“You must see this drama, you will love it; will you cry? Yes. However, it is worth it, because it has many beautiful messages”.
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First things first
The following review has no spoilers.
Move to Heaven came to me thanks to my best friend, who is not a Kdrama fan like me. I went to visit her a couple of weeks ago for her birthday and we spent all day together. First time seeing each other since the pandemic started, so we were very happy and emotional… We’ve been friends since we were 7 years old!
By the end of the day, we decided to watch some Netflix, and she asked me if I had seen this Kdrama. Turns out she started watching it and liked it a lot, so we watched the first episode together and I really liked it. I cried, because it was very emotional, and the plot got me.
Move to Heaven is inspired by the essay “Things left behind” by Kim Sae Byul, a former “trauma cleaner”.
You must see this drama, you will love it; will you cry? Yes. However, it is worth it, because it has many beautiful messages.
Move to Heaven is a Korean series of 10 episodes, released by Netflix on May 14 2021, and its genre is drama.
Synopsis
Geu-ru, a young man who has Asperger Syndrome, and his uncle and ex-convict Sang-gu, meet for the first time after the unexpected death of Geu-ru’s father. Entrusted as Geu-ru’s guardian, Sang-gu must work with his nephew at the family business called Move to Heaven, which dedicates to clean the rooms of the deceased.
In the course of their work, they discover untold stories about the deceased and their families, while Sang-gu tries to deal with his painful past.
In general terms
I would have never seen this drama if my friend didn’t recommend it, I assure you. I did see it on Netflix while looking for shows to watch, but it did not get my attention. I think it was because of the title, I avoid transcendental issues about life and death and I assumed it was something like that, so I let it pass.
Once again, I almost missed an excellent drama because of my misjudgment.
The people working at “Move to Heaven” are hired to clean the room of a deceased person, because their families won’t do it, are emotionally incapable of doing it, or there is no family. When Geu-ru and his father enter the room, they recite some beautiful words to the deceased, a sort of respectful ritual. Also, they do an impeccable job, respecting every object they consider was important for the deceased.
Cleaning the room of a deceased person is a very painful process. This drama reminded me when Grandma died; she lived with me during her last four years of life. Weeks came by and I wouldn’t go into her room. When I finally decided to go in and pack everything, five minutes later I sat on the floor and started crying disconsolately for almost an hour, it really affected me. After that, I gathered strength to start the job; it felt like she was still there. It was a very painful transition, to pack everything and redecorate de room. That is also why this drama got me to the heart.
Why do I recommend Move to Heaven?
The plot
This story teaches us many lessons; it makes us think about life, death, family and true friendship.
The characters
All characters are memorable. As for the main ones, you end up loving Geu-ru, he has a golden heart; his father is also a wonderful man. Geu-ru’s neighbor is lovely; she protects her friend at all costs. As for his uncle, he is a very complicated man, the first impression is negative, but little by little, you start learning about his life and see him from another angle.
The secondary characters are also excellent, in terms of acting. Many of them are known actors. All stories presented in this drama will get to your heart.
The music
Every time Geu-ru is about to start the cleaning process of a room, he puts his headphones on, and plays classic music. We listen to some precious pieces during the drama; for instance, Nocturne in E-flat major, Op 9, No. 2, by Frédéric Chopin; you can listen to it on this YouTube link, it is one of my favorite music pieces from this genre.
A little ending note
I cried a lot during this drama, but let me tell you something, sometimes I need that crying, it’s like a solace.
The story is beautiful, and you will be surprised many times during the drama, especially throughout the last episodes, so I truly recommend you to watch it, later on tell me your opinion about this series. I’ll be waiting for your comments!
Xoxo,
MJ
Other reviews on my Blog:
Mi terapia es escribir. Me desahogo escribiendo sobre la vida, mis aficiones, aprendizajes, bienestar, historias, libros y recetas. También me hace feliz conectarme contigo.