[Drama 2019] The Light In Your Eyes, 눈이 부시게

[Boba]

54 minutes ago, nrllee said:

O that was so beautiful... Bravo.   I loved how they had ending credits with celebrations with staff and cast.  And HyeJa's parting words to everyone...life is worth living no matter how hard it is. 

 

@Boba. No she didn't exist... She existed in the mind of HyeJa the old grandmother as Alzheimer's merged her past life with her present reality.  As for why the cripple dad never connected with his son.  Truth was he always felt alone growing up.  He felt abandoned by his mom (young HyeJa) who was giving him tough love - trying to get him to stand up for himself.  So he never really had meaningful connections with the people around him eg his mother, his wife and his son.  It was only at the epiphanous moment when it dawned on him that his mother did love him (she was the one who would sweep the path of snow so he wouldn't fall down going to school) that he finally opened his heart to let others in and loved in return...hence he reconnected with his wife in the end and it sounds like he would make that effort with his son too (at his wife's bidding). 

 

I have been trying to find the link to Chanel and her son in the last 2 episodes.  The only one that comes close would be the bag lady (Chanel??) - the old lady who hoards/pockets everything.  Her daughter doesn't seem to visit even though she dearly wanted her to...and she only got visits from her good for nothing sons... I guess that's where HyeJa's mind linked it all, good for nothing sons, missing daughter who never visited...who I guess subsequently died of uterine cancer?  The other major players in the first 10 episodes I could sift out in the mix... Although the old guy who kept hitting on her is a mature age student ?

 

 

Question - so the crippled son only have one child? 

[SonShinAe]

"The Light In Your Eyes" is a drama like no other. It is something we can go back to when we feel that life seems pointless (recall Kim Hye Ja's words to Joon Ha during Lady Chanel's funeral; Hye Ja's thoughts about death). Comments about this being "the drama of your life" is something I would wholeheartedly agree on. Hands down to everyone in front and behind the camera who made this drama possible.

 

@nrllee, I think Chanel is a symbol pf Hye Ja having a distant relationship with her son (Lee Dae Sang). During that episode of her Alzheimer's, through Lady Chanel, she was able to speak as a mother to a person whom she considered a son (Joon Ha); recall Lady Chanel's conversation with Joon Ha during the taxi ride. "A mother always worries about her son" (not verbatim).

 

@Boba you have a point with what you said, I see. Parents of this generation know and do it differently. But knowing the time period when Hye Ja lived (Martial Law in Korea) plus having to live two roles for her son (as both mother and father), it was the best way she knew for her son to be able to survive life in their times. She may not always showed her love and care for her son, yet she always loved and cared for him, even when he is unaware. It was a wonderful moment of realization for Dae Sang during the snow-sweeping scene. And @nrllee is right, because of that, he was able to open his heart - to let love in and out of it, so that he could receive the love others give him and at the same time, give the love that he has for the people dear to him. (How touching a moment it would be to see him and Min Su [Hye Ja's grandson] have a heart-to-heart talk over chicken and beer! ^^)

[unknown12]

@Boba i agree with you. but somehow i agree with the writer deliver the story too. even till these days there are still many parents using this tough love method, and this doesn't mean the parents diminish their love to their child. this is how they want their children to work harder and show the world that the children are doing the best they can in their life though they have shortcomings. and this is what the daughter in law said when hye ja in her hallucination state act as her daughter. 

 

believe it or not, lots of kids these days tend to play or lay more (got lazy) than work harder, cause they life got simplier by technology advances, yet they forgot to face reality the best they could. they rely so much on their parent's earning and hardworking. this drama also portray that in the beginning. so i can't say tough love method is wrong nor hate it, because in so many ways if the children got into trouble, they will still be there for them, pray for them, even stand for them (of course if the act of the children are right), the parent is not ignoring their children. of course when the children were young they didn't see this because they saw it in the wrong way, however usually when they got older they thank their parents for what they did to them cos it made them whom they are now (a better person). of course in tough love, abusing is not allowed.

 

praises to the drama from many kind of society, even from a professor from a university keep coming up.

http://sports.khan.co.kr/sports/sk_index.html?art_id=201903201126003&sec_id=540101

 

testimonies from other celebs in korea (hong seok chun, chef lee yeon bok) and also from the supporting role who play hyun and the manager who's running the nursing hospital.

https://news.joins.com/article/23416158?cloc=rss|news|total_list

http://star.mt.co.kr/stview.php?no=2019032013440666269&MS2

http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201903200746242410

 

the powerful of this drama, as soon as the drama come to an end, citizen in korea started to post their photos in social media of their loved ones, such kids, their parents (old pics, or new one), wife, even best friends. 

 

many people also mention this should be in Baeksang awards nominations.

[nrllee]

49 minutes ago, Boba said:

Question - so the crippled son only have one child? 

 

Yes.  

 

Tough love is hard.  I don’t doubt that had she done it differently, her crippled son would probably have had better relationships in life.  But somehow I think this drama is trying to address the now.  It doesn’t sidestep the responsibility for past wrongs or belittle it, rather it encourages us to embrace it rather than living with regrets all your life.  It encourages us to accept past wrongs, fix what you can and move on with living life to the full now.  Just like the crippled son did. He could’ve remained bitter about his mother never showing him love all those years ago when he learnt about her love for him but he chose instead to accept it and to move forward with life and relationships now.

 

Good thoughts about Chanel @SonShinAe - I didn’t see that link till you mentioned it .

 

Also does anyone know the reference with that boy chopping onions with Young Soo??  I am sure there’s a significant reveal there - I just saw @SonShinAe‘s reference- he’s a famous chef .    Hats off to SHJ for doing a stellar job at providing laughs right through.  

 

I am so glad to have stumbled upon this drama.  Thanks all for providing shared fun, laughter, tears and insights.  It’s been well worth it.  

[unknown12]

and for the record chef Lee Yeon Bok was mention as the kid who work at hye ja's brother restaurant. this kid here  kim young soo such a dork in here.

[chickfactor]

Oh, waaa            

 

I am crying so much it's hard to have any coherent thoughts. It really was just so beautiful and lovely from top to bottom.

 

Even the little details were so lovable. Like the Senior Center owner and his henchmen being really good people in real life.  Or the fact that Hyun was a real college student.  Or how Hyeon-Joo as an old lady still wears motorcycle helmets and Adidas training pants. 

 

I loved the little cameos, too. Lee Yeon-Bok, the famous chef was the young boy working in Hyeon-Joo's restaurant with Young-Soo. I loved that Sang-Eun was the young Yoon Bok-Hee, also a famous singer.

 

It was just lovely. I could barely watch the final scene because my eyes were too filled with tears.

 

This entire show was a tribute. A tribute to the actress Kim Hye-Ja, and an opportunity to honor a lot of other older actors. The actress who played Chanel is pretty famous, and many of the older people who appear are well-known faces as well, if not quite as famous. Most of all, it's a tribute to all the people who lived during that time in history. (I'm not 100% sure, but I think Joon-Ha died during Park Jung-Hee's presidency, so sometimes in the 1970s? Apparently they really did jail and kill reporters for writing stories that are critical of the government.)

[unknown12]

30 minutes ago, chickfactor said:

This entire show was a tribute. A tribute to the actress Kim Hye-Ja, and an opportunity to honor a lot of other older actors. The actress who played Chanel is pretty famous, and many of the older people who appear are well-known faces as well, if not quite as famous. Most of all, it's a tribute to all the people who lived during that time in history.

yup i happen to see this too in some articles.

 

the husband who lost her wife in the final episode was also a well-known actor, and the actress who play her daughter is actually his real daughter who's also a quite known actress. and for hye ja's friend in old figure (yoon sang eun who change her name following the shaman's advise) yoon bok hee, actually she really is a korean famous singer who debuted in the late 60s. they all have lived through that era i guess

[chickfactor]

1 hour ago, unknown12 said:

yup i happen to see this too in some articles.

 

the husband who lost her wife in the final episode was also a well-known actor, and the actress who play her daughter is actually his real daughter who's also a quite known actress. and for hye ja's friend in old figure (yoon sang eun who change her name following the shaman's advise) yoon bok hee, actually she really is a korean famous singer who debuted in the late 60s.

 

 

Wow, that is interesting, thanks! I didn't know that the daughter was played by his real daughter. So touching. That old couple really didn't have any lines at all during the entire show, but you always noticed them and felt moved by how much he loved her. And then they really gave you that gut-punch of emotion in the final episode.

 

The actor who played the old man with the wristwatch, his name is Jeon Moo-Song, also quite a famous actor.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeon_Moo-song

 

The actress who played the older Hyeon-Joo is also a quite famous actress. Not famous enough to have an English Wikipedia page, but she apparently won a ton of Best Actress awards in the 1970s.

 

http://asianwiki.com/Son_Sook

 

https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/손숙

 

She was in "My Ahjussi," which if you haven't seen it, is EXCELLENT. That drama and this one are the best dramas I have seen in the last few years, hands down.

 

I also want to mention that the post that @SonShinAe shared (and I translated) was from a Korean viewer who wanted to explain the show to everyone:

 

 

Just want to point out how accurate that was!

 

--

 

Thanks so much for posting that dramabeans review, @unknown12 !!! It really did my heart good to remember some of the really funny earlier episodes, like when Young-Soo locked himself in his room to eat pork belly.  

 

And then it reminded me what a close relationship the 25-year-old Hye-Ja had with her father, who was actually her son, and how she must have imagined that from yearning to have a similar warm & loving relationship with her actual son, but wasn't able to have because of all the hardships they both had to endure. 

 

I feel like this show is going to continue to hit me like this emotionally, as I recall the show again, and put into context what all those little moments actually meant.

 

This was... so good. Thanks to everyone in this group. We weren't a huge group, but we loved this show hard. It was more enjoyable thanks to you guys.

[unknown12]

@chickfactor i already give my thumbs up to the production team, especially the casting team, they did great 

 

and for those who seems confused of the story and wonder whether to continue to watch, i think you can read this review, who did best in reviewing and commenting the drama.

http://www.dramabeans.com/2019/03/the-light-in-your-eyes-episodes-1-10/

[SonShinAe]

2 hours ago, chickfactor said:

This entire show was a tribute. A tribute to the actress Kim Hye-Ja, and an opportunity to honor a lot of other older actors. The actress who played Chanel is pretty famous, and many of the older people who appear are well-known faces as well, if not quite as famous. Most of all, it's a tribute to all the people who lived during that time in history. (I'm not 100% sure, but I think Joon-Ha died during Park Jung-Hee's presidency, so sometimes in the 1970s? Apparently they really did jail and kill reporters for writing stories that are critical of the government.)

 

This is another nice thing about this drama. It led me to do a little research on the history of Korea just so I could understand the setting better. After doing so, I realized that this just might also hit close to home (country, to be more accurate ^^') because Martial Law also prevailed here in the Philippines back in the 1970's. I'm sure a lot of those who lived during those times would be able to relate to Kim Hye Ja's plight (I was born in 1985).

 

This show being a tribute to those who have made marks in the Korean Entertainment Industry, especially the Nation's Mother, Ms. Kim Hye Ja, makes it a more meaningful drama. Her presence gave those whom she worked with (whether actors, writers or production staff) an opportunity to also give their better best. Through this drama, they might actually make their own mark in the industry.  

 

@nrllee, well said! Thanks also for sharing your insightful thoughts. I'd love to talk more about these connections between the real "herstory" and the tangled memories. ^^

 

@chickfactor, thanks for those chunks of trivia! I hope the "golden" actors in this drama may live a long life so they could pass on to the young people in this generation the lessons and wisdom they have gained through the years.

 

@unknown12, thanks for the Dramabeans link! ^^

 

= = = = = = = =

EDIT:

 

1 hour ago, chickfactor said:

This was... so good. Thanks to everyone in this group. We weren't a huge group, but we loved this show hard. It was more enjoyable thanks to you guys.

 

@chickfactor Awww... So touching.  To be honest, I felt a little awkward joining you guys here at first, being a newbie, but you all made me feel comfortable and affirmed.

 

To all who are thinking of re-watching this wonderful drama, please don't hesitate to share of your future insights. ^^

[nidcha202]

Nam Joohyuk and Han Jimin were Unable to Hold Back Their Tears While Filming the Last Scene of 'The Light in Your Eyes'

 

Nam Joohyuk and Han Jimin immersed in their characters in the drama. 

 

On March 19th, JTBC released the making film of the last episode of drama 'The Light in Your Eyes,' featuring Nam Joohyuk and Han Jimin. For the last scene of the drama, Nam Joohyuk and Han Jimin hugged each other tightly, happily ended their story. The two went emotional and Han Jimin even cried on Nam Joohyuk's shoulder. While practicing for the scene, Nam Joohyuk asked the director, "I cannot cry here, right? I should hold back my tears, shouldn't I?"

 

When the director gave them a "cut," both Nam Joohyuk and Han Jimin could not control their emotion. Nam Joohyuk was spotted shedding his tears while wrapping up the filming. 

 

 

Image Source: Youtube 'JTBC Drama' Screenshot 

 

You can find out more in the video above (starting from 4:14 mark)

 

https://kstarlive.com/article/2019/03/20/nam-joohyuk-and-han-jimin-were-unable-to-hold-back-their-tears-while-filming-the-last-scene-of-the-light-in-your-eyes-196231

 

Behind the scenes interviews for the main actors' filming

 

 

!

[maribella]

Some years ago, I read an article on Alzheimer and got very interested in it because my 80 something Grandma was already senile. The different stages of Alzheimer are characterised by increasing forgetfulness as we can see in HJ in episode 12. They forget how to do basic things like bathing, then it increases to eating, swallowing etc. But the hallucinations and fantasies that we saw from ep 1 to 10 are usually manifested by schizophrenics. However, researchers say that Alzheimer's patients may not always behave the same.

At the end, their memory degrades so much, fatality is the end. Much as I am enjoying watching the sweet encounters HJ has with JH, I don't believe the alternative memories she develops are the result of Alzheimer. I believe the writer is taking a lot of liberties with the disease. 

[nrllee]

38 minutes ago, maribella said:

I don't believe the alternative memories she develops are the result of Alzheimer. I believe the writer is taking a lot of liberties with the disease. 

 

No.  Alzheimer’s Disease has a whole list of memory impairments associated with it.  See article link (probably way too technical for the general populace)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11434-010-4164-6

 

False memories is one of them.  With many triggers.  Schizophrenia is different. You are convinced you hear voices. You are generally very disruptive and unsociable.  Plus schizophrenia has a different age of onset.  It hits late teens and young adults. HyeJa did not display signs of schizophrenia.  She was having flashbacks of memories locked in her brain of moments in her life which she associated with present day triggers - like the doppelgänger doctor, her grandson with the broadcasts.  The old man with the watch.  Consistent with signs of a person with Alzheimer’s.

 

 

[nrllee]

O looks like they earnt a reward vacation!  Well deserved! 

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1311575wpp/radiant-cast-to-go-on-reward-vacation

 

The “Radiant” team will be celebrating the successful conclusion of their drama with a reward vacation!

The cast and production staff of JTBC’s “Radiant” will be leaving for Jeju Island on April 3 and staying there for three days and two nights.

[richelle]

I love the cinematography of this drama too. Gorgeous

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

6 hours ago, chickfactor said:

I am crying so much it's hard to have any coherent thoughts. It really was just so beautiful and lovely from top to bottom.

 

Even the little details were so lovable. Like the Senior Center owner and his henchmen being really good people in real life.  Or the fact that Hyun was a real college student.  Or how Hyeon-Joo as an old lady still wears motorcycle helmets and Adidas training pants. 

 

I loved the little cameos, too. Lee Yeon-Bok, the famous chef was the young boy working in Hyeon-Joo's restaurant with Young-Soo. I loved that Sang-Eun was the young Yoon Bok-Hee, also a famous singer.

 

It was just lovely. I could barely watch the final scene because my eyes were too filled with tears.

The above that you've written was basically my exact thoughts and feelings too...

 

This is truly a one of a kind drama that will remain memorable for a long time ahead.

I am really speechless... or maybe still overwhelmed by the beautiful ending.

Will be back after I managed to gather some thoughts.

 

Wonderful drama!! Just wonderful!!

[rubie]

Source: HanCinema.net

 

 

 

[unknown12]

how i wish in korea has a nomination for category of ensemble cast (this basically an award/appreciation for all actors in the drama/movie), cos all actors did amazing acting. 

[rubie]

March 17, 2019

 

Kim Hye-ja, Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk Behind the Scenes of "The Light in Your Eyes"

 

Source: Joynews via HanCinema.net

 

 

The jTBC drama "The Light in Your Eyes" released behind-the-scene cuts of Hye-ja's (Kim Hye-ja) secret.

In the previous episodes, Hye-ja's time breakaway was explained; she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and the story so far had been happening in her head. Twenty-five-year-old Hye-ja (Han Ji-min) was seventy-year-old Hye-ja's past. The narration said, "I had a long dream. But I don't know if I'm dreaming about myself getting old, or if the old me is dreaming of being young. I have Alzheimer's".

 

The truth about Hye-ja is delivered against the backdrop of the ocean. The scene where Kim Hye-ja, with eyes so deep with age it's hard to fathom, and Han Ji-min meet is where their synergy is released. The way they are talking hand-in-hand shows that even their smiles look alike.

 

 

Nam Joo-hyuk is covered in bruises and cuts, but his smile is unmistakably stunning. Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk play with the little child actor, and curiosity builds, as it is obvious that Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk were once a married couple in Kim Hye-ja's past. The 'no-vengers' and 'watch grandpa' Jun Moo-song appear harmonious.

 

The production says, "Hye-ja's real story begins now. There are two more episodes of the precious and shining time of Hye-ja's life, so watch how the puzzles piece together and connect the past and the present".

[melleri]

This drama was so amazing. I could not stop my tears. The whole cast was amazing. It's not what I expected at all going into it, but I'm so glad I kept watching. 

 

Once episode 10 happens everything just clicks into place and you finally understand the characters so much better. The "father" especially, he was always something I didn't understand at all. His character, his behavior and the mysteries surrounding him. I was half annoyed with him sometimes for not trying harder to accept his daughter, but they really turned that notion on it's head. Just amazing. 

 

Then you consider the lazy brother, who was actually the sweetest guy in reality? He was playing along with his grandma the whole time and acting like her oppa without fail. 

 

And Hye-Ja desperately trying to save Joon Ha throughout the show and end his loneliness but in reality, we all know what happened. Just really broke my heart. 

 

But even through all that, she realizes she did have happy times and was thankful to live. Then she finally got meet her Joon Ha and he wasn't alone anymore. 

 

Now I'm crying again!