I was given the opportunity to sit down here in 2021 and watch the 2007 South Korean movie "Herb" (aka "Heobeu"). And needless to say that I needed no persuasion doing so, as this was an Asian movie that I hadn't already seen.

First and foremost I have to say that this is a very beautiful movie and also a very emotional movie. So you might want to have a tissue or two at hand when you sit down to watch it.

The storyline, as written by In-mu Heo, Seo-won Jeong, Geun-cheol Kim, Jae-yun Lee, Mi-young Park, Yeon-ju Sin and Hyun-hee Sohn, is simply just one that makes a homerun and goes straight to the heart. I have to say that the storyline told here really is one that takes you by the hand and takes you along on a very emotional and beautiful ride.

Not only is the storyline in the movie good, but the characters are so well detailed and filled with believable characteristics and traits. So the character gallery definitely added a very good dimension to supplement the storyline.

And then, of course, I have to mention the cast. Right, well they had done a great job in casting the actors and actresses for this movie. The lead actress Kang Hye-jeong (playing Cha Sang-eun) really carried this movie phenomenally well with her spot on performance, and it was a very believable performance as well. The movie also had some great performances by Chong-ok Bae (playing Kim Hyeon-suk) and Jung Kyung-ho (playong Lee Jong-bom) opposite of Kang Hye-jeong.

"Herb" is one of those movies that just sink in and will sit with you for a long, long time. And that is something that the South Korean cinema often does. So a big thumbs up to director In-mu Heo on this accomplishment.

This is definitely a movie that I can warmly and highly recommend that you should take the time to sit down and watch, should you find yourself fortunate to have the chance to do so.

My rating of "Herb" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

Very emotional movie about a controlling, protective mother, and an officer that falls in love with her mentally handicapped daughter.

To give away more details would possibly spoil the movie, since it is a very simple, focused movie on her, her mom, and the man she falls in love with; all I can say is it is a very depressing film, well worth seeing, and what I believe to be a decent portrayal on the way people (mis)treat and care for handicapped people, and how hard love is when the people they like are ashamed to be seen in public with them.

My only gripe is the occasional behavior that I disagree with. For example an off duty officer getting beat up by girls and instead of taking the logical route (threatening them perhaps?) he goes the emotional, whimpering and telling them to leave. This happens throughout a lot of Korean movies, "overly dramatic" is a term I would use. People getting smacked on the head and across the face seems to be popular In Korea, but it pesters me that no one attempts to at least block it, which seems like human instinct.

Minor gripes, and obviously cultural differences that are hard for people like me (American) to understand and tolerate. After all, critics knocked on Brotherhood of War for being too melodramatic, but this is trend in most every single Korean film, so what may seem "melodramatic" to us, is the dominant behavior for their countries. Directors of these movies obviously bring true to life behavior and Korean society into their movies, just as we do with ours, so when watching movies like this try to keep that in mind, that way the "corny" factor wont bug you so much.

It has so many happy moments, but a deep sense of sadness throughout. The main actress, Hye-jeong Kang, does an amazing job portraying a mentally disabled woman. All of the actors are really good, but she stands out. I highly recommend this film, though it's definitely not a good choice for a first date (too sad).