Movie Review: When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025)

Hello friends, welcome to my blog once again. I am so glad I came across this community where I could share my thoughts on movies and Tv shows and also learn from other people's post , I am sure I will gain more insights on what movies to watch next.

source

I just finished watching a K-drama that left me speechless in the most emotional way. It’s called When Life Gives You Tangerines, and honestly, this isn’t just a drama, it’s an experience.
Most people do not like k-dramas but this particular one is different, the title might sound sad but no! this movie is one that gives hope and help you think differently. Honestly, this drama is dope and I recommend it to you all, it is worth the hype.

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES is a korean drama, just like the title rightly put it " when life gives you tangerines' it is up to you to turn the tangerines to tangerine juice, when life throws stones at you, turn the stones to mansions, you can always make the most out of life's situations. This movie is the one of the movies that made me cry, laugh and reason at the same time.

The movie looks like one that was acted back in the 1950's but I was surprised to see that it is actually a recent movie that was produced this year, it has 16 episodes and every episode leaves you with some form of curiosity making you long to watch all other episodes.

THE STORY

source

This drama follows the life of Ae-sun, a strong, bold, sometimes stubborn young woman living on Jeju Island, she was a girl full of dreams and a good writer, who loved poetry so much. At her young age, her dad was late she had only her mum who was a sea diver and would always dive into the depth of the sea in search of abalones to meet ends meet, she was indeed hardworking.

source
Her mum left her in the care of her uncle and grandmother not because she did not love her or have her interst at heart but it happened that all she did was for Ae-sun's good. Though she did not allow the girl to stay with her because she did not have enough money to send her to school and that made her to let her darling daughter in the hands of her uncle and grandmother.

source
Ae-sun loved her mother but did not really understand why her mother treated her that way even when she loved her so much, she was young bright and intelligent and all she yearned for was her mothers love, she wanted to grow with her mum despite the fact that her mum already married another man with kids.

Oneday, her mum felt bad for letting her daughter live that way, being maltreated and decided to let her live with her, not too long , Ae-sun's mum passed away and she was all so lonely.

Gwan-sik, a quiet, caring man who deeply loves Ae-sun stay be her side despite what his parents would do to stop him, he would always give her fishes every single day and assit her in farm work where they both planted cabbage. Ae-sun was a book worm who found it embarrassing to sell cabbage in the market but Gwan-sik would always help her out, funny though but Gwan-sik was just a guy people this days would call a simp but everything he did was all borne out of love and I would say they were destined for each other.

source
The story goes back and forth between their teenage years in the 1950s and their older years now, showing how they fell in love, stayed in love, and survived life’s many changes.

THough Ae-sun did not leave the life of her dreams but she gave it all to ensure that her daughter Geum Myeong lived the life she wanted to live, though she was not so rich but she sacrificed her dreams for her children especially her daughter.

Geum Myeong grew up to make her parents proud and though Ae-sun did not achieve her dream of being a poet early enough but age was not a limitation to her as she finally wrote her poetry which was published to be remembered for a lifetime.

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE MOVIE

The acting was so beautiful, first of all, let’s talk about IU She plays two roles of both young Ae-sun and her daughter in the present time. I honestly forgot I was watching the same person play two roles. That’s how good she was.

Park Bo-gum, who plays Gwan-sik, is so calm and expressive at the same time. He didn’t need to do too much, his eyes, body language, and silence did all the talking.

Secondly, the movie was so real, there were no fancy rich families or love triangles. Just a simple village love story about family, pain, hard work, dreams, and growth.

There’s this one scene where young Ae-sun is crying near the ocean, and Gwan-sik just stands there, silently offering her a tangerine. No words, no drama just presence, that’s love. And also, when Ae-sun’s daughter finally reads her mother’s old letters. My heart broke and healed at the same time, I was holding my breath. I really enjoyed this moments.

WHAT I DID'NT LIKE ABOUT THE MOVIE
I didn’t like how much Ae-sun had to give up her dreams for others. She had big hopes but life kept pulling her back.

I hated that Gwan-sik loved her silently for so long without saying it, but at the same time, I respected it. That was his way.

I did not also like how Ae-sun and Gwan-sik paid so much attention to their daughter and neglected the well being of their son which made him strayed and felt dejected. But all the same, the portrayed how most parents truly are.

THE LESSONS I LEARNED

This drama made me think a lot, especially about my parents, about how much they’ve been through, and how many dreams they may have let go just for us to live better.

It reminded me that love isn’t always loud or romantic, sometimes it’s just being there, staying and holding on quietly.

It made me call my mum and just say, “Thank you.” I could not help it but feel grateful for my parents.

This drama teaches me patience, it teaches me how to keep moving even when things don't seem right, no situation is so worse, you can always find something beautiful in every life situation.

When life gives you tangerines, you can always make tangerine juice, and when life throws stones at you, use the stones to build mansions.

Thank you all for reading

Posted Using INLEO