[RIMVIEW] I Just Finished the Last Episode of We Are All Trying Here — Would I Recommend it to You?

“I hope it never wounds anyone.” — Hwang Dong-man

Image source: Soompi

I just finished the last episode of We Are All Trying Here.

Similar to Park Hae-young’s previous works, We Are All Trying Here is also a story about being human.

However, this drama has received quite a lot of criticism.

From the beginning, many viewers criticized its portrayal of a relationship between a man in his forties and a woman in her thirties. Some argued that this is a pattern often found in Park Hae-young’s dramas: a middle-aged man seeking recognition, understanding, or validation from a younger woman.

The criticism became even louder after Episode 9 aired, especially because of the scene in which Byeon Eun-a hugged Hwang Dong-man inside her sweater.

I can understand why people felt uncomfortable.

Compared to My Mister and My Liberation Notes, We Are All Trying Here contains much more romance. When people criticized the age gap in My Mister, I could still argue that the story was never really about romance. It was about loneliness, survival, and human connection.

But with We Are All Trying Here, I cannot make the same argument. The romance is there.

However, for me, the romance was never the part that affected me the most.

What stayed with me was the way this drama portrayed mental health struggles.

When I watched the first four episodes, I could barely smile.

Everything felt heavy.

The sadness.

The exhaustion.

The helplessness.

It felt as though Hwang Dong-man’s emotions were slowly seeping into my own heart.

Especially during the scenes involving his brother.

There were moments that left me emotionally drained long after the episode had ended.

And because of that, I found myself facing a dilemma: Should I recommend this drama to other people?

My Mister was also a dark drama, but its portrayal of emotional suffering felt more subtle. In We Are All Trying Here, the wounds are exposed much more directly.

That is why I hesitate to recommend it to everyone.

I never know what kind of burden another person is carrying. And, I never know which scene might hit a place that is still hurting.

So if you are not in a good place emotionally right now, I would not recommend watching this drama yet.

Not because it is a bad drama.

Quite the opposite.

It is a drama that portrayed pain very well.

That is why if you are emotionally exhausted, it might be better to save this drama for another time.

But if you are in a relatively stable place, and if stories about human beings fascinate you, then I think this drama is worth watching.

Not only as a romance. But as a story about people.

And like Hwang Dong-man, who loved the word ‘peace’, I find myself hoping for the same thing after finishing this drama.

That all of us, in our own ways,

will eventually find peace in our lives.

And if you decide to watch this drama, I hope you stay with it until the very last episode.

Because I believe its most important message can only be fully understood at the end.

In fact, I think the line Hwang Dong-man says in the final episode is the very message Park Hae-young wanted to leave with us:

“I don’t know how far this film will reach, but I’m praying with all my heart. I hope it never wounds anyone. I hope it can make a sad person smile…

…if only for a moment. I hope it becomes a moment that opens someone’s heart.”