Yeong-hee (played by Yoon Seung-ah) is pushing thirty and starting to feel old- after all, isn't everyone supposed to be married by that point? Then, like a Champ, her longtime boyfriend Cheol-soo (played by Lee Joon-hyeok) casually broaches a completely serious proposition of marriage, and so the planning begins. With it, Yeong-hee and Cheol-soo both work to answer that all too critical question- what exactly is involved with planning a wedding anyway?
Well first off it's expensive. Yeong-hee has all sorts of fantasies when it comes to marriage which are constantly shot down, not by individual people so much as impending reality. Fortunately Yeong-hee does not have to endure this alone- she has an entire instant messenger group of "Married Woman Avengers" who are able to offer some useful perspective on what to expect whether it comes to family, friends, money, or her fiancé's own behavior.
Logistical problems are the big hurdle being dealt with in "The Birth of a Married Woman". There's the old classic scene of the couple's parents meeting to discuss the marriage. In the more typically comedic setting, personality clash makes the drama in the scenes. Yet the in-laws in "The Birth of a Married Woman" are surprisingly subdued for all their highlighted differences. The problem is not that they fight, but that they are so eager to act agreeable. Yeong-hee and Cheol-soo's options quickly get tied up in terms agreed to by or with third parties.
There's a lot of stress involved in trying to make a wedding work- and so it's also not coincidental that Yeong-hee and Cheol-soo are a fairly strong couple. Admittedly, Cheol-soo is not...the most romantic guy who could be hoped for. But in this way Cheol-soo's suitably generic as a man disinterested in weddings, just as Yeong-hee is similarly stereotypical as a woman who dreams of a wonderful wedding.
The big takeaway that "The Birth of a Married Woman" so far is to not get hung up on perfect. Whatever awkward technical problems there are, you need to be doing it with a person who will discuss the prospects seriously. It has to be a guy who studies this stuff on his own time even if he doesn't always seem to be into it. There has to be the warmth and intimacy necessary to defuse the stress with jokes if necessary. In short, it has to be a guy you love- so in that way, planning a wedding can be a great test for a relationship's overall viability.
Source:HanCinema
