I must have heard wrong. You said the title was “Ten Months,” and it’s about a pregnant woman?! This is not how long women are pregnant, even Korean women … and no matter how else you frame it, that’s what this title says. Did the translation not work? Do numbers mean something different in Korean?
Ten Months is a film that puts the dram in romcom. A light, breezy, romantic comedy turns like a bad wine over the course of ninety minutes (or is that 100 minutes in Korean?). Early on, I was prepared to love this film. By the end, I won’t even recommend it.
Mi-rae (Sung-eun Choi) is a video game designer. I have no idea if she’s a good video game designer; the one scene that shows her designing also shows her failing, which isn’t necessarily truth, but that’s all we’ve got to go on. Her boyfriend is a bit of a lovable loser. Her parents are unsupportive AF, and her job is moving her with her team. Ok, this is a classic romcom set-up, and I like the heroine; Mi-rae wears frustration like a drag queen wears a boa. It’s open, inviting, and uncompromised.
Naturally, by the end of Act I Mi-rae finds out she’s pregnant and has some of the usual first timer
blues: (looks at the ultrasound) “Are you sure that’s a baby?” She takes a backpack full of pregnancy tests (each one positive). And then, slowly-but-surely her life begins to disintegrate. I won’t go into details except to say that while a romcom would find humor in the “demise;” Ten Months did not. The worse Mi-rae’s life gets, the more the film turns from comedy. Act III is practically all drama.
Here’s what I’m guessing: the love for Ten Months comes entirely from people who were treated to Act I and Act I alone. By the end of this film, Ten Months had turned a happy-go-unlucky circumstance into a tragedy. Given that Mi-rae is “only” twenty-nine and still very attractive, I found this turn sickening. Either that or the film is missing an Act. Ten Months started so well I honestly wish I had more positive things to say about it. But I don’t. This film soured like a glass of milk outdoors in a South Korean summer. Call me when the fun-edit comes out. Until then, I no longer have use for this film.
Here’s a woman all primed for a fall
Being pregnant ten (?!) months and all
Wait. What’s that line?
If ten is the new nine
I shudder to see Korean baseball
Not Rated, 92 Minutes
Director: Sun Namkoong
Writer: Sun Namkoong
Genre: What to expect when you’re Korean
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Pregnant unmarried professionals
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Conservative Christians
