PASS OR PLAY?

'Navillera' will make you weep and then call your parents

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.

With a story revolving around an old man pursuing ballet with a handsomely fit Song Kang as his teacher, you can tell right away that “Navillera” is not going to be your usual romantic K-Drama.

But after 12 episodes (and about a bajillion tissues), you'll come to realize that nothing about the synopsis warned you that you'd end up wanting to pick up the phone, call your parents, and kick yourself for all those times you “just couldn’t make it."

Based on a popular Korean webtoon, "Navillera" starts off as an inspiring story about a talented 23-year-old ballerino who helps an elderly man pursue his childhood dream of becoming a ballet dancer.

The younger man, Chae Rok, is played by rising star Song Kang who —  as we’ve seen from his other dramas “Sweet Home” and “Love Alarm — not only looks like a cartoon character but also carries a scene really well.

Despite his distant demeanor and overall gloominess, Chae Rok will win you over with his natural “I can handle this” attitude, which makes him secretly really good at granting wishes for grandpas and grandmas. Another thing about Chae Rok is that he’s actually proud and unapologetic about being a male ballet dancer which makes the scenes where he deals with girls and bullies so fun.

Refreshingly, the biggest problem in “Navillera” doesn’t lie in the lead character's career, love life, or even a serious leg injury.

You'll slowly come to realize that the story focuses on the unlikely friendship of one man with his whole life ahead of him, and another man who spent most of his life taking care of his family without doing anything for himself. And now, he's running out of time.

Instead of meet-cutes and kissing scenes, "Navillera" digs into your heart with truth bombs about family, sacrifice and old age.

For those lucky enough to have parents and grandparents, be ready to be reminded how even a simple get together would mean the world to them; and how the littlest things like walking or standing on your toes may be easy for you, but it can be incredibly difficult and painful for people with brittle bones.

There's even a long sequence wherein that depicts how an elderly mother's entire day would go if her children don't answer their calls. The camera just follows Deok Chul's wife Hae Nam getting up early to make a big batch of soup, and dreams about her kids coming to visit and take some home until she goes to bed.

At the very least, "Navillera" deserves play for its movie-like cinematography, moving piano score, and a kind of screenwriting that will make you say: "Yeah, I'll live life to the fullest."

You might also love the drama for Song Kang's impressive performance and on-screen chemistry with veteran actors, or your love for ballet in general.

But most importantly, you should give "Navillera" a play all our parents' and grandparents' sakes, especially during this long and lonely pandemic. —JCB, GMA News