Bae Suzy as Lee Doona in ‘Doona!’
| Photo Credit: Kim Seung-wan/Netflix
Early on in Doona!, Lee Won-jun (Yang Se-jong) bursts into laughter when Lee Doo-na (Bae Suzy) tells him that she likes ordinary stuff. “It’s just that you like ordinary stuff when there’s nothing ordinary about you,” he says on why he laughed.
There’s nothing ordinary about the events leading up to that conversation either. Won-jun, a college student, moves into a Share House when he discovers that one of his housemates is a celebrity vocalist on hiatus — Doo-na, who is a part of the wildly popular music group Dream Sweet. While there’s initially little to no interaction between the two — given that Doo-na prefers to be left to her own devices — the pair slowly strike up a friendship after Won-Jun rushes Doo-na to the hospital after a minor health emergency.
The lives and relationships of actors and idols are almost always under constant scrutiny in South Korea. A highly romanticised version of this, often where they fall in love with commoners, has been a recurrent theme in many K-dramas including Shooting Stars, Full House, So I Married an Anti-fan, Fan Letter Please, and Touch Your Heart.
To reduce Doona! to this, or simply to a romance, would be doing it a great disservice. At its core is friendship, companionship, and healing. Based on the South Korean manhwa ‘The Girl Downstairs’ by Min Song-Ah, the nine-episode coming-of-age drama is nuanced, affecting, and melancholic, nearly as much as it is bursting with hope and a sense of muted joy.
Doona! (Korean)
Director: Lee Jeong-hyo
Cast: Bae Suzy, Yang Se-jong, Shin Ha-young
Episodes: 9
Runtime: 40-45 minutes
Storyline: A celebrity singer on hiatus moves into a Share house where she meets a quiet college student, and sets on a path of healing and self-discovery.
The show does away with lengthy flashbacks or long conversations about Doo-na’s past, or the reasons behind her hiatus from the flashy life of an idol. We’re instead given glimpses — Of Doo-na feeling detached onstage, imagining herself to be drowning, fumbling during live performances, the hostility of her music group members, and inappropriate behaviour from fans. It isn’t hard to piece together here, that her ecosystem has let her down. There’s little to no support and an utter lack of empathy from the people around her. There’s a constant refrain from her about not being able to sing, but no one seems to be listening to her or show any interest in helping her figure out why.
When Won-jun and her strike up a slow and sweet friendship, Doo-na’s world seems to open up. She finally has a friend, someone with whom she meets up for meals, hangs out, and even gives her two cents when he vents about his crush. Sure, there is a romance looming large on the horizon, but it’s these moments of comfortable companionship and shared silences that make the show.
What makes this even better is how Doo-na gets naturally inducted into the circle by her housemates. The show thankfully chooses not to dwell on their shock or awe at Doo-na’s celebrity status and this easy acceptance plays a major role in Doo-na’s healing journey. Later on in the show, you can’t help but feel a sense of victory when Doo-na corrects her mother for smugly pointing out that she has no friends. The friends here might be on the sidelines, but their presence makes a difference to her.
Director Lee Jeong-hyo (Crash Landing on You, Romance is a Bonus Book) and writer Jang Yoo-ha exercise restraint and maturity throughout the show’s nine-episode run. Doona! never veers into saviour territory — Won-jun is an important part of her journey, but their relationship is so much more complex. While it’s baffling as to why a younger actor wasn’t cast to play Won-jun, Yang Se-jong brings a certain sweetness and warmth to this role.
One of the biggest casting triumphs this year has to be Bae Suzy as Doo-na. The part seems to have been written for her, and she owns the role. She’s pitch-perfect and effortless, whether it is in being vulnerable and breaking down, or in channelling her effervescent side. There’s melancholy, warmth and hope that she brings alive on screen.
In Doona!, even the love triangle goes beyond. Shin Ha-young, who plays the charming, affable Kim Jin-ju, isn’t just reduced to a pining second lead. She’s a part of Won-jun and Doo-na’s journeys in more ways than one, and thankfully, gets a complete arc as well.
Hitting all the right notes emotionally, from start to finish, Doona! constantly surprises with its nuanced and mature storytelling, something many K-dramas this year have failed to bring forth. There’s so much to love about this coming-of-age story that lingers with you long after it concludes, complete with a stand-out OST that’s sure to find a place in many playlists in the coming days.
Doona! is currently streaming on Netflix