South Korean film “It’s Okay!” amused and then touched me with its plucky young heroine. You may wince from time to time as watching how irrepressibly spirited and optimistic she really is, but you will come to root for her more as getting to know her more along the story. Believe me, you will smile at times while observing how her big, open heart affects others around her in one positive way or another.

She is a high school girl named In-yeong (Lee Re), and the opening part of the film shows a sudden tragedy which happens while she and her fellow dancing members of the Seoul International Arts Company are ready for another big public performance of theirs. Not long after her phone conversation with her mother, her single mother sadly dies due to an unfortunate car accident, and In-yeong is consequently left alone without any close family member to take care of her.

After one year, we see how In-yeong has tried to go on by herself alone. She still lives in a house where she and her mother resided, but the situation is not so good for her at present. Not long after evading the social workers looking for her, the landlord of the house notifies that she will be soon evicted due to failing to pay her rent during last several months, so she must find another place to stay while going on with her high school life as usual.

Eventually, In-yeong comes to stay inside the building of the Seoul International Arts Company at every night, but then she happens to be discovered by Seol-ah (Jin Seo-yeon), a former dancer who has been newly appointed as the head choreographer of the company. Probably because she feels a bit sorry for In-yeong, Seol-ah eventually takes In-yeong to her big modern house, and In-yeong is certainly grateful as she is allowed to stay there during next several days at least.

However, In-yeong and Seol-ah soon find themselves clashing with each other due to their considerable personality difference. As a cold, fastidious woman who has devoted almost all of herself to her profession for years, Seol-ah cannot help but annoyed by In-yeong’s cheery attitude at times, but she also feels sorrier to In-yeong as remembering how much In-yeong was devastated by the news of her mother’s death at that time. In addition, In-yeong’s mother was actually one of Seol-ah’s old colleagues, and that makes Seol-ah more protective of In-yeong, though she remains tough and strict to not only In-yeong but also all of the other young members of the company.

Because they must prepare for the upcoming 60th anniversary performance, everyone in the company becomes quite anxious – especially as Seol-ah pushes all of them harder day by day. In case of Na-ri (Chung Su-bin), this young girl has been quite determined to take the center of the performance, but it is apparent to us from the very beginning that she is struggling a lot with amounting anxiety and pressure behind her haughty attitude. In contrast, In-yeong simply enjoys herself throughout a series of training sessions regardless of whether she is better than others or not, and her carefree attitude certainly makes a big contrast with Na-ri’s.

Because In-yeong has been often ostracized by Na-ri and several other young company members, we can easily sense a growing trouble between In-yeong and Na-ri, but the screenplay by director Kim Hye-young and her co-writer Cho Hong-jun surprises us more than once. Yes, there eventually comes a sort of catfight among In-yeong and several other young girls as expected, but it is unexpectedly moving to watch how this conflict of theirs is resolved via In-yeong’s positive influence on them, and this will probably remind you again that girls usually know better than boys.

Furthermore, In-yeong also indirectly makes Seol-ah realize what is really important for herself as well as In-yeong and other young company members. Thanks to In-yeong, Seol-ah comes to get a chance to relax and enjoy her life a bit, and one of the most humorous moments in the film comes from when Seol-ah tries a bit on In-yeong’s favorite food. 

It goes without saying that the movie depends a lot on the presence and talent of its lead actress, and Lee Re, a promising young actress who surely grows up a lot compared to her likable child performance in “How to Steal a Dog” (2014), did a commendable job of filling her character with enough life and personality. While never overlooking the deep sadness behind In-yeong’s vivacious façade, Lee makes her character into a walking life force, and we come to like her more even while occasionally rolling our eyes at her uninhibited spirit.

On the opposite, Jin Seo-yeon ably complements Lee throughout the film, and she also did a good job of conveying to us her character’s gradual inner changer over the story. In case of several other main cast members, Chung Su-bin is surprisingly sympathetic later in the story, and Lee Jeong-ha and Son Suk-ku hold each own small place well as the two other substantial supporting characters in the movie.

In conclusion, “It’s Okay!”, which won the Crystal Bear award at the Generation KPlus section of the Berlin International Film Festival early in last year, is a pleasant and poignant coming-of-age tale, and I wholeheartedly welcomed its optimistic vibe more than expected. As things seem to be getting worse in our world, we really need some healthy dose of positive energy at times for not resorting to cynical nihilism, and I assure you that the movie will give you plenty of that at least for a while.