When life gives you tangerines is the story of Ae Soon (IU) and Gwan Shik (Park Bo Gum) - who were born on Jeju Island (Korea) in the 1950s.
Right from the project was announced, director Kim Won Seok expressed his confidence in the film, especially the chemistry of the IU and Park Bo Gum couple.
He believes that the audience will see a different side of Park Bo Gum from what they have seen before, while IU will be able to express all the charming aspects of themselves.
Regarding the film's production budget of 60 billion won (41 million USD), the director said that the majority of the budget was allocated to visual elements and building an open setting.
Because the story spans decades, from the 1960s to 2025, we have invested a lot in art and even used VFX technology to make the film look more realistic.
According to the director, the film was initially produced for Korean audiences, but the participation of Netflix expanded the scope of the film.
At first, I imagined the drama would be for domestic audiences, but when Netflix released it, I wondered if it could resonate globally.
We focus on making Korean stories and lines effectively communicated to international audiences through subtitles.
I think issues like war or the difficult situation of refugees and the 1997 financial crisis will not be too difficult for international audiences to understand" - Kim Won Seok expressed.
Meanwhile, IU - the female lead of the English title of the film has encapsulated the story.
English name - When life gives you tangerines reflects the message that even if life gives you bitter tangerines, you can still turn them into tangerine syrup and enjoy a cup of warm tangerine tea.
We consider this film a cup of warm tangerine tea for the audience, hopefully it will bring a moment of calmness reflecting on life.
The director added that this is also the reason he decided to broadcast the 16-episode work in many episodes per week.
I felt that if the audience watched it all at once, like other Netflix dramas, they could miss the plot of this drama.
I made this decision with the hope that the audience would enjoy it slowly - like picking and enjoying each dried rose.
When life gives you tangerines with 4 episodes aired every Friday, from March 7 to March 28.
