Louvor à Morte (2018)

Hymn of death is based on a true story and maybe because of that I felt so unconnected from it. I feel like in many ways the whole Romeo and Juliet aspect is generally very stupid to me, I get that people react differently from each other and sure different times show different actions, but the whole life problem showed in the drama felt very solvable to me. I want to praise Hye Sun for her acting though, for me it was the main highlight of the drama, she was incredibly believable and this role was made for her, I felt every tear and every sound, if anything she was the reason I kept on watching even though I didn't like the plot. Jong Suk on the other hand, oh boy he was not a good pick for this role! His character was a real problem to me, I couldn't relate at all with his white people problems, I mean... Boy, go do something else if you don't want to work for your rich daddy who gave you everything. Jong Suk made it even worse, I didn't think he was even trying at points, I didn't feel the slight chemistry between him and Hye Sun, I didn't feel any of his character's emotions, specially because he basically didn't do anything, even his crying face was the same. I don't think he was on the same level of acting as Hye Sun, there, I said it. Music was good I guess, plot was stupid but life based so I can only dislike it for what it is, acting was overall okay. Am I ever rewatching this? Oh, God no!

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While the story itself was a tad basic and did not go fully in details for every character (probably impossible with just six episodes), the series itself exceeded my expectation with the cast performing an absolute terrific job with their roles. The emotions, choice of songs were excellent and little did I know about the history of those two and to see such an ending. Absolutely worth a try to watch and I would highly recommend it.

Also to state that the supporting cast was a very strong one and did an excellent job. I was especially fond of Go Bo Kyul's character.

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Love the storyline, not so much the romance storytelling

This is a-3-hour-miniseries of a tragic romance between a genius stage drama writer and an opera singer. "Hymn of Death" a remake of the 1991 film "Death Song," based on real-life events. For those who are going in not knowing the story, trigger warning of suicide! So if you know that suicide is a trigger for you, you need to prioritize your mental health and just not watch this show. Even though it's done implicitly, characters' emotions and the vibe gave me much anxiety. There's a part of it that I wished I hadn't seen it. Thus, rewatch value is low, once is enough.

The visual is very artistic: from the luscious costumes, to the very well done cinematography. Maybe it's just me, but I feel the music feels a bit overpowering, it could have benefited from a lot more quieter moments especially for this genre. The show does well in showing their family dynamics, though I think the romance is far too rushed. The first two hours go by way so quickly, and I'm left with snapshots of their lives. I wanted to dig deeper and explore the relationships and how they develop, but it's just not shown.

Overall, this drama is a beautiful tragic void that left me feeling empty... and that is a good point. I want to feel devastated because I appreciate the characters even more that way. I just think I would like it much more if we were given a little bit more time with the characters, to tackle both a powerful romance and the powerful dynamics between the families.

-Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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“That was such a sad love story” was exactly what I exclaimed after watching Hymn of Death on Netflix. The special drama that actors Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun brought to life touches on the sad realities of being obligated to sacrifice one’s own happiness.
People tend to avoid tragic stories as much as they can. Perhaps, because we don’t want to be reminded of the sad realities in life.

Hymn of Death presented the story of a man and a woman who have been living to please and make sacrifices for their families when their utmost wishes are simple joys they can easily obtain on their own.

Although it is a quick drama watch, it challenged me to formulate the takeaways from Sim Deok and Woo Jin. Their story might not appeal to a general public owing to how it touches themes of alienation, depression, disobedience to parents and even forbidden affair. So, I flipped the other side to make the lessons from Hymn of Death to be more relatable and understandable.
Of course the situation of the lovers in the special drama would not fit in the modern broad-minded thinking of today’s generation. But the striking heartbreaking end of their story would shock people who will hear it even in years to come.

Not owing anyone an apology if you can’t please them because you want to live a life that is entirely your own, is the lingering impression I got from Hymn of Death. Celebrating life and finding your purpose does not need to be grand, because often times, what makes us happy are simple things and quiet solace.

I would not recommend how the main leads ultimately resolve the conflict set by the fictional world which drowned them. However, I understand the weight of emotions bottled up inside them which led to the sad closure.

Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun scored palpable portrayals which made the drama even more affecting. The emotional yet not exaggerated weep frames they both displayed were exceptional.

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Just poured my thoughts

"Hymn of Death" is a drama including 06 episodes. Within 06 episodes, they have tried their best to portray the political issues, freedom, family issues, marriage vs love, responsibilities, rich vs poor, a woman vs rumours, the art of literature, a difference of living vs dying, choices etc... Most of these issues are not revealed throughout the story and sometimes they tried to reveal such issues only through one line without dragging just to run the plot. I have no degree to evaluate the acting skills but there were some incidents where I felt that the male lead should have tried more. When he argued with his father about his freedom, I felt so. Again I thought maybe he tried to exhibit that calmness within his character. Even when his books are burning in front of him, the way he silently followed his father proved that fact cause a book lover's worst nightmare is that. And also it may indirectly show that he had already given up hopes about his future and his life. If not maybe the respect he had towards his father may have controlled him. Even when their first kiss is about to happen, then also he stepped back. Even when his father told that the woman will leave when he becomes poor, he said that if she leaves, then it'll be his fate too not the cheesy line that no she won't do that. Again this may indirectly indicate that he has no desire to live more and fight for his dreams. If I have to talk about the female lead, I can write even a book. Even though her family situation is on the ground level, I didn't feel like I want to focus more on that situation while showing my deepest sympathy towards her cause the aura she gives is strong and unbreakable while handling family issues. I'm not saying it's a fault it's just given me a different vibe than the other typical dramas. Even when her siblings didn't trust her, the way she acted is speechless. This drama highlights the theme; a woman vs rumours smoothly and perfectly. She acted her character with dignity in her mind, body movements, facial expressions and also in her tone of voice. Both leads are struggling with their problems no matter whether one is born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Then at the end of the day, they both find solace by thinking about each other. This drama painfully showed me that if you have to live with the ones whom you don't like or love, that means you feel like dying but when you open your eyes you are still living. So for them, death is the only answer to finding their peace. Yes, suicide is a really sensitive topic and we shouldn't encourage people to suicide but if we look at this from another angle, this drama gives answers to those people who keep asking "why does he have to go that much far?”," why they run away from problems and why can't they face them together?” etc... With the problems, these two characters have faced so far, they might have gone insane but thanks to the way both of them took a stand for each other, they survived and this drama purely shows how a person can express his thoughts in words and make a beautiful context to control their inner balance. If others try to ban even that thing from their lives, what can they do? This drama made my eyes fill with a lot of tears. When I felt that warmth of teardrops in my cheeks, it felt this is so real and then it reminded me that this is based on a real story. At the end of the drama, they both completed a poem, it made me so emotional and OST blended well with the situations and mood. I think OST had a great impact to melt our hearts.
Modern-day people should watch this not to get the idea of just cheating is good and suicide is acceptable but to gain the idea that how they directly take decisions without beating around the bush and how they are 100% certain about their feelings and the way how they stayed in their relationship and also how they remember little details and the way they both act responsibly to the extent as much as they can etc... There are a lot of sub-issues rather than cheating and suicide. I hope people will discuss them too.

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It was beautiful but short, and we had not enough time to get acquainted with the characters.
It's natural, however, because it's based on reality and how sad it was …
I would tell if a story was unreal, that the characters would not commit suicide because they could overcome difficulties with love.
But since this story is real and has happened in the past, it has changed the truth.
The lesson we can learn is that if we let others determine who we should be, our lives will be destroyed, and this could lead to loss of our opportunities to go to our dreams or even love someone.
Anyway, I liked the show, though it was sad, but it was a good drama.

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Something about it stays with you

This 3-episode series is wonderfully shot, the storyline is captivating, and the acting is great. I loved so many things about it and it's definitely worth watching. There's just something about their love that failed to capture my heart and immerse me in the feeling that their love had to trump all else. I think I'd have liked to see more pivotal moments where their love grew, and them really fighting against the odds for each other - so that the ending would have had its full impact. Still, like I said, I loved so many things about it - the poetry; the letters; the feeling of needing to fight for something when the battle is much bigger than one can truly win; and the struggle between what one desires for oneself and external expectations. It's the kind of drama that would mean different things to different people, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

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THIS IS BEYOND LIFE OR DEATH...

HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE?
I must admit that I initially came to the drama because of the actors and also because I heard it was inspired by a real-life story, but this feeling as if my heart is burning...I don't remember ever experiencing it before.
My first thought when seeing how short it was was that it would probably have less impact than a classical 12/16-episode drama would have, however, I couldn't have been more wrong.
I am writing this review as soon as I have finished it because of the strong impact it had and because I feel I can only do it justice if writing form the heart. The depth I saw here was far from what I could have imagined. While the real-life story and the production altogether gives realism to the series, the acting is on a different level. The reason I say this is because it is not a basic love story with predictable twists and conflicts. While all the romantic dramas out there try to portray true love, I believe this does it more than any drama I have seen so far.

BEYOND APPEARANCE
Not only is the love story on a different level, but the other themes are beautifully portrayed as well: self-discipline, personal responsibility, familial duty, self-denial, suffering, self-discovery and the role of art - it simply feels like a page of history realistically and artistically presented.
Art is particularly prominent. Each of the characters has contact with art and their reactions differ - while some find life, joy and relief in their artistic endeavors, others are greatly pained by the seemingly shameless irresponsibility art encourages. Either way, the drama is a story of how art shaped people and gives them what the world around them failed to offer: comfort and freedom of expression.

TILL DEATH DO US PART AND AFTER...
Their acting made it feel like everything was real. Their devotion, suffering, joy and love felt all too real. Their connection was so strongly presented that I think the most-expected kiss was the least powerful demonstration of their love, whilst in other dramas that is the climax. To have such powerful portrayal of one's love that the most expected act seems rather insignificant, that is something I have never seen before! I remember thinking to myself at some point: "Even if they never kiss, their love was too beautifully displayed to claim there would even be need for that". I am profoundly impressed by the depth of feeling they could deliver. I can only think of two other times when a series has left such an impression on me. It truly is something else! This is something I will never forget...

It is at times like these that I remember why I love acting so much. Thank you!

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You'll surely love this drama!

This one was a good one. I really liked the story. It's heartbreaking though that it's based on true life events.

Ever since the drama started, I kinda realized what the ending would be. To be honest, it would've been better if that opening scene on the ship is actually removed. Personally, I find things way more enjoyable when they turn out to be what I least expect them to.

I really liked Shin Hye Sun's acting. Such big applause for her. She spoke so loudly to us just through her eyes and body movements. Can't quite speak this highly for Lee Jong Suk though. During many of the critical scenes we see him just standing or barely speaking to Hye Sun. His lips also gave me the feeling he was slightly smiling or trying to look good for the camera most of the time. I think that's just his resting face though. Yet I would've preferred something different, this was not a happy story after all. The moment he got out of the police station he also seemed way better or chilled than what a real person in that situation would be. The fighting scene with his father was very powerful and I think he did so good on that one. Overall I would say; maybe that's the kind of character he had to portray, maybe it was also due to poor acting/directing but we needed a stronger ML.

Back to the story: the whole thing about one's duties towards their families really gets me thinking during every drama . I really admire the respect and massive consideration children are taught to have and express towards their families ever since they're little. It reflects such positive energy to me and makes me feel warmhearted. Yet, this story was terribly sad. Such great talented young people had to suppress their true feelings and selves for their family needs. Even worse, they decided to take their life way while calmly chatting and watching the sunset on a summer afternoon. How heavy could their hearts be at such a young age? Time are different now for sure. Yet I hope we all learn to be more thoughtful towards one's life and freedom.

All in all, I really appreciate this drama. Everything was nicely depicted, especially the fighting and loving spirit of youth during 1890-1926. Despite its tragic ending, their love was beautiful. Only in the end they understood Takeo Arishima's motive of taking his life away. Death can also be a choice, a choice to live.

P.S I pray they found the peace they were yearning for.

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??

Andai ya, andai, Sim-deok gak jatuh cinta sama U-jin pasti dia bakal mau aja nikah sama bangsawan kaya raya itu. Bangsawan itu kelihatannya beneran baik dan bersedia menopang hidup Sim-deok beserta keluarganya. Kalau dia mau nyoba deket, pasti lama-lama bisa cinta juga. Inget kan di episode 1, Sim-deok awalnya gak mau ambil risiko ikut tampil dan mau cari aman aja karena dia pengen hidup dengan nyaman. Yaa, semua ini menjadi rumit karena Sim-deok sedang cinta-cintanya sama U-jin, tapi gak bisa bersama, plus masalah finansial yg menghimpit karena dia satu-satunya pencari nafkah di keluarganya.

Kalau U-jin itu, di sini diceritain kalau dia menulis dalam rangka memperjuangkan Joseon. Tapi ya, peran dia tuh gak segede itu sebenarnya, alias kalo dia gak melakukan itu ya gak apa-apa. Ya aku ngerti sih, meski hidup dengan nyaman sejak kecil kalau sepanjang hidup menjalani kehidupan yang ditentukan ayahnya dan gak diberi kesempatan untuk menjalankan apa yg dia sukai memang terasa sesak. Tapi lo ya, yg disuruh ayahnya tuh masuk akal dan ayahnya pun gak jahatin siapa-siapa walau dia keras. Gak ada salahnya kalau ingin hidup dengan aman dan nyaman. Selain itu, istrinya juga baik dan bukan tipe istri yang suka nuntut ini itu. I felt sorry to her.

Huft.

Walau gabisa relate, aku bisa ngerti kenapa mereka lelah. Cinta terlarang, masalah finansial, tuntutan keluarga, hanya punya satu sama lain sebagai sumber semangat, tapi susah juga kalau pengen kabur untuk hidup bersama dan mereka gak bisa juga mengabaikan persoalan keluarga.

Pasti rasanya kaya bertemu jalan buntu. Mau kabur gak bisa, mau bertahan udah gak kuat.

Yaa karena ini kisah nyata, maka dramanya juga dibikin begitu adanya.

Rest in peace, Yun Sim-deok dan Kim U-jin.

Btw, aktingnya Shin Hye-sun keren banget.

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