I don’t normally say this about a drama, but Move to Heaven was truly beautiful! I was told about this drama from a Korean friend of mine, who often suggests dramas that he thinks I’ll enjoy. At first, I was unsure about this one, as it is quite an emotional drama. Move to Heaven is about trauma cleaners who clean the room/apt/house of those who have passed away, and who either don’t have any friends or family to do so, or are paid by the family to do so. I was immediately captivated from the first few moments of this drama, as we are introduced to a young man, ( Han Geu Ru- played by Tang JunSang), who has Asperger’s, and his father, (Han Jung Woo- played by Ji Jin Hee). They work together as trauma cleaners with their business, “Move to Heaven.”

First of all, you will definitely need a tissue box while watching this drama. I typically don’t cry during dramas/movies, but this one really spoke to me. There are 10 episodes, and each episode is dedicated to telling the story of the deceased person(s). This drama was released around the middle of last year, and based off of true events written in an essay entitled, “Things Left Behind”, by Kim Sae Byul, a former trauma cleaner in Korea.

The first episode introduces the audience to the reverence, and care that the father son duo has while cleaning out the deceased’s living space. Before they begin to do so, they always recite a saying that introduces who they are, and that they will be preparing the deceased for their final move. Things go south pretty quickly, as Geu Ru’s father, Jung Woo leaves him for a moment, and ends up passing away on the street after leaving his attorney’s office. We later find out that he had appointed his younger half brother as Geu Ru’s guardian. There is a three month trial period, where his uncle, Cho Sang Gu, (played by Lee Je Hoon) will live with, and take care of Geu Ru. If things go well, Cho Sang Gu will become his permanent guardian, if not, then other arrangements will be made.

Cho Sang Gu is not a very capable guardian at first. He is a part of an underground fight scene, and was recently released from prison for attempted murder, after putting his opponent into a long term coma after a fight. Being estranged from his older, half brother since he was a child, he is surprised to learn of his nephews existence, and seemingly doesn’t care about his brother’s untimely death.

Cho Sang Gu’s brother always treated Geu Ru kindly, with lots of love, while Sang Gu is rough around the edges. Geu Ru’s neighbor, and best friend is there to help defend Geu Ru, and look out for his best interest. One of the guardian conditions is that Sang Gu joins Geu Ru in continuing the Move to Heaven business during the three month trial period. Geu Ru’s bestfriend also joins the company, to make sure that his uncle isn’t messing things up.

Move to Heaven has been the most touching Korean drama I’ve ever seen. It’s based on a taboo subject: death, the various ways people grieve, and the lives that have left this earth. It was actually cathartic for me as well as a viewer, and made me take a look on my own life. It touches upon these topics in a very realistic way, and that is probably why it is so relatable. I give this one a 10 out of 10, and highly recommend it!