Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Korean teen romance has drinking, emotional intensity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
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20th Century Girl
What's the Story?
It's 1999 and high-schooler Na Bo-Ra's (Kim Yoo-jung) best friend, Yeon-Du (Noh Yoon-seo), must travel to the United States for heart surgery in 20TH CENTURY GIRL. Before Yeon-Du leaves, she asks her friend to keep tabs on a boy she has a crush on. Na Bo-Ra gets to know Baek Hyun-Jin (Park Jung-woo) and takes detailed notes on everything about him for her friend. She's assisted by his buddy, Poong Woon-Ho (Byeon Woo-seok). No Bo-Ra doesn't anticipate developing feelings for Woon-Ho, and things take an even more dramatic turn once Yeon-Du returns home.
Is It Any Good?
This Korean teen romance is a sweet story with characters that are very hard not to like. Kim Yoo-jung lights up the screen in 20th Century Girl as an independent and strong-minded teenager with a generous heart. She and co-stars Byeon Woo-seok and Park Jung-woo are totally believable as high schoolers discovering life, love, and loss. They're also funny and prone to exaggeration, infusing the film with moments of both comedy and melodrama.
Set in 1999 -- captured in first email accounts, pagers, baggy clothes, girl bands, and Y2K worries -- the period carries a whiff of innocence. The South Korean location, filmed in shades of green and yellow, couches the characters in a safe and gentle setting, allowing them to focus solely on matters of the heart. Spoiler alert: the unexpected ending is a tearjerker.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ending of 20th Century Girl. Did you expect the story to end this way? How did you feel about it?
How does this movie compare to other teen romances you've seen?
Bo-Ra says she's jealous of Woon-Ho for having passions and already knowing in high school what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Do you relate to this envy? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 21, 2022
- Cast : Kim Yoo-Jeong , Woo-Seok Byeon , Park Jung-Woo
- Director : Woo-ri Bang
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Run time : 119 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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