Directed by: Jo Sung-hee (조성희) Starring: Song Joong-ki (송중기), Park Bo-young (박보영), Lee Yeong-ran (이영란), Jang Yeong-nam (장영남), Yoo Yeon-seok (유연석), Kim Hyang-gi (김향기) Release Date: October 31st, 2012
Many have considered A Werewolf Boy to be the Korean answer to the Twilight (2008-2012) phenomenon. Released just before the final installment in the saga, certain similarities can’t help but be made. Both films feature a beautiful teenage girl and loner type who moves out the sticks where she develops a special relationship with a handsome boy who protects her with his supernatural powers. But without a deep fantasy lore of its own and near nonexistent sexuality, the film takes a simpler approach to its storytelling. Much less horrific than anything with ‘werewolf’ in the title might suggest, A Werewolf Boy is a nostalgic tale about family and young love that focuses almost entirely on the build-up of a romantic relationship that never was.
Suni (Park Bo-young) moves into a countryside house purchased by her late father’s business partner, Ji-tae (Yu Yeon-seok). She plans to live peacefully with her mother and younger sister while she studies from home to enter university. And the fresh air and laid back lifestyle should provide some relief to her weakened lung. But to everyone’s surprise, a mysterious feral boy (Song Joong-gi) is found to be living in the barn out front. Unable to speak and behaving like a rabid wolf, the boy is unwelcome and sent away. When unable to secure a place for him in the orphanage, Suni’s family is asked to take him in temporarily while other options are pursued.
With their lives completely unsettled by the uncivilized boy’s arrival, Suni’s family must adapt to life with the boy around. They name him Cheol-su, and begin to treat him as a member of the family. When Suni recognizes Cheol-su’s instinct to protect her, she takes a liking to him. With notes from her book on dog training, Suni trains Cheol-su to eat and play nicely. They start to take real comfort in each other and quickly form a special bond. And just as things begin to start looking up, house owner Ji-tae begins to make trouble with Suni who he believes will be his future bride someday. This brings out Cheol-su’s destructive inner beast, which raises questions about his origins and threatens his relationship with Suni and her family forever.
The transition from present time to the past where the story takes place is a cute aspect of A Werewolf Boy that kicks off its fantasy vibe well. The same way that Son Ye-jin (My Wife Got Married, 2008) plays both the mother and daughter role in The Classic (2003) at roughly the same age, in 1968 and 2003 respectively, Park Bo-young (On Your Wedding Day, 2018) plays both the granddaughter in modern times and daughter (Suni) role from the mid sixties. The film takes in one step further with actress Jang Young-nam (The Negotiation, 2018) playing Suni’s grown daughter (also now a mother) in modern times and Suni’s mother from the sixties. This helps create its ‘circle of life’ theme shown through the family generations and reinforces its central idea of the cyclical nature of love.
Also similar to The Classic (2003), A Werewolf Boy does a great job portraying its old-timey era with a distinct visual style. The picture is often washed out with low contrast levels but it retains a warm glow with boosted saturation. This gives the film a great nostalgic feeling of a memory that although may be fading, holds firmly to its most distinct and colorful memories. The outdoor countryside scenes bathed in the sun’s oranges and yellows are also gorgeous. And the family trip to the local market and village doctor were some of my favorite scenes in the film.
There are a few issues to look past if one plans to jump on board with A Werewolf Boy. I for one had a hard time accepting at first how Suni and her family were left without any options and practically forced to take in the wild boy. It was just too crazy how authorities saw little issue with a family of three girls, one very young and defenseless, taking in what appears to be a such a ferocious teenage boy.
But it was helpful to remind myself that the story takes place in the mid 1960’s, about 10 years after the end of the Korean war. One of the characters even notes how many orphaned children there were throughout the country and that the ability to care for them all was simply unrealistic. This allowed me to forgive the situation to a certain extent and I was soon able to get into the emerging melodrama.
A Werewolf Boy also runs a little long at 125 minutes. The only major tension in the film arises from the Ji-tae character’s attempt at getting rid of Cheol-su and having his way with the family. Although I must say Yoo Yeon-suk pulls off the slimy dirt-bag as good as the best of them. And even though you’re left wanting Cheol-su to bear his fangs sooner than he does, the eventual payoff is decent enough.
Lets be honest, A Werewolf Boy is a showcase for lead actors Song Joon-ki (The Battleship Island, 2017) and Park Bo-young (On Your Wedding Day, 2018), two highly loved and idolized actors. And aside from delivering their signature good looks, they both do very well in the acting department in different respects. Park Bo-young really carries the film and she’s responsible for most of the dialogue with Cheol-su being largely mute. Her best moments come when she courageously sticks up for her family and when her emotions burst out in managing her precarious predicament with Cheol-su. On the other end of the spectrum, Song Joon-ki puts on a masterclass in body and facial performance as the domesticated wolf boy. From his ravenous appetite as he tears through garden potatoes and the many side dishes at the dinner table to his puppy-dog eyes, Song runs the gamut of wordless expression.
A Werewolf Boy is not one of those movies looking to keep viewers on the edges of their seats. There is very little blood lust to speak of and the whole werewolf thing is a tiny bit misleading. The Korean title is more apt with simply ‘Wolf Boy’ as the werewolf folklore is largely absent here. And peak wolf transformation resembles ‘Teen Wolf’ (1985) more than anything from ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’ (2009) or ‘Wolfman’ (2010). The entire film treads quite lightly and feels fluffy in a way that’s somewhat akin to Korean Dramas. This means that A Werewolf Boy can reward viewers patient and willing enough to get swept up in its melodrama. There is a delicate tenderness behind the claws and fangs, and the sweet message of lost romance is enough to touch the coldest of monsters. SCORE: 6/10
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