Fantasy of the Girls

Fantasy of the Girls has no right to go as hard as it does. The plot is something you could find on a Nickolodeon show for pre-teens. But the handling of this plot gives the film such an air of intensity and maturity. This story about first crushes and first loves is given the same gravitas as any drama about grown-ups and their grown-up problems.

Fantasy of the Girls uses Shakespeare for plot and thematic structure. At a girls’ school, Sun Hwa helps her best friend audition for Romeo and Juliet. Her friend’s interest is less in the theatrical arts and more in playing Juliet opposite the cool, upper class bad girl, Hanam. But a classic error befalls the friends! Sun Hwa is cast as Juliet instead. And she starts to see what her friend saw in Hanam. Adding to this drama, Hanam and the play’s director, Su-yeon are best friends with some ambiguous undertones. Su-yeon might also have interest in Sun Hwa. But she’s also certainly jealous of her best friend suddenly spending a lot of time with someone else.

The film feels more mature than most films of similar plot. There is a delicacy and sensitivity to the topic rarely awarded such stories. Fantasy of the Girls puts its characters before its plot. This helps it avoid some overdone tropes. And even when it engages with tropes, it remains interesting and well-executed. Because the film really wants to dig into these characters’ emotions and reactions, instead of just moving to the next plot point.

It’s impressive how many emotional peaks Fantasy of the Girls manages to fit into this classic teen romance plot. The film really seems to understand that for its youthful characters, this is the absolute peak of drama. While there’s some wisdom beyond their years on show, it doesn’t change the fact that in the here and now, Sun Hwa has never felt like this before. The feelings of these characters are a fragile bubble of hope. And one pointed word could puncture that bubble at any time. Despite this fragility and despite the temporary nature of teen affection and emotion, Fantasy of the Girls doesn’t treat any of these events as unimportant.

Fantasy of the Girls also stands above similar films because of great directing. It’s successful in little ways like good lighting. It also knows when to linger, especially with a powerful close-up. The film also engages in some welcome ambition and whimsy with Sun Hwa’s fantasy sequences. These sequences allow for some more ambitious, dynamic moments while providing insight into Sun Hwa’s character. Fantsy of the Girls is one of those films where every decision they made was the right one.

If you’re going for teen drama films, I really recommend Fantasy of the Girls. There’s a real maturity to this film that deals so specifically with immaturity. Not once does the film seem to condescend to its young characters. It treats them and their feelings with such respect. This makes the film pack a punch that’s at once delicate yet powerful. Films about schoolgirls tend to exist at two ends of the spectrum: childish, or sleazy. Either way, few have the depth and respect that Fantasy of the Girls has.

Overall rating: 7.4/10

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