Seasonal affective disorder can do a lot to damp the spirits even though the weather is improving. But here is a list of K-Dramas that can make your evenings and weekends more cozy.
Miracle in Cell No 7 (2013)
This bittersweet comedy-drama is based on real events which took place on 27 September 1972 in Chuncheon. The film stars Ryu Seung-ryong as Lee Yong-gu, a Korean father with the mental age of a six-year-old, who gets thrown into prison because he is mistakenly found guilty of raping and murdering the nine-year-old daughter of the police commissioner Ji Young Bu (played by Jo Duk Hyun). He is incarcerated in Cell No 7 where there are five other inmates who, at first, regard Lee with suspicion and disgust because of the nature of the crime of which he's been accused. Over time, however, they are won over by his innocent charm and set about trying to help him, even smuggling his daughter Ye-seung (Kal So-won) into the cell for a night when she visits the prison with her choir. They guide him in how to establish his innocence but sadly not everything goes as planned and it is left to Ye-seung (now a successful lawyer and played by Park Shin-hye) to get him exonerated.
The film unfolds as a flashback and touches on a whole range of themes including fatherhood, redemption and forgiveness, and demonstrates that, despite all the difficulties life throws at us, love conquers all.
My Annoying Brother (2016)
Another bittersweet comedy drama likely to put film aficionados vaguely in mind of the hugely popular 'Rain Man'. It was released by CJ Entertainment on 23 November 2016 and, four days later, had attracted an audience of one million. By mid-December, it was up to three million views.
The film tells the story of national judo champion, Doo-young (played by Do Kyung-so) who damages his optic nerve during an international tournament and goes blind permanently. His ne-er-do-well brother Doo-shik (Jo Jung-suk), uses his blindness as an excuse to apply for parole. The boys are orphans and Doo-young hardly remembers his brother so Doo-shik's arrival in his life is literally adding insult to injury. However, blood is thicker than water, and Doo-young slowly opens up to his brother who, although a swindler, brings unexpected comfort as he takes charge and helps Doo-young to adjust to his disability. But there is a sting in the tale and just as the brothers are getting accustomed to each other, something happens which brings their whole world tumbling down. Hint, hankies would come in handy. Park Shin-hye joins the stellar cast as Lee Soo-hyoon.
A Werewolf Boy (2012)
This fantasy romance has risen over the past decade from having a cult following to being the most successful South Korean film ever to have been produced. It was written by director Jo Sung-hee while he was studying at the elite Korean Academy of Film Arts and, after several rewrites, became his commercial debut. It had its world premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the highly regarded Toronto International Film Festival.
The film is set in 1965 and tells the story of Kim Sun-yi (Park Bo-young) who is moved to the countryside by her mother (played by Jang Young-nam) because of her asthma. They live in a house owned by Ji-lae (Yoo Yeon-seok), the arrogant son of Sun-yi's late father's business partner. While there, the beautiful, introverted Sun-yi discovers a feral boy of about 19 in their yard. His blood type is unidentifiable, and he can neither read nor speak. Sun-yi's kindhearted mother adopts him and names him Chul-soo (Song Joong-ki) and guesses he's one of more than 60,000 children to have been orphaned in the Korean War (1950 to 1953).
Sun-yi is gradually drawn to Chul-soo as she civilizes him and teaches him how to dress and how to read. He in turn falls in love with her but their relationship is dogged with problems as Ji-tae begins to resent how close they've become.
This is a story of love, devotion and human nature which, like all the greatest dramas, makes you laugh, makes you cry and makes you wait.