The theme of friendship and coming-of-age in the films of Nam Dae-joong (Part 2)
In 2025, director Nam Dae-joong returned to the core theme of his debut feature film shot ten years prior: the enduring bond of friendship. However, while The Last Ride (2015) focused on the preparation for a single traumatic event, The First Ride serves as a poignant drama about surviving and processing that very trauma.
As we witnessed in his debut, the director has once again crafted a comedy
despite the heavy subject matter. He delivers a vibrant, sparkling piece that
plays brilliantly with all sorts of comical situations, making it even more
complex and twisty than his previous work. Yet, the very first spoken line
immediately warns us that we are ultimately about to witness a sad story...
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| The moment of disappointment in ‘The First Ride’ — Credit: Showbox |
...though at first, there is absolutely no sign of sadness. This time, we encounter a group of four young men. It is as if a D'Artagnan has stepped in to join the original Three Musketeers. During their primary school days, the boys warmly welcome a perpetually lonely little boy, Yeon-min (played by Cha Eun-woo), into their tight-knit circle. They become completely inseparable, despite having vastly different personalities.
Tae-jung (played by Kang Ha-neul) is a top-tier student aiming to become a political president, and he also happens to be an excellent fighter. Geum-bok (played by Kang Young-seok) thoroughly hates studying and has no real clue what to do with his life, so he is constantly guided by his mother, a Buddhist nun.
Do-jin (played by Kim Young-kwang) is a rather peculiar, introverted boy who completely lost his zest for life after an injury forced him to abandon his basketball career. Meanwhile, Yeon-min considers himself entirely insignificant. He genuinely believes there is some ridiculous oddity about him that draws people's attention, never once suspecting that they are actually admiring his sheer beauty.
Eventually, Yeon-min discovers his true passion: he wants to become a world-class DJ. This hobby utterly captivates Do-jin as well, bringing the two boys even closer together. As viewers, we catch deep glimpses into the boys' family dynamics and their individual struggles to become who they truly want to be.
We rapidly approach high school graduation, at which point the quartet devises a plan. Before they are pulled apart by higher education, they decide to go on a joint trip to Thailand. They choose this specific destination because the DJ they passionately idolise is scheduled to perform there. The journey is of paramount importance because Yeon-min's family is about to relocate permanently to New Zealand, making an impending separation inevitable.
The boys pull out all the stops to win their parents' financial backing, which
they eventually manage to secure. Yet, the highly anticipated trip amounts to
absolutely nothing. In a thoroughly ridiculous turn of events, they miss the
bus that was supposed to take them to the airport. They are forced to return
home, and Yeon-min parts ways with them.
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| The four good friends in three different phases of the story in ‘The First Ride’ — Credit: Showbox / Collage by the author |
We learn all of this before the opening title card hits the screen, delivered entirely through Yeon-min’s voiceover narration. The narrative then jumps forward, and we meet the characters again ten years later.
Tae-jung now works as a secretary to a Member of Parliament. Geum-bok spends
his time tattooing inside his mother's temple while preparing for his own
Buddhist ordination. Do-jin, however, is found in a hospital, where he has
been treated for psychotic symptoms for several years.
Despite the time jump, their friendship has never faded, and they continue to see each other regularly. They actively care for Do-jin, who catches wind of the news that their former favourite DJ is about to give his absolute final performance. Do-jin takes the initiative, urging the group to finally bring their ten-year-old dream to fruition.
Before long, the team stands ready for the journey. However, Do-jin insists on dragging along a life-sized mannequin that closely resembles Yeon-min. To add to the chaos, they are joined by Ok-sim (played by Han Sunhwa), who has been hopelessly in love with Tae-jung since childhood.
The film offers no immediate explanation as to what happened to whom or how.
Instead, we are thrust headfirst into a series of messy adventures, driven
primarily by our protagonists' sheer lack of experience and clumsy antics.
These situations are the stuff of pure comedy, filled with perilous close
calls and absurd escapes. We stumble from one chaotic action sequence to the
next. Yet, underneath the madness, we can constantly perceive the profound
care the young men have for one another—a protective attention that is
directed especially towards the eccentric Do-jin.
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| Kim Young-kwang as Do-jin in ‘The First Ride’ — Credit: Showbox / Collage by the author |
The director quite simply misleads us. We are already well past the two-thirds mark of the film, having innocently enjoyed the entertainment up to this point, genuinely feeling that a sense of fulfillment has been reached. Suddenly, our heroes are thrust into a situation of genuine, life-threatening danger.
It is at this precise moment that something shifts. The warning given at the very beginning of the film manifests, revealing that we are, in fact, watching a deeply sorrowful story. We finally learn the exact cause behind Do-jin's severe mental collapse, and the moment of truth arrives where he must confront the past. The old tragedy unfurls before our eyes, while the present moment threatens a brand-new catastrophe.
However, their brotherly solidarity overrides every shred of fear. It successfully rescues everyone from danger—both the living and the one imagined to be alive. Confronting the trauma head-on carries a profound healing power. Consequently, nothing is left for our heroes but to return to their everyday lives, navigating the familiar labyrinths of workplaces and romantic entanglements.
By fully accepting reality, the four friends can finally be together once
more. This includes Yeon-min, who now towers above them in the physical form
of a living tree, while the narrator of this concluding chapter is a
successfully recovered Do-jin.
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| At the beginning of a new life in ‘The First Ride’ — Credit: Showbox |
After the final credits roll, we hear the parting words of Geum-bok, who has finally become a Buddhist monk: "Depart mindfully." It is a sign-off that simultaneously feels like a poignant message to the audience, suggesting that after witnessing this life-affirming tale, it is now our turn to look after our own lives with care.
Every single actor in the main cast navigates the director's complex narrative layout brilliantly, never losing their footing between the contrasting requirements of comedy and tragedy. However, Kim Young-kwang must be singled out, as he breathes life into Do-jin’s complex character with an incredibly natural grace. In recent years, the actor has churned out captivating and versatile performances in dramas such as Walking on Thin Ice, Trigger, Evilive, The Haunted Palace, Call It Love, and Somebody. He has never opted for straightforward roles, but now he has significantly enriched his repertoire with a completely new personality type.
Nam Dae-joong, who once again served as both the writer and director, set an
exceptionally high benchmark for himself, which he clears with flying colours.
For a while, it might seem as though he is steering the narrative into
absolute chaos, but he resolves everything beautifully with a masterful twist.
Most importantly, he succeeds once again in ensuring that amidst all the loud,
boisterous comedy, we are made part of a deeply moving and heartfelt story.
Check out the first part here:
The Last Ride: A Race for the Pleasure of Fulfillment
Themes of friendship and coming-of-age in the films of Nam Dae-joong (Part 1)
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