8.6
2020 Show
Crash Landing on You
Kim Hee-won · South Korea · Korean
Two lovers from opposite sides of the Korean DMZ fall in love in this iconic high-stakes romantic comedy
The title of this romantic comedy series refers to the unusual meet-cute between its leads. As wealthy heiress Yoon Se-ri gets into a paragliding accident in the North Korean part of the DMZ, she meets KPA Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok. Considering the tension between the nations, this creates more life-or-death stakes than other non-fantastical romcoms. But rather than play it out in the most dour of ways, the series has fun with it, with a humor that riffs on the sheer awkwardness of the situation and the leads’ shared humanity. Crash Landing on You does take on some of the K-drama formula, but it brilliantly uses it to humanize both sides of a peninsula that once was united.
What happens
A paragliding mishap drops a South Korean heiress in North Korea -- and into the life of an army officer, who decides he will help her hide.
What the critics said
Notable Critics

"This sturdy drama has the good sense to recognize that allyship is only valuable when it's hard."
— David Ehrlich

"A rock-solid movie: squarely deliberate, a little long and predictable, but honest and thoughtful enough, precise in its period and locale, with very strong performances."
— Owen Gleiberman
More about it
What happens
A paragliding mishap drops a South Korean heiress in North Korea -- and into the life of an army officer, who decides he will help her hide.
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About the author

Isabella Endrinal
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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