20th Century Girl - Ending Explained

The central plot of "20th Century Girl" is built on a crucial misunderstanding. Na Bo-ra spends the first half of the film observing Baek Hyun-jin for her friend Yeon-du, only to fall for his best friend, Poong Woon-ho. The first major twist occurs when Yeon-du returns from the U.S. and reveals that the boy she fell for was actually Woon-ho, who was wearing Hyun-jin's school jacket that day. This revelation throws Bo-ra into turmoil, forcing her to suppress her feelings for Woon-ho out of loyalty to her best friend.

After Yeon-du selflessly prioritizes their friendship, Bo-ra and Woon-ho are free to be together. They share a heartfelt confession at the train station just before Woon-ho moves back to New Zealand, promising to keep in touch. They exchange emails for a time, but Woon-ho suddenly and inexplicably goes silent, leaving Bo-ra heartbroken and confused for years, assuming he simply moved on.

The final, devastating twist is revealed in the film's present-day timeline (2019). The adult Bo-ra receives an invitation to an art exhibition. There, she meets Woon-ho's younger brother, Joseph, who informs her that Woon-ho died in an accident shortly after he stopped emailing her all those years ago. The film concludes with Bo-ra watching a final videotape Woon-ho made for her, where he confesses his love and his hope to see her in the 21st century. The title is a poignant reflection of the fact that their story, and Woon-ho's life, never made it past the 20th century.

While the film's ending is tragic, an alternative interpretation focuses on its necessity for preserving the purity of first love. Some viewers and critics argue that by having Woon-ho pass away, the film immortalizes their relationship at its peak. Their love story is never tainted by the potential mundane conflicts or a simple drifting apart that often happens with time. It remains a perfect, albeit heartbreaking, memory. This interpretation aligns with a tradition in Korean romance films where tragic ends serve to heighten the beauty and fleeting nature of the love story. Another reading could focus on the title itself: Bo-ra is forever a "20th Century Girl" because her emotional development in love is frozen in that time. Woon-ho's death prevents her from moving into a "21st Century" love, leaving her symbolically suspended in the memory of her youth.