked about the "perfect timing" of the film's release. For what it's worth, Twenty-Five Twenty-One and Ditto were both set in the 1990s.
With that, more people have been looking for K-dramas and movies set in that time.
The filmmaker then said she was inspired to pursue it after receiving her father's inspirational comments. When she heard her father say how an unexpected incident in the past could define someone's future, that was when she was able to complete the story.
K-drama fans can watch 20th Century Girl here.
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Check back for more stories, updates, and rumors about 20th Century Girl here at EpicStream!