20th Century Girl (2022 Film)

20th Century Girl (Korean: 20세기 소녀) is a South Korean romantic drama film released in 2022. Written and directed by Bang Woo-Ri, the film is set in 1999 and explores themes of adolescent friendship and first love.

Promotional poster for 20th Century Girl

Plot

The story follows 17-year-old Na Bo-Ra, a high school student with a bright personality and a background in taekwondo. She is a member of her school's broadcasting club. Her best friend, Kim Yeon-Doo, develops a crush on a fellow student named Baek Hyun-Jin. Before departing for the United States to undergo heart surgery, Yeon-Doo asks Bo-Ra to gather information about Hyun-Jin.

In her efforts to assist her friend, Bo-Ra begins observing Hyun-Jin closely. During this process, she interacts frequently with his friend, Poong Woon-Ho. As the narrative progresses, Bo-Ra finds herself becoming close to both Hyun-Jin and Woon-Ho, leading to complex emotional developments.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast portraying characters in both their youth and adulthood:

Kim You-Jung as Na Bo-Ra
Byeon Woo-Seok as Poong Woon-Ho
Park Jung-Woo as Baek Hyun-Jin
Roh Yoon-Seo as Kim Yeon-Doo
Han Hyo-Joo as adult Na Bo-Ra

Production and Release

The film was directed and written by Bang Woo-Ri. It was released on October 21, 2022, and distributed internationally by Netflix. The film has a runtime of 119 minutes.