You Are My Sunshine is one of those films that's sneaky in a way you don't expect. The director, Park Jinpyo had previously directed a romantic drama about septuagenarians in love, wrapping a serious social issue (ageism) around an accessible drama. Like his previous film, Park now approaches another social topic (AIDS stigma/prostitution) obliquely, by bringing taking those issues and wrapping them in a well wrought melodrama.<br /><br />The story follows a simple and idealistic country farmer who lives a lovelorn life, a common problem with a lot of rural Korea as many young men and women migrate to urban centers, leaving bachelors with few options. Well, he meets a coffeeshop girl (which, at some coffeeshops also suggest that they double as hostesses and prostitutes) and despite knowing her profession, is absolutely smitten. A sort of romantic comedy ensues, with conflict erupting from her own chilly disposition towards romance and the conflict arising from how this farmer's family reacts to the idea of a prostitute dating him. And then her past catches up to her, AIDS makes an appearance and things go straight into melodrama land.<br /><br />However, the melodrama never really hits the clichés that had previously become all to overdone in Korean cinema. There are no deathbed scenes, although there are trips to the hospitals, and the film doesn't try to flood you with tearjerking scenes. In fact, because of the studied character development and believable reactions, the film actually earns every single melodramatic moment and so the one truly emotional moment has a lot of potency going for it, despite how simple it is. As such, this is an example of melodrama done right. And while it's doing it, it addresses the AIDS stigma, problems prevalent in the lives of sex workers and doesn't really pull punches while doing so.<br /><br />Of course, when dealing with such clichés, acting really makes a difference and the two leads do an excellent job of convincing you of their characters and believably walking with the characters as they develop. The rest of the film is quite proficient too, with some beautifully shot scenes. The film only slows down a little after the midpoint as we deal with the characters on their own, but the ending really makes it all worthwhile.<br /><br />So, what you have here with You Are My Sunshine is a really solid melodrama. It manages to avoid the worst of the clichés, stay in the genre and play it straight, make an impact and wrap in commentary on real social issues while making of solid dramatic entertainment. Good. 8/10.