I regularly watch Korean television dramas because of their exceptionalism (I have completed 316 as of this writing!) and so the excellence of this cast was no surprise to me when I started watching A Werewolf Boy (I had bought it on DVD off Amazon two years before it even showed up on streaming Netflix).
However the depth of the story was a surprise to me, and I think the quality of the film itself is spectacular - gorgeous cinematography, music, great sets, solid writing, and fluid, romantic direction.
The story is even conceivable: the premise is that scientists during the Korean War had taken orphan young boys (there were plenty of them during that war), isolated them from human contact so that they could not learn languages or social skills, and programmed them to be vicious animals -- all for the war effort. The thought was that if they could breed a group of young men who acted like wolves in combat they would be an excellent fighting force and capable of viciousness that even human soldiers could not duplicate at their worst.
Then the scientist dies, the war ends, the wolf boys scatter -- all except one. The house, barn, and grounds are the only home he has ever known. When the home is rented by a young family they are at first frightened of this animal-like boy and then, in their innocence and kindness, try to feed him, clothe him, socialize him, teach him to speak (which they fail at - at first!).
However the young teen girl in the home, schooled at home because of sickness, is pursued by the son of their landlord and he basically is criminally insane and quite capable of rape or murder. So, who is the REAL monster? This slime-ball young man, or the gentle (until provoked) young man who was raised as a wolf?
Although it doesn't start off that way the romance between the girl and the wolf boy becomes the focus of the story by the time it ends. The faithfulness of the wolf boy in loving his "owner" (she pets him on the head like a puppy) is the most poignant and unforgettable aspect of the story. He will do anything for her, even patiently wait for her for decades if need be. That's the constant love of a tamed animal for his owner. If only most human beings could love unconditionally like that.
However the depth of the story was a surprise to me, and I think the quality of the film itself is spectacular - gorgeous cinematography, music, great sets, solid writing, and fluid, romantic direction.
The story is even conceivable: the premise is that scientists during the Korean War had taken orphan young boys (there were plenty of them during that war), isolated them from human contact so that they could not learn languages or social skills, and programmed them to be vicious animals -- all for the war effort. The thought was that if they could breed a group of young men who acted like wolves in combat they would be an excellent fighting force and capable of viciousness that even human soldiers could not duplicate at their worst.
Then the scientist dies, the war ends, the wolf boys scatter -- all except one. The house, barn, and grounds are the only home he has ever known. When the home is rented by a young family they are at first frightened of this animal-like boy and then, in their innocence and kindness, try to feed him, clothe him, socialize him, teach him to speak (which they fail at - at first!).
However the young teen girl in the home, schooled at home because of sickness, is pursued by the son of their landlord and he basically is criminally insane and quite capable of rape or murder. So, who is the REAL monster? This slime-ball young man, or the gentle (until provoked) young man who was raised as a wolf?
Although it doesn't start off that way the romance between the girl and the wolf boy becomes the focus of the story by the time it ends. The faithfulness of the wolf boy in loving his "owner" (she pets him on the head like a puppy) is the most poignant and unforgettable aspect of the story. He will do anything for her, even patiently wait for her for decades if need be. That's the constant love of a tamed animal for his owner. If only most human beings could love unconditionally like that.