'Pavane' Netflix Review: Young Romance Film Tries Too Hard To Hit Hard

If you look up “Pavane For A Dead Princess,” you’ll quickly learn that there’s a novel by that name set in the 80s. Something I hadn’t known before I watched the movie, because I find some joy in not knowing anything about what I’m about to watch. But in this case, I think it would’ve been helpful had I read a little bit about the book, if not the book itself, to truly get the nuances of this film and what it’s trying to tell us. Pavane tells the story of Gyeong-Rok, a young man who is the son of a superstar who left Gyeong-Rok’s mother behind for a life of fame. At 27, Gyeong-Rok has nothing to his name, but he wants to be a dancer and finds a job working in the parking lot of a department store. Here, he meets Yo-Han, a man who is fascinated by Gyeong-Rok. They become friends, but more importantly, Yo-Han helps Gyeong-Rok express his love to Mi-Jeong, a woman who works in the basement of the same store but nobody likes because she looks, for lack of a better word, “ugly.” 

We’ve all heard of the terrible beauty standards in Korea. Whether it’s needing to get eyelid surgery as soon as you’re old enough, or fixing your nose because it looks too flat and doesn’t fit Western beauty ideals, or changing your entire appearance because you don’t look like everybody else, there is an entire industry that thrives in this country that cares so much about looks. Pavane, attempts to call out these standards, but this I found out by reading about the book. To be honest, the film itself doesn’t necessarily explore the same themes as the book apparently does. I say “apparently” because I have not read it, but from the couple of reviews I read online, I got the impression that the themes come through pretty strong. 

The film appears to be a watered-down version of the book, given to us from the perspective of Yo-Han, the friend, rather than the author himself, Gyeong-Rok. Yo-Han is an unreliable narrator; sometimes you believe what he says, and other times, he makes it a point to let us know that we might have things wrong. I think Yo-Han’s perspective is interesting for sure. He’s an outsider who makes observations and doesn’t fully believe that a man like Gyeong-Rok would pick a plain Jane like Mi-Jeong. This is where I think the film fails to reach its full potential. I think the point is for us to see how difficult it is for a woman like Mi-Jeong to open up her heart, because there’s always a chance that Gyeong-Rok is playing with her feelings. Trying to hurt her on purpose. But while watching the film, you don’t really feel the reasoning come through, and half the time I found myself wondering “why?” for everything that was going down on screen. 

The theme I found the most prominent was that of daddy issues, and honestly, we’ve had so much of that recently, I don’t think I quite cared about it as much as I should’ve. The cast is good, though. The cast is what carries the film and keeps you interested. Ko Ah-Sung has been in the industry for a really long time; it’s a shame we haven’t seen her in a couple of years, and I think she’s very endearing as Mi-Jeong. I don’t think it could be easy to do a role like this one, even if it means you have to change your face a little bit by adding some freckles, making your hair look unruly, and adding a tan.

On the other hand, Moon Sang-Min plays Gyeong-Rok, the man smitten by her. The first thought I had in mind was that he looks like Kim Seok-Jin of BTS. I think that should’ve made me realize that this is the story of an ugly duckling who gets saved by the prince. Sang-Min is 8 years younger than Ah-Sung, but you’d never be able to tell. The actors have great natural chemistry, and Korean stories have always had a knack for depicting yearning. However, there’s something about making an aesthetic film that ends up draining some actual lyrical color from what we’re watching. What I mean by that is, though I understand Mi-Jeong is not someone everybody will appreciate, I didn’t fully catch the gravity of her situation. I just felt like there was something missing. But at the heart of the story is Yo-Han, played by Byun Yo-Han. Playing his namesake might’ve given Yo-Han an edge, because he’s certainly the light of this story. The last time I saw the man was during Uncle Samsik, where he also met K-pop idol Tiffany. That’s a love story we’d all like to know more about, eh?

The film is slow and breezy, like most other romantic films you’ve seen in this industry lately. It’s always about young people; luckily, this time they’re not in school. The color grading is certainly something, and I guess it does make it feel a little bit vintage, but I couldn’t have placed the era in which it was set just by the look of it. I don’t think much has changed in 40 years. Yes, while watching this, you are going to be reminded of recent romance films about young people, like the very infamous 20th Century Girl. But ultimately, it’s a different kind of movie. To be honest, I don’t think it’s everyone’s cup of tea, and there’s an odd kind of surrealism to it that I can’t fully explain. Something about Pavane doesn’t feel natural, but that’s the point. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but I will admit I was slightly bored at many points, ultimately leaving me a little confused about how I feel about the film. So I guess I’d give it 3 out of 5 stars.