K-drama midseason recap: Navillera – Netflix series balances realism and melodrama
- In this heart-warming family drama, Song Kang plays a stubborn young dancer who helps Park In-hwan’s retired postman fulfil his dreams and get to dance ballet
- The relationship between the oddball couple lies at the heart of the show, and the bond between the two gets stronger with each episode
South Korea can be a tough place to live, and while some series will occasionally gloss over that fact, more often than not the prosaic difficulties of life there are woven deeply into the fabric of the stories that unfold on screen.
Viewers find them relatable and empathise with the characters, but normally such a storyline is counterbalanced by aspirational or fantastical elements – the perfect romance or a David vs Goliath story, often both.
Then there are shows that start roughly at the same place, but don’t sugarcoat the destination. The cross-generational ballet drama Navillera is not without its faults, but in the eight episodes aired to date, it’s been honest about life’s challenges and where they can lead.
Eun-ho (Hong Seung-hee), the granddaughter of Sim Deok-chool (Park In-hwan), is having a hard time landing her all-important first job. She was used and spat out by a manager during a back-breaking internship and her father is putting a lot of pressure on her to meet his expectations.
For his part, Deok-chool has finished his professional life, though we do witness snatches of his earlier trials as a postman in flashbacks. His challenge now is to fulfil a lifelong desire to perform ballet on stage, an end it appears will be precipitated by the Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis he has been keeping from his family.
