20th Century Girl

In 1999, Na Bo-ra is a high schooler who agrees to watch a classmate, Poong Woon-ho, on behalf of her best friend Kim Yeon-du, who has a crush but is too shy to act. Bo-ra follows schedules, listens in on habits, and reports back, but along the way she starts noticing small details about Woon-ho that pull at her attention. Friendships are tested as loyalties shift and feelings become messy, with letters, mixtapes, and flip phones shaping how emotions are shared. The film stays focused on teenage longing and the awkward, tender moments that come with first love, without revealing how everything resolves.

Directed by Bang Woo-ri and released in 2022, the film stars Kim Yoo-jung as Na Bo-ra, Byeon Woo-seok as Poong Woon-ho, Roh Yoon-seo as Kim Yeon-du, and Park Jung-woo as Baek Hyun-jin. Its late 1990s setting is built into the production design and wardrobe, helping the cast inhabit a specific cultural moment.

The movie didn't have a blockbuster theatrical footprint overseas, and detailed box office totals aren't widely cited, but it reached a broad audience through streaming and word of mouth after release, expanding its viewership beyond initial screenings.

Audiences and younger viewers often point to its nostalgic touches, from cassette tapes to dial-up era aesthetics, which renewed interest in precursors to modern K-romance trends. Scenes of handwritten letters and schoolyard rituals resonated with viewers who grew up around the turn of the century, and the film's soundtrack and period detail became talking points on social feeds.

Critical response leaned positive, with a strong vote average of 8.145 out of 10 from 780 votes, and many reviewers highlighted the chemistry between the leads and the authenticity of the teenage perspective. The film focuses on memory, choice, and the ways small decisions shape emotional lives, framed in a warm, intimate style that emphasizes character over spectacle.