"A Werewolf Boy" (aka "Neuk-dae-so-nyeon") turned out to be a much more entertaining movie than I had hoped for. I must admit that I was genuinely interested in this movie, given the synopsis and also because it is a South Korean movie - and they usually put out some really great movies.I will say that "A Werewolf Boy" turned out to be more than just entertaining, it was also a beautiful story and visually a beautiful movie. Visually, I don't mean CGI beautiful, but a really nicely shot movie.The story is about an elderly woman who receives a phone call and is brought back to her memories of a strange boy that she had come to know 47 years earlier. The family had just moved to a remote rural house, where they found a mute and somewhat feral-looking boy was living by himself. The family takes him in and starts to help him become more civilized.I will not go into further details about the movie, at the risk of giving away spoilers. But I will say that this is definitely a movie that has to be seen to be wholly experienced.Director Sung-Hee Jo really managed to put together a memorable and touching movie that is wholly entertaining from the start and right up to the end. And you might actually want to have some tissue at hand towards the end of the movie - just a heads up.The acting in the movie was really good, and people were doing fantastic jobs with their given roles and characters. And the characters portrayed in the movie were vivid, well-detailed and brought to life so nicely on the screen, and they really complimented the movie quite nicely."A Werewolf Boy" is a great addition to the South Korean cinema vault, because it is a movie unlike most others. You don't want to miss out on this experience.I am rating "A Werewolf Boy" a solid seven out of ten stars.

I regularly watch Korean television dramas because of their exceptionalism (I have completed 316 as of this writing!) and so the excellence of this cast was no surprise to me when I started watching A Werewolf Boy (I had bought it on DVD off Amazon two years before it even showed up on streaming Netflix).However the depth of the story was a surprise to me, and I think the quality of the film itself is spectacular - gorgeous cinematography, music, great sets, solid writing, and fluid, romantic direction.The story is even conceivable: the premise is that scientists during the Korean War had taken orphan young boys (there were plenty of them during that war), isolated them from human contact so that they could not learn languages or social skills, and programmed them to be vicious animals -- all for the war effort. The thought was that if they could breed a group of young men who acted like wolves in combat they would be an excellent fighting force and capable of viciousness that even human soldiers could not duplicate at their worst.Then the scientist dies, the war ends, the wolf boys scatter -- all except one. The house, barn, and grounds are the only home he has ever known. When the home is rented by a young family they are at first frightened of this animal-like boy and then, in their innocence and kindness, try to feed him, clothe him, socialize him, teach him to speak (which they fail at - at first!). However the young teen girl in the home, schooled at home because of sickness, is pursued by the son of their landlord and he basically is criminally insane and quite capable of rape or murder. So, who is the REAL monster? This slime-ball young man, or the gentle (until provoked) young man who was raised as a wolf? Although it doesn't start off that way the romance between the girl and the wolf boy becomes the focus of the story by the time it ends. The faithfulness of the wolf boy in loving his "owner" (she pets him on the head like a puppy) is the most poignant and unforgettable aspect of the story. He will do anything for her, even patiently wait for her for decades if need be. That's the constant love of a tamed animal for his owner. If only most human beings could love unconditionally like that.

"Don't go."A romantic film without a single kiss. It's an amazing feat, especially for a film so critically acclaimed. A Werewolf Boy is a Korean film about the forbidden love between a werewolf and a young girl. While the premise may seem shallow and overdone, A Werewolf Boy goes a completely different direction from the Hollywood stories. A sickly girl, Soon-yi (Park Bo-young), moves with her family to an open countryside, where they encounter a homeless boy with wolf/dog like behaviors. The family decides to take care of the young man for the time being, giving him the name, Chul-soo (Song Joong-ki). Soon-yi "trains" Chul-soo, resulting in the growth of a beautiful bond between master and boy.The film may start slow for some, but the first half is filled with many charms, usually just from simple interactions. Song Joong-ki does a very convincing job acting like a wild canine, especially considering that most of his acting comes from facial expressions and body language alone. A lot of the early lighthearted humor comes from him scoffing down meals and fetching objects. Strangely enough, seeing him act like a dog doesn't seem a bit ridiculous whatsoever. Even though Soon-yi initially treats Chul-soo like a pet, their relationship steadily turns into something more: he is a (good looking) human being after all. The chemistry between the two characters and two actors work perfectly. Basically the first half of the film is innocent fun, mainly strengthening the ties between Soon-yi and Chul-soo in order to make their conflicts more devastating. And Park Bo-young, with her superb acting, really sells the devastation.A Werewolf Boy easily succeeds in creating a really despicable villain character. Ji-tae, a son of a rich family, stops at nothing in order to get rid of Chul-soo and claim precious Soon-yi as his own. It's safe to say that the film builds up Ji-tae to be a bit too nasty, to the point where I found myself constantly wishing for him to just rollover and die. The antagonist almost seems to come straight out from a play, where his actions and mindset are cranked to extreme levels of arrogance and evil. I hate him more than Joffrey from Game of Thrones.While the film is geared towards young women, it still has the potential to be entertaining for men as well. The film is a lot deeper than your average love story, relying more on character development, story, and emotional turmoil rather than CGI, love making scenes, and fantasy action. Viewers not only see the bond between Soon-yi and Chul-soo, but feel it as well. However, the very end of the film is slightly disappointing and has a missed opportunity to really sink in the emotions and leave the story with some mystery. Even so, A Werewolf Boy is most definitely a better love story than Twilight.

"A Werewolf Boy" made me cry, I was practically bawling towards the end. Very simple but good story-line and believable acting. I practically avoid drama movies (as my well of tears is shallow) but the plot is so compelling it easily dragged me in front of my computer and glued me on my chair so I couldn't move until the movie ended. No complains though. This movie showed why I am a fan of Korean movies: Simple story-line, may be over-used, but very well executed. Some may say that the movie is slow-paced but I find beauty in it because it gave way to focusing on little details (e.g. facial expression, hand movements and other body gestures) which have big impact and lasting impression on viewer's reaction.If you're looking for a sweet story which reminds of your childhood sweetheart, the one that got away (or you let go of) due to unavoidable circumstance (which I was before watching this movie), then watch "A Werewolf Boy". This is not a horror/suspense movie though, don't expect such things. Just be ready with your tissue box, because this movie will definitely make you cry.