The part of Innocent Steps that deals with the developing love between professional dancer Young-Sae and innocent 19 year old immigrant Chae-rin succeeds brilliantly. There is nothing that is not entirely believable and touching about their love, from Young-Sae's initial rejection of Chae-rin, to his compassion for her when she is in danger of being forced into prostitution, to the gradual development of their relationship from being a sham marriage into becoming a real couple, and ending with their lyrical declarations of mutual love during their (separate) immigration interviews.
The dance-competition-thwarted-by-malevolent-gangster portions of the movie suffer greatly by comparison. It's simply not believable that Chae-rin can go in only three months from being a complete novice to what is apparently the best female dancer in all of Korea. So much so that Young-Sae's chief rival goes to extraordinary lengths to not only break up the partnership but also steal Chae-rin for himself. That's quite an achievement for a 19 year old girl, who looks more like 12. I wasn't buying it. Even if I did, the plot twists guaranteed that there would be no triumphant performance for Young-Sae and Chae-rin in the national competition. Admittedly, having the underdog succeed against all odds is a sports movie cliché. I would have been receptive to a well thought out alternative, but in this case the alternative reads something like "The world is an evil place. Get used to it." What a disappointment.
Fortunately the writers came to their senses soon enough to allow Young-Sae and Chae-rin a future together. Overall, Innocent Steps rates a five for a great love story mixed with an overly melodramatic plot.
The dance-competition-thwarted-by-malevolent-gangster portions of the movie suffer greatly by comparison. It's simply not believable that Chae-rin can go in only three months from being a complete novice to what is apparently the best female dancer in all of Korea. So much so that Young-Sae's chief rival goes to extraordinary lengths to not only break up the partnership but also steal Chae-rin for himself. That's quite an achievement for a 19 year old girl, who looks more like 12. I wasn't buying it. Even if I did, the plot twists guaranteed that there would be no triumphant performance for Young-Sae and Chae-rin in the national competition. Admittedly, having the underdog succeed against all odds is a sports movie cliché. I would have been receptive to a well thought out alternative, but in this case the alternative reads something like "The world is an evil place. Get used to it." What a disappointment.
Fortunately the writers came to their senses soon enough to allow Young-Sae and Chae-rin a future together. Overall, Innocent Steps rates a five for a great love story mixed with an overly melodramatic plot.