agmtw logo
search
Daily Dose of Sunshine

Daily Dose of Sunshine

TV-MA

netflix

A thoughtful medical drama that’s as well-meaning as the show’s nurse protagonist

7.6

TV Show

South Korea
Korean
Drama
2023
JQ LEE
Chang Ryul, Jang Dong-yoon, Lee Jung-eun

TLDR

Psych wards are usually depressing sites for horror films, but Daily Dose of Sunshine shows that there’s no need to fear the department– it’s just as human as we are.

What it's about

In the third year of her nursing residency, Jung Da-eun transfers from internal medicine to the psychiatry department of the Myungshin University Hospital, causing curiosity over the newcomer from the department’s current staff.

The take

Like plenty of medical dramas, Daily Dose of Sunshine portrays the day-to-day dynamics of a hospital department, this time in the department of mental health in a country that has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Based on the webtoon from a former nurse, the series might have some laughs from the department's dynamics, but never at the expense of their patients. In fact, the show takes great care in depicting mental illness, taking care to visualize the patient’s episodes, as well as the way Da-eun tries to fit into her new department. It’s sweet and earnest, but not too cloying, and as substantial as the mugwort rice cakes Da-eun brings for her co-workers.

What stands out

As implied by the title, Daily Dose of Sunshine takes a fairly positive approach in depicting the mental illnesses in the show. It’s not too serious, with humorous bits like a bout of hemorrhoids affecting one of the doctors, and a patient worried about OCD because of his perpetual knuckle cracking. However, it does get factual when it needs to be. Terms that may be unfamiliar to people outside the field are sometimes explained through handy subtitles, or through Hwang Yeo-hwan, who served as Da-eun’s tutor. The series also tends to visualize their patients’ experiences, such as the smoky green hallucination of the show’s first patient, as well as the glass box enclosure of the show’s anxious second patient. It makes for an interesting approach to tackle mental illness, with a certain respect to their patients’ experiences.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Interior Chinatown

A novel and daring action comedy that plays on Asian American stereotypes

7.5

Say Nothing

A powerful take on the Northern Ireland conflict that smartly shows all sides

8.5

Dune: Prophecy

Two sisters shift the balance of power in this Dune prequel series

7.0

Ethos

A level of attention to aesthetics usually reserved for the most elaborate films, mixed with a complex and relevant story, make this series from Turkey unmatched in its quality

9.9

Caliphate

A psychological thriller that provides insight on what drove so many young people to ISIS.

8.9

Occupied

Norway's most expensive show ever is a timely thrill ride with a grim geopolitical premise.

8.7

Escape at Dannemora

Based on a true prison escape story, this slow-burn suspense thriller features once-in-a-lifetime performances by a star-studded cast

9.3

Unorthodox

A well-acted fact-based thriller about untangling the grip of a close-knit community

8.5

The Looming Tower

A well-written thriller miniseries about the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI and how they failed to prevent 9/11.

8.1

The Good Fight

Like Suits or The Good Wife, but sharper

9.1

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.