Guys this time around I went way back. As far back as 2005 to dig up a Korean movie. Curiosity led me there. 2005? What curiosity?
Well peeps, I just really felt this urge to see how Korean dramas tackled/portrayed teenage pregnancy because it’s such a rarely addressed topic in Kdramaland (maybe it’s just not a serious issue there compared to the US nevertheless, surely some Korean teens, no matter how low in percentage, must be facing problems of unwanted pregnancies).
All in all, I just needed something refreshing from Kdramas. Something more sensitive and fragile to be precise. Hence I looked up teenage pregnancy themed Kdramas and could unsurprisingly barely find any. Luckily, I stumbled upon a favourable review of Jenny, Juno; a teen pregnancy Korean flick and duly decided to give it a try.
And seriously, I feel so glaaad and warm inside for trying this one out. Movie was flawed in that it didn’t truly mirror the harsh realities of teenage pregnancy. It was rather unrealistically lenient and easily forgiving.
Normally, this should be a major flop and a pointlessly shot movie in my books, given its failure to essentially tackle the seriousness of the issue at hand and its tendency to spread a wrong notion of teenage pregnancy to impressionable teens.
But oh my surprising gee, the touching camaraderie and mushily cute love between our, oh my amazing gee again, awesome leading teen couple effortlessly managed to permeate me with a sort of warmth and tenderness I couldn’t stop myself from relishing during and after the whole watch.
I swear, my heart couldn’t just dislike this one despite its annoyances. Let me quit all these talk and dive straight into the full gist!
WHAT CAUGHT MY FANCY
The Chemistry
Gosh! I just have to start with the amazingly organic, effortless chemistry between actors Kim Hye sung (Juno) and Park Min ji (Jenny) who were only 15 at that time! I swear, if not for them, the show could have been quite lame with its unrealistic teen pregnancy portrayal.
However Jenny and Juno had this natural, cute chemistry that I couldn’t help but find myself melting at and absorbed by.
Park Min ji and Kim Hye sung’s acting for teenagers was just sincerely impressive for me. They definitely carried the movie through and through.
The Love
Amidst the ropes of immaturity, childishness, fear and uncertainty; Jenny and Juno’s love and solidarity for each other, which they never ever even cared to hide from family and boisterous classmates; determinedly never wavered.
It was pure, ironically mature and quite inspiring. I absolutely loved the way they both took secret trips to hospitals for their maternal prep adventures. I loved watching them take maternity classes together and melt at the sight of newly born babies. I loved watching as raw awe and love fill them both as they watched their first baby ultra sound on the monitor together. I loved the way they watched heavily pregnant mothers do their breathing exercises and the way that Juno playfully helped Jenny take her own little breaths from the secret corner they watched from.
It was all wonderfully intimate and doting for a couple that were only 15year-olds with a whole BABY on their way.
By the end of those scenes, I strongly felt that Jenny and Juno were going to be great parents who loved their baby with all their hearts and each other for the longest time to come; come rain, come sunshine. And that assuring feeling was absolutely heart-warming.
The Leads’ Portrayal
Juno (Kim Hye sung)
This awesome baby daddy had this awfully young, cute innocent face that sometimes made me wonder if it was even normal that he could impregnate a girl.
But right from the onset when he ever so innocently asked Jenny, “That could happen?” after she confessed her pregnancy to him, I knew I was gonna like him. And I was right. I just loved his pure, considerate, innocent soul!
Throughout, Juno was the type of unbelievably loving and supportive boyfriend even grown assed ladies would hope and pray for when hard times unexpectedly show up. Kim Hye sung sure portrayed him really really sweetly and cutely🥰.
P.S – I recently stumbled upon an article about him and his face was still shockingly, totally the same😱. I had imagined that his features would have matured but guys, that young, innocent face did not change one bit. It’s been 14 years guys. CRAZY.
Jenny (Park Mi ji)
Park Mi ji was also just 15 when she played Jenny in a very organic, highly impressive way. I’d even thought she was older than Kim Hye sung because of how natural and mature acting was (but then, he looks much younger than her). Anyway, her acting was stellar.
As for Jenny as a character, some aspects of her didn’t sit well with me at all (I’ll be talking about that later on).
However, I loved her for how instinctively protective she was of her unborn child at just 15 and how she always duly appreciated every of Juno’s baby-daddyish and boyfriendish efforts.
She never took his romantic and supportive gestures for granted, despite how she seemed to have him wrapped under her sometimes fierce fingers. She always communicated her appreciation by reciprocating the same level of softness and care. I really loved this aspect of her. I found it very endearing.
The Parents
To be honest, for a long stretch after the pregnancy reveal, I hated how lax they were, especially Jenny’s parents. It was so annoying that Jenny’s mom was harsher to Juno than she was to her own complacent daughter (Again, I’ll talk more about this aspect of Jenny later) and it was also annoying, urgghhhhh! that Jenny’s father didn’t seem to be affected much by the whole pregnancy reveal of his teenaged daughter.
The only way I can tolerate this unrealistic reactions is to see it as art not just being about mirroring life, but shaping it as well.
So if this is sending out a positive message to parents and the society on how to react to their teen’s recklessness and mistakes, then hmm, I can try to huff and puff less.
I particularly liked this scene where both parents and the love birds gathered at a restaurant to sort out issues and the plan going forward and the very crucial, mature message on love and sex that came out from the dads at some point in a surprisingly earnest and respectful manner:
Jenny’ s dad – “What can we do, the deed is been done. If you really like someone, you should learn to wait.”
Juno’s dad – “Ten years from now, when you two become 25, if you are still in love with each other, we’ve agreed to let you get married.”
I really really really loveeeed these two dad’s earnest statement despite themselves and the flustering situation at hand. It was very healthy, educative and considerate. I loved that they did not mock their teens’ love for each other or look down on it in the name of being parents who knew better about love and relationships. They delivered a very good message in a very warm understated way that both advised and rooted for their children.
The Cinematography
I absolutely loved this scene where Jenny and Juno were on a boat out of nowhere just baring out their vulnerabilities, fear and insecurities on finding out about the pregnancy and what would happen when their parents found out. I loved the sheer comfort and security they both basked in from each other’s company. These scenes were cinematographed with so much warmth and gorgeous capture of natural elements (The vast river they rowed through, the sunlight, the forest trees, the mountains and dusk).
This scene was definitely the movie’s highlight for me. It was so whole, immersing, aesthetically appealing and warm. I could not help but love Jenny and Juno and root for them all the way after this one.
WHAT BUGGED ME
I. I was really annoyed by Jenny’s immature, childish, hardly remorseful attitude towards her parents and sister after they found out about her pregnancy unlike Juno who showed visible remorse to his parents for quite a while after the reveal. I was really frustrated with this aspect of Jenny and it’s definitely where the movie’s lenient, relaxed attitude towards teenage pregnancy showed the most. I can forgive the parents being lenient and easily forgiving because of the potentially good message in there for other parents to learn from. But I can’t forgive a girl of 15 who still acts rudely, complacently and disrespectfully after falling pregnant and disappointing her family. Fine, her parents’ opinion to put her unborn baby in her sister’s care abroad was a bit far-fetched but you were still in the wrong so be very sober and humble even when you disagree, godammit.
I was just like girl! Do you know how hard it is for an adult to raise a baby let alone, a young teen? Have you stopped to think of all the serious sacrifices you and your lovey-dovey baby daddy would have to make to care for and feed your baby? Nah. Didn’t think so. If not, you wouldn’t be so rude to the people you have not only let down but would have to rely on not to fall apart before your baby is even born.
Compared to Juno who had to hide in the bathroom after her pregnancy confession and even avoid her for days due to the fear and confusion that first gripped him, Jenny didn’t seem scared or bothered over her pregnancy to me. Instead she kept having these blissful dreams of how she and Juno met, how she fell for him and how they had sex for the first time. She was so optimistic, relaxed and at peace to me for someone who was pregnant at 15. It was just all very upsetting, unsettling and unrealistic. That why I was at least thankful that she voiced that she was scared of her parents finding out while she was with Juno on the boat; because I just couldn’t see or feel it in her private moments.
II. In as much as I said I appreciate the parents’ easy forgiveness and acceptance and the potentially good message that could pass out (I mean, suicide and depression for teens is real, anything to lessen it should be appreciated), still, the movie’s general rose-coloured depiction of teenage pregnancy without the real consequences that follow is quite bugging. I am really convinced that the movie could have managed to be still so warm and cute and sweet with its love story while also strongly serving or maybe just strongly hinting at some inevitable harsh consequences.
But oh my, *rolls heavy eyes*, instead everything ends sweetly with a shotgun wedding, with happy classmates and the two families gushing over the newborn and a pathetic scene of Jenny gruelling Juno in a library at the ending to read-bleed his nose out in order to secure a solid admission at Harvard.
Any ignorant teen watching, I’m afraid would think being pregnant at 15 isn’t so bad after all and it’s really quite disturbing.
III. I felt really cheated as a viewer when the camera didn’t show us Juno’s face as he finally revealed to his mother that he had impregnated a girl in his class. I just felt cheated and disappointed at the writer/director’s laziness in not showing us Juno’s reaction as he made the big reveal. Teens revealing the pregnancy they have kept secret for so long for fear of wrath and disappointment is always something to look forward to in Teen Pregnancy movies/series but Juno made the epic reveal and the camera wouldn’t even let me catch a glimpse of his countenance as he did that? ABSURD CHEATERS. Or was it that Kim Hye sung could not fully express whatever the director/writer wanted him to express after several shots so they just placed the focus on his mother’s expression instead? Urghhh! I don’t know. I know it’s funny that my train of thought even veered that way but that scene just did not feel right. All the anticipation and suspense they had built with no end reaction from the hero concerned, left me feeling really unsatisfied and scammed as a viewer.
IV. I was quite shocked and taken aback with all the body-baring Park Mi ji was made to do. Did she really have to be in just her panties and bra on several occasions just to show us her burgeoning stomach? She was 15 at that time for God’s sake. A blossoming woman for crying out loud and not a child. It was totally inappropriate for me, having her reveal any of her underwear at all. The scene where her friends just barged in and started to all giggly, chaotically pull off her clothes to the point of revealing her underwear just for the purpose of getting her ready for her supposed surprise wedding PUT ME OFF. I literally cringed at that scene. The writer/director’s choice for this to happen with a teen, especially in a conservative Korean culture was honestly really perplexing for me. I didn’t like it AT ALL. It all screamed manipulation to me.
V. While it was a fresher to have masturbation not be called an evil thing to young teens, I found it really cringey the way the female teacher enjoyably encouraged it and talked about it being a better option than risking impregnating a girl.
It seemed like the writer had a good intent behind the bold discussion, but the manner of delivery was rather obscene and cringe-worthy.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: FINAL THOUGHTS
Wins by its very beautiful display of intimate solidarity and cutesy love between two 15-year olds; fails in its core by its decision to portray such a serious issue as pregnancy on a lighthearted note. I recommend to hopeless romantics like me. You shan’t be disappointed on the execution of its love theme. But for those who plainly set out to see a Korean portrayal of teen pregnancy, I give you my warnings. If you reason like me, you would definitely not be satisfied in their show of unrealism. Nevertheless, I want to believe it would leave you with a fuzzily warm heart as it surely did with me if you decide to check it out.
RATING: 65%