hellcatsv2-1.jpg“Hellcats” revolves around three ladies, all related, but representatives of three different generations. There’s 40 year old Young-mi Kim, an interior designer and a single mother. She’s proudly independent and seems to enjoy life and her work. One day, she starts a new assignment working for a theatre company. A much younger character actor at the theatre company takes an interest in Young-mi, with the end result being they are involved in a romantic relationship. Young-mi’s world then gets turned upside down when she learns that she is in the first stages of menopause.

Meanwhile, 27 year old Ami is a Young-mi’s younger sister. She has lived in Young-mi’s apartment for the past three years without ever paying for rent. Although she’s not a total deadbeat, Ami struggles through life as an aspiring screenwriter. She’s on her 17th re-write for a screenplay that has been in the works for over a year. Her personal life isn’t in much better shape either. Ami’s boyfriend is a budding musician but makes zip for income. After her 27th birthday, Ami decides to test the waters and meets well-to-do accountant Seung-won. Although the accountant’s personality is as stiff as a wooden block, he possesses good looks, a cultured background and a high paying job.

Lastly, there’s Young-mi’s teenage daughter Kang-ae. She’s had the same boyfriend for three years , but has never even had an intimate kiss. Kang-ae tries to jump start their relationship by taking lessons from her best friend Mi-ran. Things become more complicated when Kang-ae starts developing feelings for her female friend Mi-ran instead.

The first half of “Hellcats” is your run-of-the-mill romantic-comedy. Similar to recent Korean films like “Love Exposure” or “Crazy Waiting” the film attempts to show variations on the modern day woman’s viewpoint on relationships. The centerpiece of the movie is held by Ah-mi, played by Min-hee Kim, and at least during the first half of the film, her character is as grating as a screeching horse. She’s constantly shrieking and constantly complaining. Her older sister Young-mi, played by veteran actress Mi-suk Lee, seemed to take the opposite tact, but so much so that Young-mi seemed devoid of any personality during the first half. Lastly, the youngest of the Kim’s, Kang-ae, played by So-hie Ahn of the K-pop group Wonder Girls, displayed awkward charm, but wasn’t given enough screentime to really expound on that impression.

Then in an unexpected shift, the second half dropped all romantic-comedy pretenses and delved straight into the heart of their relationships. This was when each of the main characters displayed three dimensional personalities and, as a result, become much more agreeable. What worked so well during these moments were the thoughtful display of emotions instilled into the main characters by director Chil-in Kwon. This doesn’t come as a complete surprise, as Chil-in Kwon prior film, “Singles,” was a commercial hit dealing with similar subject matter. There’s even a near identical sub-plot involving a girl falling “almost” in love with a foreign born Korean and at the last minute deciding whether to move overseas. This time around, Min-hie’s decision to stay or go was harder to believe, but I’ll give the movie the benefit of doubt and postulate that there’s maybe one girl that would pass up good looks & money to stay true to their identity.

The most compelling of the storylines for me would have been the surprise twists and turns involved with Kang-ae and her best friend Mi-ran. That was completely unexpected (never seen it as sub-plot in a commercial Korean flick before), but done just right. Meanwhile, Min-hie Kim toned down the shrieks and become much more affable by the end of the film. Ditto with the eldest Young-mi.