Move to Heaven


Move to Heaven is a 2021 South Korean television series directed by Kim Sung-ho and written by Yoon Ji-ryeon. It is an original Netflix series, starring Lee Je-hoon, Tang Jun-sang, and Hong Seung-hee. The series follows Geu-ru, a young man with Asperger's, and Sang-gu, his guardian. Working as trauma cleaners, they uncover untold stories. It was released worldwide by Netflix on May 14, 2021.

Synopsis

Geu-ru, who has Asperger syndrome, and his ex-convict uncle Sang-gu meet for the first time after the sudden death of Geu-ru's father. Entrusted as Geu-ru's guardian, Sang-gu joins his nephew to help run the family trauma cleaning company "Move to Heaven", where in the course of business they uncover untold stories about the deceased while Sang-gu tries to deal with his painful past with Geu-ru's father as well as the traumatic incident that landed him in jail.

Cast

Main

Development and background

The plot was inspired by an essay book entitled "Things Left Behind" by Kim Sae-byul, a "trauma cleaner" — cleaners who specialized in cleaning up after godoksa, deceased who died alone and isolated to the point where they are only discovered days later when their corpse decomposes. Writer Yoon Ji-ryeon first came across the book in 2015 and contacted Kim. She followed him on one of his jobs to witness it first-hand and found herself speculating about how the deceased person lived their life as she watched Kim pack up the person's belongings.
In September 2019, it was reported that Kim Sung-ho would direct the series for Netflix.

Casting

On 17 December 2019, Netflix confirmed the lead casting of Lee Je-hoon and Tang Jun-sang for the series. On June 3, 2020, Netflix confirmed that Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-wook and Hong Seung-hee are to join the cast of the series.

Filming

As the infection due to COVID-19 pandemic was reported, the production of Move to Heaven, along with other Netflix original dramas, was stopped in late August 2020. On February 25, 2021, Netflix announced its future plans and time line for forthcoming projects including Move to Heaven. On February 25, 2021, new stills from the TV series were released.

Episodes

Release

The series was released on Netflix on May 14, 2021. All 10 episodes, each with running time of around 45 to 60 minutes, are available for streaming. It became the 11th South Korean Netflix original series released on Netflix.

Reception

Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek, rating the series 9 out of 10, opined that the series is a beautiful message conveyed through unique characters. Wheeler praised the performance of Tang Jun-sang, writing "Tang Joon-Sang's acting is nothing short of extraordinary..." He also praised the soundtrack and wrote that it was "absolutely on-point." In summary he said, "With excellent acting, tightly written chapters and a careful, respectful and empowering view on death, Move to Heaven is a cleverly written and unique Korean drama", and concluded by saying that the show was an "...absolute must-watch this year. Just be sure to have a pack of tissues ready to catch those tears!". Rhian Daly of NME also praised the series, awarding it 5 out of 5 stars and called it a contender for one of 2021's best shows.

Awards and nominations

Rankings