Glory Day

Directed by Choi Jeong-yeol, Glory Day is a coming-of-age film about four friends put to the test. Best friends, Yong-bi (Ji Soo), Ji-gong (Ryu Jun-yeol), Sang-woo (Kim Jun-myeon, better known as Suho from the K-pop group Exo) and Doo-man (Kim Hee-chan) go on a trip to Pohang before Sang-woo leaves for his military enlistment. During their trip, they save a woman being abused by a man and, unknowingly, get themselves mixed up in a larger problem. In the midst of the crisis, each responds differently, reflecting their varying experiences growing up. With an abrupt and choppy plot that often hesitates when it should move forward, the film relies heavily on the strength of each individual character. However, with four main roles so flat, the viewer might find it difficult to strongly relate to such stereotypes. Ji-gong is the easy-going jokester in the group while Yong-bi is the leader that the rest look up to. Sang-woo is a gentle soul who lives with his grandmother, and Doo-man is the son of a baseball coach, often in the shadow of his father. We suspect that somewhere in the film, the directors were trying to send a message that youth today should try to contemplate how to reform society instead of turning against each other. However, as Doo-man often says in the movie, “Nothing goes as planned.”