[Herald Review] Two misfits’ evolving friendship, chemistry spice up ‘Love in the Big City’

“Why it doesn’t make sense that we live together? I mean, the house price in Seoul is so damn expensive!”

In a conservative country like South Korea, it’s hard to imagine two friends -- man and woman -- living under the same roof. If that line were from a typical K-rom-com, the next scene would show two friends found in the same bed and falling in love, almost inevitably.

But in director Lee Eon-hie’s “Love in the Big City,” they get to know and understand each other better than anyone else -- even themselves.

One may mistake her movie as a mere rom-com just by looking at the poster where Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun) and Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun) have huge smiles on, putting cheeks together.

But “Love in the Big City” tells more than that. It’s about society, people, emotions and identity.

Based on the bestselling novel of the same title by Park Sang-young, the movie follows two young, cynical and fun-loving Seoulites spanning 13 years of their evolving friendship, starting from 2010 during their college days, to when they become office workers.

Soaring rent is not the only reason why Heung-soo moves into Jae-hee’s house.

A young, daring woman Jae-hee, always at the center of gossip and rumors, keeps telling herself “I’m a free soul” -- only to protect herself against loneliness. Heung-soo, who has kept his gay identity a secret for life, is spotted by Jae-hee by chance at the back alley of Itaewon one night. Contrary to his worries, Jae-hee guards a secret and is there when he’s in trouble. As the two begin to rely on each other, they support each other in finding love in the prejudiced world.

Just like the 2019 novel garnered attention for its refreshingly frank portrayal of Seoul’s LGBTQ+ scene, the movie doesn’t forget to capture millennials’ loneliness and the joys of LGBTQ+ life. In portraying Jae-hee who roots for her one and only gay friend Heung-soo, actor Kim becomes the character with a seamless depiction of humor and emotion in her acting.

The true discovery of this movie is actor Noh who plays Heung-soo.

Despite some high-level coming-out scenes throughout the movie, Noh’s portrayal of a young man who wants to keep a distance from the world despite Jae-hee’s warm and caring nature is well-delivered to the big screen with his clean and pure acting.

While this is Noh’s big-screen debut after gaining recognition in “Pachinko” and “Soundtrack #2,” he has clearly set out on a career poised for versatile roles across a wide-ranging filmography.

Kim and Noh, 33 and 34, bring their real-life friends’ chemistry to the silver screen so the storyline and details of emotions are vivid and something not made up. The movie makes the audience even envy Jae-hee and Heung-soo for having a true friend – regardless of their gender or how unconventional they may be.

The fact that the director Lee focused on showing the coming-of-age storyline of two friends also makes the content less provocative and more approachable. With Lee’s clear message throughout the movie that Heung-soo's LGBTQ+ identity is not a social issue but an aspect of an ordinary person, the audience is immersed in the facets of his life and follows him through the years.

The movie has been invited to the 49th Toronto International Film Festival and was screened in the Special Presentations section.

“Love in the Big City” is slated for local release on Oct. 2.