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[REVIEW] “From Korean Nostalgia to Filipino Gunita: Jalz Zarate’s Sunny” by Bryan Elijah Trajano

Jalz Zarate (director). Sunny, 2024. 122 min.

Sunny (2011), directed by Kang Hyoung-chul, has been one of my favourite Korean films of all time ever since my high-school years. What has always stayed with me is the way the film captures nostalgia, friendship and school memories from a female perspective. It is not simply a story about looking back on one’s youth; it also explores coming-of-age themes such as friendship, regret, dreams and the passage of time, showing how these experiences shape the women they become.

The film has had several adaptations. Among the versions I will discuss are those from Japan (2018), Vietnam (2018), Indonesia (2019) and the Philippines (2024), directed by Jalz Zarate. While these adaptations share the same emotional foundation as the original, each brings a different perspective to the story, reflecting the culture, values and experiences of the country in which it is retold.

In the Philippine version, the story follows Annie (Vina Morales/Heaven Peralejo), a woman in her forties who is going through a midlife crisis after becoming a full-time housewife and mother of one. While visiting her mother in hospital, she discovers that one of her best friends from high school, Chona (Angelu de Leon/Bea Binene), is also being treated there and is battling terminal cancer. During their conversation, Annie learns of her friend’s final wish: to be reunited with all the members of Sunny one last time before she dies.

As Annie tries to find all the members of Sunny, namely Dang (Candy Pangilinan/Abby Bautista), Gwen (Sunshine Dizon/Ashtine Olviga), Janet (Tanya Garcia/Ashley Diaz), Becky (Katya Santos/Heart Ryan) and Sue (Ana Roces/Aubrey Caraan), she begins to revisit her high-school memories. She remembers her younger self as a provincial lass from Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, who transferred to a private school in Manila through her father’s company. Her experience as a provincial girl navigating a new environment becomes an important part of her story and her friendships.

The Philippine adaptation follows the 1990s throwback route, similar to the Japanese and Indonesian versions, while the original Korean film is set in the 1980s. Japan also set its adaptation in the 1990s, while Vietnam set its story in the 1970s. These changes allow each adaptation to create nostalgia based on the cultural memories of its own generation.

Character Adaptations

In terms of characters, the Philippine version retains the seven main characters from the original story, while the other adaptations make changes to the composition of the group. The Indonesian version includes one male member in the clique, while the Japanese and Vietnamese versions reduce the group to six members.

Annie in the Philippine version is adapted from Na-mi, who comes from Jeolla-do in the original film. In the Philippine adaptation, her background is localised to Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, giving the character a distinctly Filipino regional identity. Just as Na-mi speaks with a Jeolla dialect in the original, Annie speaks with an Hiligaynon accent and uses Hiligaynon in the Philippine adaptation, reflecting her roots in Western Visayas.

Chona’s character was also changed in comparison with Chung-hwa in the Korean version. In the Philippine adaptation, Chona is a successful single woman who never married, while Chung-hwa is a divorcee with no children. This gives Chona a different experience of adulthood and independence.

Dang undergoes some slight changes in comparison with Jang-mi. The Philippine adaptation retains the situation in which Dang and her husband are running from their creditors, and she becomes an insurance agent. One noticeable difference is that Dang has a habit of using an eyelash curler, which she continues from her younger years into the present, while Jang-mi is fond of using eyelid tape.

Gwen retains much of Jin-hee’s original characterisation. Like Jin-hee, she has a foul mouth during her younger years and eventually becomes wealthy after marrying a rich husband. She also undergoes cosmetic surgery as she gets older. Both characters have unfaithful husbands.

Janet has some slight differences in comparison with Geum-ok. Both are high-achieving students during their high-school years and later graduate with degrees in literature. Geum-ok graduates with a degree in Korean literature, while Janet graduates with a degree in literature. Geum-ok is also the daughter of a dentist, giving her a relatively comfortable family background. Both characters, however, struggle to find employment related to their degrees and end up living with cruel in-laws. Their stories highlight the difficulties liberal-arts graduates can face despite their academic achievements.

Becky is also similar to Bok-hee. Both struggle with alcoholism because of the adversities they face in life. They share the dream of becoming beauty queens, but both eventually become prostitutes after failing to complete their education. Bok-hee enters the Miss Korea pageant, although the prize money is relatively small, while Becky does not pursue entry into Binibining Pilipinas. Both characters also have daughters. Bok-hee’s daughter struggles with health issues and is hospitalised, while Becky’s daughter is taken away by her ex-boyfriend’s family.

Sue and Su-ji also have similar personalities but differ in physical appearance. Sue is morena, while Su-ji has a fair, pinkish-white complexion. Both become models during their high-school years and are smokers. They also share a rebellious attitude shaped partly by their family situations. Both their fathers have remarried women from different regions. Sue’s stepmother is Hiligaynon, while Su-ji’s stepmother is from the Jeolla-do region. They are also both elusive characters, as each becomes involved in an accident that affects her life.

Filipino Pop Culture and Gunita

There are several changes in the Philippine version that highlight Filipino pop-culture references from the 1990s, such as Video City and high-school barkada life. These details establish the cultural atmosphere of the period and make the characters’ memories feel distinctly Filipino.

One of the most noticeable changes is the music used for their dance performance at a school event. In the original Korean film, the girls perform to “Sunny” by Boney M. In the Philippine version, they dance to “Kapag Tumibok ang Puso” by Donna Cruz. This change may seem simple, but it gives the scene a distinctly Filipino identity. The song evokes the pop culture and musical nostalgia of Filipino audiences who grew up in the 1990s.

There is also a scene that was changed in the Philippine version. In the Korean film, Na-mi’s brother becomes involved in a student rally as an activist. In the Philippine adaptation, Annie’s brother becomes involved in a labour union instead. Na-mi’s brother is a university student, while Annie’s brother is already an employee of a company. This shifts the focus from student activism to workers’ rights and offers a glimpse into the struggles of Filipino workers, as well as concerns surrounding labour practices such as contractualisation.

The adaptation itself has some lapses, especially in the transitions between certain scenes. There are moments that left me wondering what had happened or how one scene connected to the next, but these flaws are forgivable. The film’s focus on the lives of the seven women is one of its strengths. More importantly, it places greater emphasis on the nostalgia of their teenage years, giving audiences a glimpse into the experience of Filipina girlhood in the 1990s.

Adaptations are sometimes viewed negatively, especially when audiences have a strong attachment to the original. However, I believe adaptations can also give a local flavour to a familiar story by allowing different cultures to reinterpret it through their own experiences. In the case of Sunny, the story of friendship, youth, regret and nostalgia remains universal, but each country gives those themes its own cultural identity.

For me, the Filipino adaptation succeeds when it allows the story to become more than a remake. Through its Filipino pop-culture references, Filipino identity, barkada culture, music, social issues and portrayal of 1990s Filipina girlhood, it transforms the nostalgia of the Korean original into something that feels closer to home. The Korean film gives us nostalgia, while the Philippine adaptation gives us gunita, a distinctly Filipino way of remembering the people, places, music and experiences that shaped who we are.

^{How to cite: Trajano, Bryan Elijah. “From Korean Nostalgia to Filipino Gunita: Jalz Zarate’s Sunny.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 8 Sept. 2026, chajournal.com/2026/09/08/jalz-zarate-sunny.}

Bryan Elijah Trajano earned his MA in Philippine Studies, Language, Culture, and Media from De La Salle University in 2024, following the completion of his AB in International Studies at Far Eastern University in 2017. By day, he works as a Customer Service Officer in an Australian BPO, and by night and on weekends, he devotes himself to his passions for watching films and reading books. Bryan has presented his research at various academic conferences and has published several critical reviews and scholarly works. Deeply curious about global cultures, he enjoys exploring diverse traditions and narratives through media and literature. He is a member of the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers and the Beach Reads Book Club. [All contributions by Bryan Elijah Trajano.]