Korean Reviews Reviews

A realistic depiction of a lesbian relationship in Lee Hyun-ju’s “Our Love Story”

Girl meets Girl

30 years-old Yoon-ju is a brilliant student of fine arts, who is currently working on a peculiar sculpture, made out of scrap metal. Her personal life is at a standstill, since she does not show any will to date, and not even herself can explain why. The answer emerges one day, when she is searching for parts in a junkyard and runs into Ji-soo. Without knowing why, she finds herself having to meet the woman, a purpose she fulfills after a while. To her surprise, she realizes that she has feelings for Ji-soo and when the opposite is also proven, the two of them become a couple.

However, Yoon-ju becomes infatuated with the more experienced Ji-soo, a fact that results in her putting her studies to the side, in a series of actions that infuriates her friends and colleagues, and her teacher. Furthermore, Ji-soo has to move away, to her father's house, a man who pressures her to get married.

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Realism is the key word

directs and pens a film that focuses on realism in all aspects, in distinct indie style. Everyday life in Seoul is accurately portrayed and the main affair is stripped of anything that would be there just for cinematic purposes. This is vividly portrayed in the single sex scene, which looks very natural, in contrast to recent productions, like “The Handmaiden“, or even more in “Blue is the warmest color.”

In that fashion, the affair starts as something very “cute,” but as reality kicks in, the difficulties of having a relationship in a big city show their face, and things become even worse, when they have to sustain it in long distance.

Lee has also given attention to the peripheral relationships, with Ji-soo and her father's, and Yoon-ju's with her colleagues, friends, and roommate, also examined realistically.

The same applies to the technical department, with Son Jin-yong's cinematography naturally presenting Seoul, and the small apartments and cheap restaurants the characters mainly spend their time. Lee huyn -ju's editing keeps the story flowing, as the script does not lag at all, always moving forward, in a pace much faster than usual in indie films.

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Love and alcoholism

Another point Lee makes is that love can sometimes be harmful, particularly to people who become infatuated with it, leaving everything else behind.

A third point regards alcoholism, which is portrayed as a common disease, as someone seems to be drunk on almost every sequence, usually with awful consequences, at least physically.

 

A great performance

gives a great performance as Yoon-ju, actually raising the film to another level by herself. In realistic fashion, and using her wonderful smile, she presents elaborately a number of sentiments and statuses. When in love, when drunk, when she is frustrated or scolded by her teacher, she is always great.

is also quite good as the experienced, cool, and somewhat detached Ji-soo, in a much smaller role, though.

Overall, the acting is in perfect harmony with the aesthetics of the film, and all the actors give fitting performances.

 

” is an utterly realistic indie, which manages to remain entertaining for its whole duration, as it explores real life in the megalopolis.

“Our Love Story” screened during the London Korean Film Festival 

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

My name is Panos Kotzathanasis and I am Greek. Being a fan of Asian cinema and especially of Chinese kung fu and Japanese samurai movies since I was a little kid, I cultivated that love during my adolescence, to extend to the whole of SE Asia.

Starting from my own blog in Greek, I then moved on to write for some of the major publications in Greece, and in a number of websites dealing with (Asian) cinema, such as Taste of Cinema, Hancinema, EasternKicks, Chinese Policy Institute, and of course, Asian Movie Pulse. in which I still continue to contribute.

In the beginning of 2017, I launched my own website, Asian Film Vault, which I merged in 2018 with Asian Movie Pulse, creating the most complete website about the Asian movie industry, as it deals with almost every country from East and South Asia, and definitely all genres.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

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