Move to Heaven Drama Review

Drama: Move to Heaven (무브 투 헤븐: 나는 유품정리사입니다)

Director: Kim Sung-ho

Writer: Yoon Ji-ryeon

Inspired by : The essay "Things Left Behind (떠난 후에 남겨진 것들)" by Kim Sae-byul, a former "trauma cleaner".

Cast:- Tang Jun-sang, Lee Je-hoon, Hong Seung-hee, Ji Jin-hee, Jang Suk-yong, Jung Young-joo, Lee Moon-sik, Im Won-hee, Jung Ae-yun, Yang Hong-seok, Choi Soo-young and others

About the Show:-

The drama is about Geu-ru, a 20 year old boy with Asperger's Syndrome. Geu-ru has been raised by his father (a widower) since he was a child and together with Geu-ru he runs a trauma cleaning company – Move to Heaven.

Gue-ru meets his uncle, Sang-gu, an ex-convict, for the first time after the sudden demise of his father. Sang-gu is entrusted with the guardianship of Geu-ru and he joins the young boy to help run their family company and continue the legacy of his late father.

Gue-ru runs the trauma cleaning company along with his uncle and later his best friend Na-mu. They work at clearing the possessions of dead people. Every call the company receives requesting for their service is a story of a deceased who has left behind innumerable possessions, secrets and untold truths. All the while Sang-gu is struggling to deal with his painful past with his late brother (Gue-ru’s father).

Also what is the history behind Sang-gu’s time in the prison? What secrets is Sang-gu harbouring from the past? How will Gue-ru, Sang-gu and Na-mu succeed in uncovering the undiscovered stories of the countless people that left the world? Will the families and the loved ones of the deceased get the closure that they always needed?

(*This review may contain spoilers. If you have already watched the show, please continue reading. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can still continue reading or you can come back to the review later.)

More about the show:-

Move to heaven is in the list of my top 5 Korean dramas of all time. The show is par excellence. This Netflix original is one of the highest rated Korean dramas.

Every episode talks about a different story; uncovering secrets, solving unanswered questions and discovering the untold stories about the deceased people.

Every human being has so much that they say and show to the outer world and so much they hide. All these hidden secrets, truths and emotions are unveiled with each passing episode. 10 episodes, 3 main characters (trauma cleaners), a few undiscovered stories and countless secrets and truths.

Geu-ru, Na-mu, and Sang-gu uncover many untold truths and stories in this turbulent, painful and heart wrenching drama. A lot can be said about this show but that will spoil the surprise that every episode holds. The show is said to be inspired from an essay titled "Things Left Behind" by Kim Sae-byul, who was a former trauma cleaner. His title says a lot about the journey of a human being. We come into this world empty handed and go empty handed but leave behind many things, people, relationships, families, sentiments, unresolved fights, unsaid feelings and much more.

This show has left me emotional, speechless and spellbound on many occasions. The drama got me thrilled, surprised and has also made me reflect on life and people. I was left worried and hooked and the show has had me at the edge of my seat in every episode.

Move to heaven has made me laugh on numerous occasions but has also made me shed uncountable number of tears. All in all, I was an emotional mess. The show has taught me and a number of us to lead a joyful conscious life, spending each day with gratitude and limitless happiness.

The Actors, The Director and the Writers:

Tang Jun-sang as Han Geu-ru, Lee Je-hoon as Cho Sang-gu, and Hong Seung-hee as Yoon Na-mu have given extraordinary performances. Tang Jun-sang steals the show with his ‘out of this world’ performance. He has performed flawlessly and admirably. His portrayal of a person with autism is astonishing. Lee Je-hoon is beyond perfection as he always is and Hong Seung-hee is remarkable in her role.

The supporting cast and the guest cast in every episode and their performances were magical. My favourite episode is Episode number 5 with Kwon Soo-hyun and Kim Do-yeon. The two actors are truly exceptional. In just a single episode, they make your heart flutter and then shatter it to pieces. The episode has a special place in my heart.

I would like to give a special mention to Kevin Oh, who was beautiful in Episode 10. This episode will leave you hurting and aching for Matthew Green (Kevin Oh's Character in Episode 10 of Move to Heaven).

I applaud and compliment writer Yoon Ji-ryeon and director Kim Sung-ho for their rendition of Kim Sae-byul’s essay “Things left behind(떠난 후에 남겨진 것들)”. They have succeeded in creating a masterwork. The dialogues, the writing and the execution are extremely moving. Move to Heaven is a show that will be etched in viewer’s hearts for years to come.

Last but not the least, I have immense respect and admiration for Kim Sae-byul and many other trauma cleaners like him who are dedicating their lives to a service, which makes life after a little bit easier and peaceful for the ones who left the world behind and for their loved ones. After all the difficult stories that they have heard and all the painful secrets that they have uncovered, I salute to the devotion that they have towards their jobs and their purposes and the strength with which they hold themselves together.