As a lifetime passes between a mother and daughter, countless sacrifices and parallel experiences often go unnoticed day-to-day. Netflix’s K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines highlights these sentimental moments while unfurling 70 years of one woman’s life.
In the 16-episode series written by Lim Sang-choon and directed by Kim Won-seok, two of Korea’s most acclaimed actresses play Oh Ae-sun, a woman born on Korea’s Jeju Island, over the decades: superstar singer-songwriter IU, 31, and internationally-renowned thespian Moon So-ri, 50. Viewers watch Ae-sun go from a neglected child to a loving wife and mother to an eventual grandmother and widow. Once Tangerines’s first four episodes premiered on March 7, the full scope of IU’s role was revealed: She plays not only Ae-sun in her younger years but also Ae-sun’s first-born daughter Geum-myeong, adding another layer of interlinked storytelling between mother and daughter.
