Danielle Steele

Daniel Levy has an incredibly raw and sophisticated approach to story telling, which I hope he gets more opportunities to express. This film, while about the grief surrounding death of a romantic partner, has wisdom to offer for grief in any regard. The friends have well fleshed out characters with their own storylines. Everyone is flawed, but good, and model healthy communication. This is a story about people who love each other, whether it be marriage, romance, friends, and even people you just met, that hold space for you in a moment where you need it most.

I’ll begin by saying watch *a lot* of television, and I never comment. Pachinko is something special. Possibly a masterpiece. They found a way to build a very strong connection between the viewer and the show’s characters, while commenting on the persecution of Koreans over the span of four generations. There are many angles on this show, and much of it is to do with time passing, but also: the differences between male + female, rich + poor, educated + illiterate, young + old, citizens + the stateless. It finds a way to touch on all these things while staying anchored in one family and their love for one another, their dreams. Their food. Their country. It is a show everyone can connect with while also, become educated on issues they may have never learned about. Brilliant. I sobbed like a baby during the finale. Not just from sadness but from being moved by how beautiful it was. Watch it- watch it now!