In 2025, director Nam Dae-joong returned to the theme of his first
feature film shot ten years earlier: friendship. However, while
The Last Ride was a
story of preparing for a traumatic event,
The First Ride is a
drama about surviving and processing trauma.
As we could admire in his first drama, the director has crafted a comedy
despite the heavy subject matter—specifically, a vibrant, sparkling piece that
plays with all sorts of comic situations, even more complex and twisty than
his previous film. Yet, in the very first sentence spoken, he warns us: we are
about to see a sad story...
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(Author’s screenshot from The First Ride.) |
... of which there is initially no trace. Now we meet four young men; thus, D'Artagnan joins the three musketeers in the form of Yeon-min (Cha Eun-woo), a perpetually lonely boy whom they took under their wing in elementary school. They become inseparable, despite being very different characters. Tae-jung (Kang Ha-neul), aspiring to be president, is an eminent student and an excellent fighter. Geum-bok (Kang Young-seok) hates studying and doesn’t quite know what to do with himself, so he is constantly guided by his Buddhist monk mother. Do-jin (Kim Young-kwang) is a rather strange, introverted boy who lost his zest for life after having to give up basketball due to an injury. Yeon-min considers himself insignificant, believing there is some ridiculous oddity about him that draws others' attention—he doesn’t even suspect that people actually admire him for his beauty. Finally, he finds what truly interests him: he wants to become a world-class DJ. This hobby enchants Do-jin as well, bringing the two even closer. We get a glimpse into the boys' family dynamics and their struggles to become who they want to be. Thus, we approach graduation, when the quartet decides to go on a trip together to Thailand before they are separated by further education. They choose this destination specifically because the DJ they idolize is performing there. The trip is also significant because Yeon-min's family is moving to New Zealand, making their separation inevitable.
They pull out all the stops to win their parents' support, which they eventually achieve. Yet, the trip falls through because, in a ridiculous turn of events, they miss the bus that would take them to the airport. They are forced to return home, and Yeon-min departs from them.
We learn all this before the opening credits, through Yeon-min's narration. We
meet them again ten years later. Tae-jung is a secretary to a Member of
Parliament; Geum-bok is tattooing in his mother’s temple and preparing for his
monk ordination; however, we find Do-jin in a hospital, where he has been
treated for psychotic symptoms for years. Nevertheless, their friendship
hasn't faded; they continue to see each other. They also take care of Do-jin,
who hears news that their former favorite DJ is performing for the last time,
and thus initiates a plan to fulfill their dream from ten years ago.
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| (Author’s screenshot from The First Ride.) |
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(Author’s screenshot from The First Ride.) |
Soon the team is ready for the journey, but Do-jin drags along a life-sized figure reminiscent of Yeon-min, and they are joined by Ok-sim (Han Sun-hwa), who has been in love with Tae-jung since childhood. We receive no explanation as to what happened to whom and how; instead, we are plunged into countless messy adventures, mainly due to our heroes' inexperience and clumsiness. These are all hazards and escapes fit for a comedy. We drop from one action into the next, all while perceiving that these young men treat each other with intense care—much of which is directed toward the truly eccentric Do-jin.
The director simply leads us on. We are already past two-thirds of the
film—having been unsuspectingly entertained until then, even feeling that a
sense of fulfillment had been reached—when our heroes suddenly find themselves
in a situation of genuine life-threatening danger. And then something happens:
what the director warned us about at the beginning occurs—we are, in fact,
watching a sad story. We learn what caused Do-jin's mental collapse, and the
moment of truth arrives when he must face what happened. The old tragedy
unfolds before us, and the present threatens a new one. However, the bond of
friendship overrides all fears, rescuing everyone from danger: both the living
and those imagined to be alive. Facing trauma has a healing power, so nothing
remains for our heroes but to return to their everyday lives, navigating the
labyrinths of workplace relations and romances.
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(Author’s screenshot from The First Ride.) |
By accepting reality, the four friends can be together again, including
Yeon-min, who towers over them in the form of a living tree, while the
narrator of the concluding segment is the recovered Do-jin. And after the
closing credits, we hear the farewell of Geum-bok, who has become a Buddhist
monk: "Leave mindfully/carefully!"—which simultaneously seems to say that
after the life-fable we just witnessed, it is now our turn to take care of our
own lives.
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(Author’s screenshot from The First Ride.) |
Each of the lead actors navigates the director's complex "sandbox" excellently; they do not lose their way between the realms of comedy and tragedy. However, Kim Young-kwang must be highlighted among them, as he brings Do-jin’s complex character to life with infinite naturalness. He has never played simple roles, but he has now significantly enriched that lineup with a completely new personality.
Nam Dae-joong, who once again serves as both writer and director, set the bar
high and successfully cleared it. For a while, it may seem as though he is
leading the story into chaos, but with the final twist, he resolves everything
beautifully. And most importantly: amidst the loudness, he once again succeeds
in making us part of a deep and heart-touching story.
. . .
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