I have to admit that it’s been a few years since I first discovered the world of South Korean films and TV dramas. Since I have a soft spot in my heart, it’s always been easy for me to get drawn into their emotional stories, but I hadn’t yet experienced a K-drama that was truly heartbreaking and went beyond a simple love triangle.
When I came across Thirty-Nine, a 12-episode K-drama, in the Netflix catalog, the synopsis led me to believe it was a story about three friends facing the midlife crisis. Right away, I thought the idea was revolutionary for the genre, but I didn’t expect that in return I would receive one of the most beautiful and painful lessons about what it truly means to live.
The gut punch right in the first episode of Thirty-Nine on Netflix
For me, someone who enjoys the melancholic side of life, discovering Thirty-Nine was a huge surprise. Make no mistake, it still has some standard drama elements, like a love triangle and typical plot twists, but when Kim Sang-ho decided to bring this story to life, there was undoubtedly a vision for something bigger. I can’t speak for him, but for my part, I can assure you it took a few sessions with my therapist. Right off the bat, in the first episode, we get a fun moment with Jeong Chan-young (Jeon Mi-Do), Cha Mi-jo (Ye-jin Son), and Jang Joo-hee (Ji-Hyung Kim), three friends who’ve known each other for over 20 years.
Suddenly, the narration by the character Cha Mi-jo takes a different turn, and the topic of funerals comes into play. It doesn’t take long for the drama to reveal the true direction the story will take, as we soon see the characters—who we’ll later learn are the protagonists’ romantic partners—at a wake. Thus, we are overcome by a very different feeling. At this point, they still haven’t revealed to the audience which of the three would have passed away at age 39, but the sensation of imagining the cycle of life taking a different turn and losing such a dear friend before old age feels terrible in any scenario.
Thirty-Nine explores the deeper side of relationships
In this text, although I have already revealed a key element of the episodes, I do not want to tell the whole story, as I believe in the importance of each viewer watching the episodes through their own lens of experiences, beliefs, and cultures for a better understanding of the events. As much as I have some criticisms of the script, I strongly believe in the idea that a specific protagonist is presented to the audience to confuse them and not make the ending so obvious. In addition to the theme of death, the series stands out for addressing issues such as adoption, prostitution, and misogyny.
As the episodes unfold, we discover which character is going to die, but there’s still something inside us that hopes for a different ending. Watching the goodbyes, feeling anger at a fate capable of inflicting punishment, and witnessing the regret of those left behind takes us out of our comfort zone and into uncharted territory—at least for Western society.
Perhaps, for me, it was a little more poignant and surprising because I had also lost a dear young friend just a short time ago. However, it’s beautiful to realize that life, despite its finitude, places in our hands the chance to savor every moment. In Trinta e Nove, I was reminded that this is a unique experience, both for me and for others. Thus, I was able to reflect on my relationships as a whole, ranging from friendships to family and even romantic relationships.
