An emotional drama between mother and daughter! Emotionally devastating, Wedding Dress is an authentic Korean melodrama with a story that doesn't simply aim to evoke sensitivity and emotion in the hearts of viewers, but rather to deliver a visceral impact. It shows people, in an ethical and philosophical way, that death is a road of no return—a reality that catches up to each of us sooner or later. Because of this, we must make every effort to say and show everything we feel to those we love, those we hate, and everyone around us. Upon discovering her terminal illness, the protagonist Ko-woon (Song Yoon-ah) changes her behavior toward her young daughter So-ra (Kim Hyang-gi), becoming increasingly erratic, temperamental, and intensely feverish. Why only now? Why not show all this intensity before? And what about the guilt? Ah, the guilt and remorse—the guilt of not having always been the mother she should have been. However, Ko-woon's attempts to make So-ra happy do not work out the way she imagined, as the little girl continuously ignores her. The deep trauma settling into this mother on the brink of death stems from Ko-woon's newly found intensity coupled with So-ra's own problems at school. She is a sad and wounded child due to having a 'negligent' mother—a mother who was physically present but emotionally absent, leaving a total void of dialogue between mother and daughter. Worse still is being only nine years old and not knowing that her mother is seemingly 'hiding' her terminal cancer from those around her with only a short time left to live. (It is a proven fact that children perceive something is wrong starting from the age of eight, judging solely by abrupt changes in behavior). In other words, hiding things is not always the best choice; a more open dialogue, phrased in a way the child can comprehend, can minimize the suffering of not only the parents but the child as well. The little So-ra proves to be incredibly brave when she realizes her mother's illness is serious. With tireless stoicism, she resolves to return the favor her mother had been trying to give her, striving to become the best daughter possible. From punishing her daughter for not taking an umbrella to school, to making So-ra a wedding dress, these actions are somewhat selfish ways for Ko-woon to ensure her daughter will be well-prepared and secure in the future, even when she is no longer with her. The casting was a key element for the story; after all, for a film like this to come to life, the actors must truly know how to perform and cry. That is exactly what Kim Hyang-gi achieved in her portrayal of So-ra. Song Yoon-ah also did a great job as the mother, even though I personally felt mother and daughter lacked a bit of onscreen chemistry. The cinematography and sets are ordinary; a large portion of the filming takes place indoors, where the basic and mundane are more than enough. As for the sound design and soundtrack, I found them to be just average. A more intensely melodramatic score might seemed like the obvious choice, but then again, the plot itself is already so heartbreaking that increasing the dramatic weight wouldn't have added much. Overall, and thanks to the beautiful performances by mother and daughter, we can trace a breathtaking journey of a young girl who begins to understand just how blessed she is to have such love in a life that will soon become unsupportably and irreversibly tragic. Highly recommended!