This exquisitely beautiful drama is about love, life, loss, and sacrifice, and it is the most poetic/philosophical/literary of any drama I've ever seen (East or West.)
Nearly every line of the daughter's narrations is pure poetry. Award-worthy kudos go to director/writer Kim Won-seok, "Misaeng" and "My Mister," and the translators who preserved symbolic meaning so beautifully in translation. I wondered halfway through if Kim Won-seok had drawn inspiration from an old journal left behind by a female ancestor who should have been a poet. Many of the spoken lines give timeless meaning to our own life experiences. For me, the most moving was when the grandmother tells Ae-sun "The loss of a child is etched in the deepest part of the heart," something I've experienced but never thought of in this way. It's so true.
This script also rivals the best in literature. It is full of symbolism and metaphors like the seasons, the sea, the wind, even a gnarled finger and tangerines. But, the most heartbreaking and meaningful is that small bowl of candy in the windowsill. It is a metaphor for regret, longing, sorrow, and the words "we will never forget you." My own understanding of good literature is that it touches the deepest parts of our soul and reminds us that we all share in life's most difficult and most beautiful moments. This drama does this so movingly, but it is the characters that bring it all to life for us.
Even though every, single character is this drama deserves praise, I believe Park Bo-gum as Gwan-sik is the shining star. He's the teary-eyed, quiet, gentle "Steel Heart" giant upon whose shoulders Ae-sun stands as she breaks societal barriers built upon generations of Confucian tradition that has made life so much more difficult for most Korean women. He shocks even Ae-sun when he first sits at the women's table during the family meal. Despite his grandmother's threats, he makes sure their daughter is the first girl to ride a tricycle. When the same grandmother decides their daughter will begin training as a Haenyeo, he takes his girls and leaves the only home they have, because he knows Ae-sun will never allow their daughter to suffer the same cruel fate her mother did. But, the most moving was when he insisted on Ae-sun coming aboard their new boat in defiance of the Dragon King and despite even Ae-sun's fear of the capricious god of the sea. For him, no one-not even the gods-should stand in her way. Ironically, though, for most all of his life he drew his strength and bravery from his unwavering love for his "precious burden" Ae-sun.
I will never forget this beautiful and deeply touching drama in the same way I will never forget the most meaningful works of literature I've ever read. It is easily now my number 1 of all time.