In my previous post I briefly wrote about looking forward to the latest Friday-Saturday primetime drama on SBS at the closing section, so I am here to report that I caved in at 6 episodes…just couldn’t wait for the drama to be out in full huhu 😭 I liked what I saw, because everything in the drama’s pretty – it’s beautifully shot, and I can see the thought process and dedication that went into the production. Starring Namgoong Min and Jeon Yeo-bin as a disillusioned movie director and a terminally ill rookie actress respectively, they seek to make sense of life and the meaning of love in their own lives (purely my interpretation, that is) from when they cross paths.

A small part of me cannot believe that Our Movie has ended?? I wasn’t ready, man. And now am still reeling from the effects of its beauty. The show always knew what it wanted to be, and upon emerging on the other side I can confidently say that it stayed very true to style, consistent from start to end. We’ve had too many kdramas fizzle out in the middle or towards the end, thus I am very thankful this show is not one of them. Before I delve into the production details and individual characters, I do want to add that I don’t think this drama is for everyone; it’s more of an acquired taste i.e. just like coffee or tea because it takes time for people to appreciate, unlike those easily watchable kinds of dramas (I think perhaps The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is an example of something more watchable). Due to the slow pacing and lack of any overly dramatic happenings, it might be boring for some. It’s also the kind of show that everyone knows the ending right off the bat, and it is unlikely that the eventual fate of our characters in Our Movie‘s world will have any twists or surprises. However, as a long time kdrama fan and watcher I believe that once in a while we need something different or inspiring on screen. No adrenaline rush or curiosity about who’s the culprit or murderer like in a procedural or thriller, but instead a show as though one is appreciating a piece of artwork from afar. That was the watching experience for me, I wonder if you guys feel the same?

Firstly, everything in this drama look really pretty – it’s next level gorgeous and the use of framing is sufficiently precise to depict the mood and vibe of each scene. Just like in the still image above, the park’s bench is used for the frame, and depicts the two very different moods of Da-eum (Jeon Yeo-bin) and Seo-young (Lee Seol) as they sit on each side of the bench. The use of colours is effective as well, specifically the contrast between warm-coloured scenes and monochrome-coloured ones to shuffle between the past and present, as well as to portray a character’s inner emotions or world and reflect future imaginary scenes. Given the filming style and direction in which the production is going, it totally feels like an arthouse drama. I like the production team’s choice to focus on artistic expression and keeping things simple instead of trying to appeal to the masses. This makes some of the drama’s themes somewhat understated but still present, and seems to be leaving it up to the viewer’s interpretation, which I find quite interesting. It is a combination of a lot of aspects – the use of the weather, different seasons such as summer versus winter and parallels in different scenes.

I’ll be moving on to talk about Lee Je-ha, played by Namgoong Min as the director of the movie as alluded to in the drama’s title. I’ve seen him play evil, funny and dark roles but not someone so jaded, broody and unmotivated like Je-ha is. He also isn’t like Baek Seung-soo from Hot Stove League back then. It’s also the actor’s most subdued role to date in my opinion, and Je-ha reminds me a bit of the way he speaks in real life (like at interviews and press conferences) – always slow, calm and collected no matter the situation (even award ceremonies!) I think it just goes to show how versatile Namgoong Min is as an actor. He has come a long way, and is truly deserving of the recognition he’s been getting thus far. Je-ha doesn’t smile much, a lot of times he’s sighing, and because he constantly reminds himself of the harsh cold reality of his unhappy childhood and estranged relationship with his father in particular, he ends up hurting the people around him with his words. It started from Seo-young and his decision to leave her once the last movie he directed, “Lonely People” ended 5 years ago. Since then, he has never reconciled these emotions and dark thoughts, only to live 5 years an empty shell, stuck in the past (figuratively) and in debt. However, the walls he’d built around him start crumbling down when he meets the very friendly and sunny Da-eum who also gets cast in his comeback movie, a remake of “Love In White” wherein the famous original was directed by his father Lee Du-young (Kim Jae-chul).

Namgoong Min’s portrayal of the aloof and distant Je-ha is actually relatable – it may be hard to believe because Je-ha was not a likeable character, especially in the beginning. If you take a closer look though, he just seems like a little boy who’s afraid to get hurt. And the people who have known him before he went into ‘hibernation’ know – namely PD Bu Seung-won (Seo Hyun-woo) and Im Jun-byung (Lee Joo-seung). And that is also why they’re willing to go out of their way to help Je-ha, right off the bat. Over the years they know what lies beneath Je-ha’s icy cold exterior and what his capabilities as a movie director are, so they try to support him every step of the way in their respective roles as a producer and chef/manager-nim respectively. As Je-ha’s ice-hard walls start cracking and melting, you see how gradually but surely Da-eum’s affects him in their interactions. To some extent, I feel that Je-ha goes through certain stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining and acceptance. (Warning: this part is going to be spoilery…) For instance, the denial part came when Je-ha told Da-eum not to die at the second round of the casting auditions. I think we all knew and deep down inside Je-ha knew it was impossible but I think the fact that Da-eum was ‘terminally ill’ hadn’t sunk into him deep yet. That scene could be interpreted in other ways as well but I thought this was one aspect of it. The other part of it was when Je-ha found Love In White’s original draft script in his childhood home penned by his mother Yu Eun-ae (Lee Sang-hee), her last work before she passed on. I think it was disbelief and confusion for Je-ha – he didn’t know what to do at first but it also acted as a trigger for him to proceed with the movie remake and perhaps discover what his mother’s feelings/intentions behind the story were. The anger is when he knocked into Da-eum while looking for retired actress Kim Jin-yeo (Ye Soo-jung). While returning to the movie scene to work on the remake, I think Je-ha realises that he has a lot of pent up rage and negative emotions that has got to do with his father and the actress whom he was rumoured to be together with, as well as preconceived notions and/or biases about the original script. And it’s a side of him he wants to keep to himself for the most part because it’s so close to heart and a raw nerve, so Je-ha reacted with anger upon realising that Da-eum found out about the original scriptwriter, albeit unintentionally. At the same time I do think part of this anger was directed at himself, because he’s unknowingly overreacting and getting super concerned when it comes to Da-eum. The bargaining part would be Je-ha trying to justify his behaviour or actions with regard to Da-eum. For example when Seo-young asks him why he cares so much about Da-eum, he claims he needs her for the sake of the movie making. Another instance would be Je-ha trying to maintain the relationship with Da-eum as only fellow movie collaborators in spite of his growing feelings for her. The acceptance part for me would be after Da-eum painfully admits to Seo-young about her limited time left on Earth, which becomes a sobering experience for Je-ha. He thereafter decides to embrace the feelings he’s holding for her and resolves to stay by her side in the time they have left together as a couple. (End Spoiler)

Over the course of the drama, Je-ha undergoes a growth in mindset and transformation in character which is so gratifying to see because he revisits old scars and unresolved feelings through Da-eum and charts a learning journey to pick up and move on from those. The meaning of love for Je-ha would be the courage to admit and see through his decisions even in adverse situations, as compared to in the past when he chose to deny his feelings for Seo-young and leave her. I was also glad that he was able to honour his mother and her wishes, and find closure for the resentment towards his father and actress Kim Jin-yeo by breaking out of the “my father is a famous director” shadow and re-discovering his abilities as a movie director. More importantly, it was also Je-ha finally becoming confident that he is capable of loving someone and that this love is everlasting as long as it is kept in one’s heart.

Admittedly, I am not as familiar with Jeon Yeo-bin’s works as compared to her co-star so I would consider this my drama introduction to her in a leading role. The actress stars as Lee Da-eum, who despite being terminally sick is deeply passionate about acting. I would say this role is quite a challenge in the sense that you have to give off sunshine vibes and yet at the same time incorporate a sense of wistfulness about the inevitable end. We are introduced to Da-eum as a very bright personality, without knowing the premise it would probably be hard to imagine she only has less than a year left to live. This is a stark contrast to Je-ha and I think Jeon Yeo-bin pulled it off very well. She also imbues Da-eum with just the right amount of vulnerability, and she is fortunate to have people by her side who knows her secret such that she’s able to let her guard down and talk about being sick openly at the right times. For Da-eum, I guess being aware that she is ill results in a lot of hesitation and obstacles about the right way to live a good life. But she gets her one and only life-changing opportunity to act in Director Lee Je-ha’s movie, as the lead actress. Imagine the desperation, followed by the delight leading up to that point that I couldn’t help but also rejoice for her, just like her best friend Gyo-yeong (Oh Gyeong-hwa) did. I’ll have a small section about the supporting cast later on, stay tuned😉

One pivotal aspect of the drama was how Da-eum’s relationships with the people around her evolved over time – there were unavoidable rough patches as in all relationships but ultimately everyone was able to see eye to eye and helped Da-eum to live the best last months and days of her life. Da-eum also goes through some stages of grief – the drama did touch on her emotions just after she found out about her terminal illness which caused her to disappear and withdraw from almost all her social circles and people close to her, but what I would like to focus on is two stages (namely, bargaining and acceptance) after she got casted as Gyu-won in Je-ha’s “Love In White” remake. (Warning: Spoiler Alert!) The significant bargaining stage in the drama I thought would be just before the filming began, with Da-eum realising that she has to lie and deceive a lot of people with regards to her illness and therefore entertaining the various possibilities of “what if I was not sick” in her conversation with Je-ha. This part was really saddening because Da-eum is realising having to hide does not allow her to reveal her true self in front of the people she cares about and perhaps people who likewise care for her. Then midway through the shooting at one of the filming sites she expresses her frustration about how the “lies just keep piling up”. On a logical perspective and maybe for the movie’s success it could be necessary to hide the truth which is definitely understandable but I also get how Da-eum is becoming tired of having to keep up the pretence day after day. Henceforth it was all the more gratifying when Da-eum reached the acceptance stage, deciding to come clean with everyone on set and explain the sentiments and feelings behind the choice to act in the remake. (End Spoiler)

For a big part of her life, Da-eum has been surrounded by people who love and care for her – Professor Dad, Doctor Kim, Gyo-yeong and Aunt Mi-sun (Gyo-yeong’s mum) and not to forget those she met during her hospital stays (patients and their family members alike) – that’s why her dream was to leave something behind for the people she loves and that ‘something’ happens to be acting in a movie. The meaning of love for her would be the love she gets from others whilst navigating a terminal illness and vice versa in loving others she inspires them about love and to treasure all the brief, precious moments in life that we tend to overlook. In short, we learn from her one of the wisest and best ways to do life. It was also a considerate effort from the production team to use a fictional name for her illness, so that it’s not so painful for those who are really sick in real life.

Yes, it’s Seo Hyun-woo again😆 I’ve briefly talked about him when writing about A Shop For Killers (also in the previous post) so I am just thrilled and super happy by the fact that he’s getting cast in so many dramas and movies. Unlike countless other dramas, there are no villains or antagonists in Our Movie but at the same time it’s not black or white either. I mean, life is sometimes about navigating the grey areas as well right? The actor plays star producer Bu Seung-won who has set up his own production company known as BUFilm 5 years after the success of “Lonely People”, Je-ha’s last directed movie. He begins to assist in Je-ha’s quest to make a name for himself again through the movie remake, and is responsible for all the production budget and issues such as media play/movie promotions.

From the get-go, we see that Seung-won has the experience and expertise to navigate around “dangers” of the industry. He’s seasoned to all sorts of requests coming from everywhere regarding the remake production i.e. reporters wanting to get exclusive interviews, CEO Go Hye-young (Seo Jung-yeon) trying to sign Da-eum into her agency, and has the ability to talk out of his way, all in the name of the movie’s success and Je-ha. I guess it’s a very real thing in that after one has felt the taste of success, it could be hard to take a step back and reflect on the journey as well as the motivations or reasons for starting out in the first place. That is the case for Seung-won, who has been caught up in chasing monetary gains and ambitions for his film production business the past five years since “Lonely People”. Sometimes it can be hard to find a balance between the two since you still need to consider the budget and bills for the production to be rolling, but at the same time not betray personal values or principles for the sake of this funding. Through Je-ha and self-realisation, Seung-won rediscovers that movie production is not only about the profits and paying the bills, but also understanding that they are made from the hearts, time and effort of everyone involved.

That brings me to my next point, wherein I would like to spotlight the friendship between Seung-won and Je-ha. Well, I am pretty much convinced that it was a bromance, albeit a bit understated. In their scenes together it was always palpable, and I loved the show for that. After half a decade they still have deep trust and loyalty between each other – sometimes it just takes a moment or a few words of honesty to make the difference. There were a couple of scenes that amplified this, which I will mention briefly. (Warning: Spoiler Alert!) The first one that struck me was when Seung-won and Je-ha went for makgeolli and snacks midway through the shooting of the movie remake began and they had asked each other what they ultimately wanted to get out of the movie. Je-ha had wondered if making money from the movie and establishing his personal fame and reputation as a director (apart from being a renowned director’s son) was all that mattered, or even mattered in the first place. Food for thought, isn’t it? I liked how both of them were open to each other; just frank, truthful conversation that is sometimes lacking in today’s world. The other scenes were the ones where they had a heart-to-heart in the filming set meant to be Gyu-won’s bookstore. Just the outpour of true emotions and thoughts with no hard feelings, in discussion to make the remake work no matter what curveballs were thrown their way. The whole lead-up to giving Reporter Noh Hui-tae (played by Jeon Suk-chan) the exclusive live interview and Seung-won having the fall out with Executive Han of Youngjin Group (actor Han Jong-hoon) regarding the investment – that was extremely satisfying and well acted. When Seung-won finally went on that full blown tirade and rant in the conference room, I had a burst of dopamine like wow, that final showdown was just amazing 😆 (End Spoiler)

Je-ha’s movie just can’t do without his good friend and producer Seung-won. 😉

Next, I’ll be sharing the spotlight on Lee Seol, starring as well-known actress Chae Seo-young under Beyond Entertainment (CEO Go’s artiste management agency). Likewise I am also not too familiar with Lee Seol’s filmography, but I liked her performance as Seo-young. I also found out through the drama promotions that in real life she’s in the same agency as Namgoong Min. It is easy to envy Seo-young – she looks like she has everything as her high-in-demand actress since countless productions have constantly offered her roles to star in their shows. Everyone around her, especially CEO Go just seems to be riding on her wave of success and it results in a lack of empathy and understanding what Seo-young really needs. Despite rising up as a highly popular actress in over the last 5 years, Seo-young’s inner world is hollow since she seems to be doing only what everyone asks of her [Warning: Spoiler Alert!] (like having to film the same running scene at the park repeatedly for what I deem to be no good reason) [End Spoiler] and she realises its not what she really wants when Je-ha is reportedly coming back to the big screen with the “Love In White” remake. But it’s not the lead role Seo-young is being offered, and that has CEO Go up in fury. Nonetheless, Seo-young wants to do it and the cracks between her and Go-daepyo start to show.

Deep down, Seo-young is lonely and has not been able to recover or move on from the pain of breaking up with Je-ha. It is also not smooth-sailing with her career, since she is constantly at loggerheads with CEO Go. Then comes along Da-eum, who is like a breath of fresh air for someone she meets for the first time yet very kindly and willingly gives Seo-young her sandwich. Seeing their friendship evolve over the drama was both bittersweet and heartwarming. It was the last straw when Seo-young attended that drinking meeting with Director Park (Son Byung-wook) and the other producer along with CEO Go to discuss a new lead role, where they had the huge argument thereafter. We also learn that Seo-young has been on medication since being forced by Director Park to film nude scenes from rewriting scenarios and hasn’t eaten carbohydrates like white rice or ramyeon in three years. My heart went out to her, though she also said a lot of hurtful things to Jung-woo, CEO Go, Je-ha and Da-eum. I liked that Seo-young wasn’t afraid to be her straightforward and honest self; it’s not easy to have an awareness of the personality she has and still be unabashed about it, which she admitted in the early stages of the movie casting.

The scene that stayed with me the most and is what I would consider a turning point (Warning: Spoiler alert!) was when Go-daepyo met with Seo-young to try and strike a deal with her for renewing her contract and her answer was “Sincerity”. I found myself feeling quite affected as Seo-young sighed that things weren’t always like this with Go-daepyo and wondered what led them to this state. It was later evident that Seo-young’s words weighed on CEO Go’s mind quite a bit. Another thing I loved would be when Seo-young chided Nam Jae-in (Park Eun-woo) for releasing the photograph she took with her phone camera to Reporter Noh for him to pen a scandalous article about Je-ha and Da-eum. (End Spoiler) On this note, the meaning of love for Seo-young’s character in my opinion would be self-love. Not in a self-centred way, but Seo-young understanding herself a bit more and opening up her mind, eventually treating herself and the people around her in better ways. It’s difficult to embrace and accept everything positive and negative about yourself, whether they are traits, emotions or thoughts. It was lovely to see Seo-young finally being honest about herself. ❤️

Of course I definitely cannot miss giving a special mention to our OTP, who brought life to Je-ha & Da-eum couple so beautifully. When their paths first crossed outside the convenience store (Da-eum thought the table with Je-ha’s backpack was unoccupied), it was pretty awkward. And there was no interest or real investment on Je-ha’s end until Da-eum showed up as the consultant for his movie planning and as an audition candidate unannounced. By getting to know Da-eum more, Je-ha gradually finds the answers for his scriptwriting of the remake but also gets increasingly affected by her. It is in the little moments that they start to fall for each other, and as much as they deny, or are confused and unsure about these feelings, us viewers know that the tension is all too palpable. Namgoong Min and Jeon Yeo-bin have a believable chemistry which translates onscreen and from the behind-the-scenes footage it was good to know that the cast thoroughly enjoyed the filming process. Nonetheless, I’d like to think that the romance was just a part of the bigger story Our Movie wanted to tell – that love doesn’t end at the end of a life, it goes on for as long as you believe and keep it inside your heart.

A good drama is obviously incomplete without a great team of supporting cast, so this section of the post is dedicated to the supporting characters who fought, laughed and cried with our leads, ultimately growing with them. I would consider Go Hye-young daepyo (Seo Jung-yeon) and Doctor Lee Jung-hyo (Kwon Hae-hyo) pillars of support for Seo-young and Da-eum. It took a while for everyone to be on the same page, but we got there eventually and I was appreciative that I was able to witness this process through the show. The thing about love, care and/or concern is that sometimes we want the people we love to do things or act in ways we want them to, citing that it’s all ‘in the name of love’. In our eyes, this is for the other person’s well-being or welfare for that matter (which could be true, but sometimes good intentions don’t always lead to good results). We tend to get caught up in the very thought that this is the only way that’s best for them, and it is not often that we take a step back and reconsider things in a more objective manner. It takes time, effort and some courage to realise that your hopes or dreams for a loved one might not be what it takes for them to be truly happy – finding the balance is key. Just like with Da-eum and her dad, then Seo-young and Go-Daepyo – Doctor Dad realising that living a longer life warded in the hospital wasn’t what Da-eum wanted, and Go-daepyo realising that getting all the hottest lead roles from the most in-demand directors wasn’t what Seo-young wanted. There is no right or wrong, but it takes some empathy (putting yourself in the shoes of another) and perhaps more in-depth understanding of their needs and wants.

Last but not least, I would like to briefly mention Jun-byung (Lee Joo-seung) and Assistant Director Yoo Hong (Kim Eun-bi). Their relentless support for Je-ha, Da-eum and the “Love In White” remake team was what made the movie work. Even during times of doubt and when opinions were divided, Jun-byung and Hong stayed true to their jobs and did their utmost best till the end. Hong gave her two cents when Je-ha was stuck drafting the script in the remake’s initial stages, and handled the technical details of the production passionately. Jun-byung took on the role as Da-eum’s manager on Je-ha’s request, and since his main occupation was a chef he would cook occasionally. Before and after the big reveal, nothing changed and the both of them continued to treat Da-eum with sincerity. Hong stopped Director Park from meeting Da-eum, while Jun-byung made abalone porridge for Da-eum. Our Movie is just full of lovely characters, from the leads to the supporting stars.

One of my major takeaways from this drama is that although the premise and promotional materials scream melo, the story at heart isn’t about grief but actually a celebration of life. And that in order to live life to the fullest, we have to fall down, feel hurt, pain as well as intense happiness. At the end, I wasn’t as devastated as I thought I would be because the finale brought home the fact that all the love for Da-eum didn’t end after her death and was in fact a source of strength for everyone else to move on and pursue greater things. It may be a bit greedy of me to say this, but I was curious about Jeong Eun-ho (starring Jeong Whee), Da-eum’s first love. Their farewell scene was poignant, since the next time Eun-ho would be back in Seoul would be in spring, just in time for the cherry blossoms. My heart broke knowing that Eun-ho wasn’t aware that it was the last time he would ever see Da-eum; I wanted to see how he was doing after the time jump. I also wanted to see the movie ticket stubs for the extras Je-ha purchased at the theatre to leave the seat beside him empty – in my view that would have been a tad more impactful since I’m pretty sure he would have gone quite a few times at least to feel Da-eum in spirit. This reminds me of one of the scenes in The First Frost with a similar impact so I thought I’ll just say it: where Yifan found several train ticket stubs between Nanwu and Yihe in Sang Yan’s belongings as they were preparing to move house. That was such a tearjerker. Our Movie is like drinking a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day. It may scald your tongue at certain points, but the warmth from the food would provide the greatest comfort.

Although the drama received less-than-fantastic ratings locally, I thank the director, producers and the entire team for their courage to not conform to kdrama norms and making something that deviates much from the usual fare. Some elements remain the same, for example the shady media industry and the Da-eum+Gyo-yeong friendship but the overall direction, choice of words and storytelling style were refreshing. Let me know what you guys think!