After the refreshing legal drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo and the action-packed heist film Seoul Vibe, Netflix is set to bring us yet another exciting title from South Korea, this time a thrilling drama that promises a lot of hard-hitting twists– Little Women.
Before its premiere this September 3, we’re giving you five reasons why you should catch the new series when it finally drops on Netflix this weekend.
1. The director of Vincenzo is back to bring us a new gripping mystery.
Vincenzo is one of the K-dramas that got us thrilled and entertained as we stayed at home in 2021. This year, Vincenzo‘s Kim Hee-won is back on the director’s chair to bring us yet another gripping mystery. For Little Women, Hee-won joins forces with writer Chung Seo Kyung, who is known for her works in the masterpiece The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave. Seo Kyung wrote this new tale where three sisters who live in poverty find themselves going against the richest and most influential family in Korea.
“Writer Chung Seo Kyung reimagined the novel Little Women, starting with the question ‘What if the sisters came to Korea?” explained director Hee-won at a recent press conference for the series. “The tightly-knit narrative is brought to life by the production designer Ryu Seong-hee and the powerful cast performances. It was a great experience to work with this dream team.”
2. The show is led by three strong women played by brilliant actresses.
Little Women is led by three sisters with diverging personalities, but love and protect each other nonetheless. Playing the eldest sister, Oh Injoo, is Kim Go-eun, who has exhibited her acting skills in titles like Yumi’s Cells, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, and The King: Eternal Monarch.
“Injoo is a hardworking girl and always does her best, who seems to think it is the reason for her existence-she is complex and multifaceted, so I dived into the character from various angles,” said Go-eun about Injoo.
The second sister is Oh Inkyung who is played by Nam Ji-hyun from 100 Days My Prince. Wiser than the eldest, In-kyung also loves her sisters but she does not want to be enslaved to money like Injoo. Finally, Park Ji-hu of All of Us Are Dead fame plays the youngest sister Oh Inhye, an art prodigy who feels that her sisters’ love are a little burdening.
Director Kim Hee-won stated, “The three actors have such a warm chemistry with their kind personalities and professional attitudes. They are supportive of each other, which makes them a perfect ensemble”.
3. Wi Ha-Jun & more well-known actors complete the cast.
Also joining the cast of Little Women are more well-sought and veteran actors that will bring life to the characters surrounding the Oh Sisters’ lives. Wi Ha-joon of Squid Game and Bad and Crazy will play the mysterious character of Choi Do-il.
“The more I read into the script, the more I found him mysterious,” shared Ha-jun at the press conference. “’What was his upbringing like? How did he end up with such convictions and values? Why does he act that way? How does he feel about In-joo?’ I had endless questions about him, wanting to find out more about him. I found that appealing and wanted to flesh that out about him.”
Also part of the cast are Kang Hoon (Into Your Time, Twenty Five Twenty One), Kim Mi-Sook (Artificial City, Man in the Kitchen), Uhm Ki-Joon (The Penthouse, Defendant), Uhm Ji-Won (The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey), Jeon Chae-Eun (If You Wish Upon Me), and Jo Seung-Yeon (The Perfect Couple) to name a few.
4. It’s a drama that “little women” can relate to.
Much like the novel that inspired the drama, Little Women aims to tell stories about the women of the world sunk in poverty and feeling powerless. “I dared to use the title Little Women with reverence and gratitude for the novel, and because the story is relatable to all girls in poverty in any place, any time,” said writer Chung Seo-kyung in a statement. “I wanted to add our story to the story of little women all around the world. I wanted to write a story where people in their teens to their 30s are the main characters.”
Director Hee-won also added that Little Women “contains both a reality relatable to all, and the mysterious workings of the imagination. Though it seems like a small and trifling story, there’s a large and deep implication underneath.”
5. Expect a detailed mystery with beautiful mise-en-scène
Director Kim Hee-won is known for the amount of details she puts into her work, making the audiences coming back for more. In her latest drama, the director says that she wanted to “Overturn people’s expectation that Little Women is just a cozy and warm story,” and reflect the dark truth in our society through the issues each sibling is faced with.
Hee-won also expressed her admiration for the show’s writer, Chung Seo-kyung; production designer Ryu Seong-hee; and music composer Park Se-joon. “It is an honor to work with director Ryu on her first series who did a perfect job in painting the perfect picture,” stated Hee-won. “She created never-before-seen, elaborate sets that were all unique but under a unified theme. Music composer Park Se-joon who worked on Vincenzo with me, composed different genre tracks including classical music, which imbued power into the entire production.”
With such a powerhouse of creators paired with a talented cast, viewers can expect Little Women to be a work of art with a fast-paced storyline, compelling motive, and a beautifully put together mise-en-scène.
The 12-episode drama, Little Women, starts streaming on Netflix this September 3. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the latest news on film, TV, and more updates around the city!
