The Trunk

A Good drama made like a film

Characters:
In Ji, a woman hurt by the concept of marriage decides to take revenge by joining a company New Marriage, which provides an ideal marriage service for people.
Jeong Won is a music producer and son of a wealthy man who gave him tons of trauma in his childhood.
Lee Seo Yeon is the b*tch and Jeong Won's ex-wife.
Yun Ji O, Lee Seo Yeon's husband and a nice party in the square-ship of all four characters.

What I like:
The premise of the plot is something new. Specifically the concept of how In Ji distances herself as identity from the marriage but does everything in the manual to provide an ideal marriage like holding hands for comfort.
All four characters, especially In Ji, are interesting on their own.
The movie-like production with specific silence-filled moments. The director is good.
How the plot shows marriage, dealing with toxic marriage/behaviour, the kind of down-hole a bad marriage can pull you into.

What I don't like:
It is somewhat predictable after 3 episodes. I could guess the next lines of the character.

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The acting and chemistry were the only things I watched for

The Trunk was a mind-blowing, heart-pounding thriller that left me speechless. The twists and turns were expertly woven, and the performances by Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin were phenomenal. But...It's not your typical cute K-drama. The plot revolves around a mysterious trunk that holds dark secrets. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted, with some disturbing elements. But if you enjoy psychological thrillers, it can be a watch!
The plot twists were a little predictable. Also, while the mystery was engaging, the resolution felt a bit rushed and underwhelming. Plus, the side characters were quite underdeveloped.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' The Trunk '' is a suspenseful mystery that, in the end, is more of a family drama rather than a mystery, as the conclusion falls flat.

The drama, first of all, has spectacular cinematography, which often aids the drama as it brushes off the most of its boring parts.

Also, the performances were all great, especially from the female leading lady who was sensational and stood out.

On the other hand, and even though the story had potential, at least on paper, it was not as good as the cinematography and the performances made it look. The characters were annoying, and borderline frustrating, the story was not cohesive, and the mystery was flavourless in the end.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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Didn’t want it to end.

Didn’t watch a kdrama for months but binged watched this during exam week (one of those things your brain does when you’er stressed AF). It was a claustrophobic watch, but I genuinely devoured it!

On a personal note, while it’s nothing new (especially in recent years), and I know not many people like this aspect, but I love when k-dramas drop all the facade on sex and physical affection. Especially with older characters. I know it’s partly due to it being a Netflix production but I didn’t find the sex scenes in this distasteful at all.

I haven’t watched a handful of k-drama’s this year due to life getting in the way, and while there was some usual fictional world loopholes, it’s probably my fav so far.

And just based on the cinematography alone, I can’t recommend enough.

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Mystery, Slow-burn, & Character Development

I honestly dont get why so many people are not liking it. The romance is very slow-burn, but it is also very realistic and very mature. They both have a lot of chemistry between eachother and absolutely loved it.

The show goes back and forth between present and flashbacks so it be a little confusing but not that much. I loved the character development in the show, especially with Lee Soo-yeon (although she made me really mad throughout the show). The characters in this show all have some sort of trauma they are dealing with but it was beautiful to see how it all worked out in the end.

I was actually very convinced that it was Noh In-ji that killed Eom Tae-song and was very shocked to find out that it was actually Yun Ji-oh. But hey, whatever gets In-ji away from that stalker is fine by me.

I thought it was gonna be happy but was suprised with the open ending. I think it was actually more beautiful that way. I normally don't like open endings but this was pretty good. Near the ending he tells her that if they meet agian 2 more times then they will get remarried. Him meeting her the first time in the ending is a way to say that they really are destined to be together. So my interpretation is that they meet agin a second time (because they are destined to be togther) and they live happily ever after forever (well at least for the next 30 years lol).

I actually very enjoyed this show. I understand why it might get boring at some times and confusing as well. But just stick with and I think you will like it as well. It had an excellent cast and a very soothing OST. There were times when I rewatched a couple of scenes just because I liked the OST playing in the background.

Overall I really liked this show and was definitely worth the watch!!!

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Married.. Single.. Divorced.. Adults Get It!

i waited months to watch it. And finished it the day it was released. Im just leaving a review because not everyone will get the heaviness of this series! I absolutely loved this series! I loved the storyline. I hate how much Seo-Yeon's manipulative ways reminded me of myself. She destroyed Jeong Won by playing on his weaknesses. She thought that she'd always have him and played with him emotionally. I loved seeing him detach himself from her as a mental and emotional crutch. The beauty that unfolded between him and In-ji made me want to love like that. She was gentle and he needed that type of gentle love. ughhh I wish this series was longer. I love seeing Gong Yoo in anything. His sad eyes just made this series all the more heartfelt! I do not understand why people rate this less than a 9. If you're an adult you'd get it.. I wish there were more series like this!

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In Response To Negative Comments...

I've been seeing a lot of negative comments about this show saying that it's americanized etc. so I wanted to write a review in response to this.

I disagree that this kdrama is trying to be more Americanized. I genuinely like that they tried to make something more suited for adult viewers with the dark themes, intricate plot, and some nudity. It's refreshing to see such an amazing cast take on a much more daring role and it really shows how talented they are.

I will say that the plot was a bit confusing at points. The jumps between present day, the past, and the future were done well for the most part but there were times where I wasn't sure where we were. Another negative is that I hate when shows split the main couple up after they've been through a lot because they need to "heal". I personally think it's a bad choice and unnecessary.

I will also say that the show could have used a bit more depth on the relationships between the characters, there was limited dialogue when the leads were on screen together and instead we just see them trauma dumping all the time. Maybe if the show had been slightly longer to accommodate some more character building, I would have liked this aspect more. Or even if they just got rid of the friend's plot line - this felt so unnecessary... like okay she doesn't want to just be a mom, she wants to work blah blah blah but like where did this story actually go? What was the point? They either needed to develop this WAYYYY more or take it out IMO. I wanted to see his ex-wife's downfall, I wanted to see the leads accepting this new love, I wanted to see more healing in the characters... What I really mean to say by all this is that I think this show could have been a solid 10/10 if they had a more solid focus on the emotional/psychological themes rather than throwing in some of the other side plots.

Onto the positives - I really like the relationship between the leads. Their chemistry was amazing and I felt compelled by their stories. It was heartbreaking at times too when you see how unsure the leads are about what love is meant to feel like and how they should be treated by their loved ones. I like to crochet whilst I watch kdramas and this was a show where I would just constantly stop and just watch because I was so hooked on what was happening. I know my paragraph on the negatives is so much longer but that's just because there were a few key positives that really make this entire show so worth watching.

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Slow-Burn + Contractual Marriage

Beautiful cinematography; the acting and chemistry are top-tier. I normally don't watch slow-burn type of drama because its not my cup of tea; the story is unique but lacking something, in my opinion. There's some stuff that is still unclear to me, especially the trunk. and I don't think killing the stalker and all the investigation were necessary; maybe sending him to jail was a much better consequence. and the ex-wife needed punishment; they let her off the hook pretty quick, considering what she did.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Seo Hyunjin x Gong Yoo acting & chemistry really carried the show; they got me blushing, giggling, and kicking my feet like a high school girl.

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More mature drama with some plot problems, however, with excellent visuals, soundtrack and acting

Firstly, the soundtrack is impeccable and fits well with the aesthetics of ML's modern house. The house itself is beautiful, the kind we see in architecture magazines, but, as the context of the story is bad, the house appears to be a prison.

The scene photography is also impeccable. realize it is clear that the director wanted to bring a whole poetics through photography and how the characters speak and interact with each other. Given the context, it’s a really beautiful thing to watch. It's quite pleasant, I mean.

The story itself seems to have a good beginning, which holds the viewer and makes them try to understand what is happening with FL. The interaction between ML and his ex-wife is difficult to understand until episode 3. As we only discover the reason for things little by little, it is difficult to understand the characters' disagreement and hatred towards each other. The toxic and super weird relationship between ML and his ex-wife is also incomprehensible. At first, 'what she is doing seems more like revenge for the loss of her baby, but then we know that she wanted to lose the baby. I only managed to understand the conflict between ML and his ex-wife in the last episode. Until then, it seemed very baseless for so much suffering and emotional dependence.

One thing I don't like in many k-dramas is that the screenwriters almost always use the argument that the characters have known each other since they were children, or someone has already met the other, or any of the more cliché things we always see in dramas. In this drama, in my opinion, they make this kind of mistake unnecessarily. I.e, ML would not need to have had a 30-year relationship with his ex-wife to justify such emotional dependence and cruelty. Sometimes toxic relationships are created in a few months and years. Referring the reason for something to a childhood past is a very forced and easy narrative argument.

I also remember the fact that ML has already seen FL a few times before. They see each other at the cemetery, at graduation, when buying that special suitcase that never opens. Serious? I found this plot so forced that I almost gave up watching until the end. Things in real life don't happen that way. It wouldn't negatively affect the main plot if they were completely strangers to each other. It would be even more interesting if they had never seen each other in their lives.

About the stalker: he enters the plot only to cause suffering and tension to FL. What is the need for a stalker in a plot that has a main character living a private drama about her unconsummated marriage? Is it just to create scenes of tension, chase, attempted murder? This drama could go on very well without this unnecessary and meaningless character. And why force the idea that it's good to deal with a stalker just released from a psychiatric hospital by inviting him to your house for tea? ML seemed to be completely irresponsible in doing this. Furthermore, in the final stage of the drama, why do they always make the antagonists' lives easier in a way that is actually stupid? Seriously, he actually managed to enter the architecture magazine house undercover and even managed to go to ML's closet to get that suitcase? Serious? Anyways, this character is useless and reduced the value of the drama in general a little.

About the ex runaway groom: the series takes a while to solve the case of FL's runaway ex-fiancé to support FL's mysterious image. I thought this character could have been better developed instead of paying attention to a random stalker.

Despite these drama problems, it is a series for a more mature audience, who doesn't expect happy endings and obvious things. I thought they explored the different facets of what a marriage is and how marriage is a contract well.

Gong Yoo's acting is excellent. I thought there are many elements of the character that are also Gong Yoo's own, such as fishing and a docile personality. It would be more interesting if the character wasn't so similar to the personality of the actor who plays him.

Oh, and about the medicines: what a mess! I thought it was simply insane that the ex-wife induced ML to use more medication or even drugs. It's incredible how he couldn't realize the misery he found himself in. Indeed, his father's history with his mother is a bit exaggerated too. Things don't have to be so acute to cause lifelong trauma. A more subtle plot would be enough to support the ML plot. Btw, it's completely senseless for ML to end the drama on good terms with his ex-wife, as if she hadn't acted like a true psychopath trying to drug him and manipulate him.

Anyways, it's a very beautiful drama in terms of visuals and soundtrack. Has good performances. Has a more mature plot, however, with some problems, but it's worth watching. If this drama had more episodes than it does, it would certainly go downhill, lol. That's it.

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