This review may contain spoilers
The THRILL
This is not your typical rom com. It is so much more.In a nutshell for those too lazy to make it beyond the first episode and to read an in depth review:
-ML and FL are in a marriage contract from an actual marriage contract agency
- ML’s crazy bitch ex wife picked his contract wife to punish ML thinking he would crawl back to her
- FL is the contract wife and when she found out how crazy the ex wife is.. she took revenge for the ML
- it’s a fucking good show
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful Portrayal
Ever since I heard of a Gong Yoo-Seo Hyun Jin pair up, I have been looking forward to The Trunk. I was cautious since most dramas I have watched this year have been mediocre, to say the least. But the K-drama gods came through this time around and I was not in the slightest disappointed. After watching, the first episode, I considered not going to work to watch the whole show in one sitting which I didn't do, but wished I had done so I could have finished this faster.Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin's portrayals of two very broken people was heartbreakingly and miserably beautiful. I loved the acting, their chemistry, the main support character's roles and the OST. While watching , I did not cry, but I felt like I was holding my breath, anxiously awaiting where the journey would take, not only the main leads, but also me. However, in the last 30 minutes or so, I began to crack me and in the last 5 or so minutes, my tears would not stop.
My main complaint would be that the flashbacks were a bit confusing in the beginning. Although once you got used to these, it was easier to discern at what point they were by noting which characters and locations appeared on the screen, I also wonder if this almost seamless, confusing element was done in this way on purpose to drive the point home. As the past merges with the present to show how the events that took place in the past have an impact on the present and even the future if this issues are not addressed properly. My second complaint is that Yoon Ah and Hyeon Cheol's parts felt unnecessary.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this and hope GY and SHJ meet again in another beautiful drama. 9.5/10
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Ok but isn't that a bit of a drastic decision to make over a cancelled wedding?!
I would love to have a conversation with the scriptwriter of this show. I would love to know how they read THAT book and came to the conclusion to write...this show! lolIt's like if someone read Jane Eyre and ended up adapting it as a musical about learning the alphabet.☉_☉ That said, this is not a bad show or anything, it's just that the similarities to the source material are very slim, including the genre and I also wonder if this was meant to be this dark and elegant and highbrow from the start or if the show just changed themes as the high profile names started to get attached to it...you see, this show has every single cliche element of an average rom-com kdrama!
If I told you a show has:
1. Fake, contract marirage
2. Childhood connection
3. A crazy evil second female lead
4. A stalker with evil superpowers following the Fl around
5. A gloomy male lead with a tragic and sad backstory
6. A romance with a murder mystery subplot
7. Meddling auntie neighbour
8. Quirky tomboy best friend and baby-crazy, secret investigator friend
9. A small event in the FL's past leads her to some drastic career choices
What show would come to your mind?! 'Cause I think so many average Kdramas can come to mind...and the answer here is actually The Trunk. But then this show couldn't be further from your typical kdrama! It's so atmospheric, dark, and the production quality is off the chart!
...but I would say the plot is not as great as the rest of the show. For one, it's slightly melodramatic. If you squint, there are so many plotholes and a lot of choices and actions make no sense. And while I think the creators worked hard to preserve the essence of the novel's message, I think they lost a bit of its nuance in favor of adding flashy plotpoints like abusive parents and homophobia and actual love stories. That said, I like some of these additions and overall, the whole thing works and these details aren't really the main attraction of this show anyway. Because the main point is...
The Chemistry. Holy meow! First of, I think dramaland citizens generally over exaggerate the chemistry connection of actors on popular kdramas. Two actors will do the bare minimum but because the trope is a popular one, people will see natural chemistry where there is none! So many times, I see people just say two actors have chemistry because they're both the two most attractive people on screen in a show. That's not chemistry...that's buying into the show promotion bs, dearies! Actual chemistry means the actors seem to have this magnetic field between them, that even when there are so many others in a scene with them, it's like the two of them are swaying to the same wavelength. Their eye contact seems to hold secret conversations btween just the two and the actors just naturally play off of each other's acting choices. And that's the thing! You have to first be a good actor, to then make actual choices about your acting and then have an equally good actor play against you with their equally dynamic and responsive acting choices! It's...it's a big deal! Not everyone can do it! but my god...Gong Yoo and Seo Hyung Jin sure can! The best thing about this show was how the two of them managed to make the bare minimum plot work! You know a show is good when it gives you the illusion that you have just witnessed two soul mates reunite when the characters just barely had two positive interactions! That's sorcery! That's skill! That's admirable. And this show manages to do that so it's worth a watch for only just that if literally for nothing else.
Which, of course, it's not the only attraction of this show. Jung Yun Ha's acting is another part of this show that adds to its worth. I hope she wins some awards for this. She deserves the recognition. She was so good, she brought Seo Yeon to life and what an interesting character because she was so unhinged and disturbing in some ways but she was equally valid in other ways and I was so conflicted if I hated her for some of her actions or wanted to defend her for some of the other actions. To manage to capture both empathy and disgust, she sure showed some great skills. Granted, the character is very well-written too. Overall, the whole cast is really good but the four main ones stand out. This was my very first Gong Yoo show and guys...I get it. I GET IT! Who is this man?! How is he this charming?! How can someone so unconventionally attractive capture the viewers so quickly? He's too good! A bit dangerous! I wanna see more! lol
In addition to an amazing cast, the production, set design, lighting and special effects in this show were so good. This looks like a drama one would like to watch because it's a feast for the eyes...though in a drab way! There's no explosion of colors or textures. The whole thing is in earth tones and everything and everyone is so subdued but that's sort of the point here. So it's like...having a fancy dinner made of one ingredient! Well, maybe three ingredients.
Also this show is going to get the rare honor of having THE BEST soundtrack of any kdrama ever. It was so good, that 10/10 stars is actually for the music. I loved the music so much I sat through the credits just to listen to it more. Well-played, for a show with a music producer as a main character.
Rewatch: Yeah, no...
Negative: Why do Kdramas have weird pauses when they wanna make high quality dramas?! It doesn't make any sense why people pause so much in their conversations. Also...so many plotholes, so many unnecessary baits that lead nowhere, so many character moments that were abandoned halfway through...lol the script could have been better. hehe
Overall: This is a rare case of me enjying a show with a subpar plot as I usually care the most about plot but this show was too good in other aspects that the weaknesses of the plot are almost forgivable. This would have been a perfect 10 if the plot was a bit better. Highly recommend it though.
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wonderful
Brilliant!I didn't have high expectations. I started watching because of the actors.
It's impossible not to watch something produced by the talented and wonderful Gong Yoo and the phenomenal Seo Hyun Jin.
But wow!!! I loved it. It went way beyond my expectations.
Impeccable acting, amazing script, perfect OST, and stunning chemistry.
The entire supporting cast was wonderful... the psychopath, my goodness! Excellent performance.
I never thought I would see Gong Yoo so handsome and flawless... I was so impressed that I'm even thinking of rewatching the unforgettable Coffee Prince (2007), by the way, one of my all-time favorite dramas.
Anyway, highly recommended!
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This review may contain spoilers
Y’all crazy. This show was soooo good tf
I don’t understand why ppl are talking so much trash about the show. I will admit it started slow but I’m a person who likes watching a slow burn show. The build was soooo good. The ML was so damaged and his ex wife keeping him drugged up just to need him is some nasty work.ML not liking the FL at the beginning made the story so much better as you watch both of them win damage(in different ways ) slowly start to comfort each other and start to like each other was really amazing to watch. The FL was so detached from the world and was basically on autopilot all the time even with the stalker she barely flinch and then you slowly started to watch her come alive. The first fight scene between FL and the ex wife had me shook and that was the real first time you saw FL start to care and I felt myself become excited ….. and then second fight scene between FL and ex wife had me shocked because she was really pissed .The ending was my least fav part because it is such a Korean drama thing to do and I was hoping for something more original and fresh/new but I’m not mad at them finding each other again after everything and I was even rooting for the ex wife and her fake husband because they both crazy and deserved each other .
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Although the pace is slow, I still enjoyed watching it. It's not the usual drama. Gong Yoo was very attractive and the female lead is really suitable for her role.
I just hope that kind of marriage arrangement doesn't happen in real life.
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When good actors need money
This had to be the most convoluted, weirdly paced, discombobulated drama I have ever watched. There were basically no stakes. There was no chemistry between the leads. The story kept going back and forth with the timeline in a manner that was meant to confuse the audience. Oh and we also never find out what's in her trunk but we get a quote about a trunk being enough for a marriage.I hated it.
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my love for gong yoo takes me to dramas i wouldn’t have seen without him as an excuse
from the very first episode i felt like the story was boring, long and not interesting enough. the villians felt empty and even the main characters were dull.it was a drama that i watched while on the phone for the most part, and i still didn’t even miss a thing bc of the long pauses in between dialogues. i know netflix’s goal is to make shows that people can watch as background noise, but unfortunately this is very notorious and it makes the dramas boring and dull.
i love gong yoo and i love that he has these mature roles that match his age. i’m aware he’s expressed how tired he gets when he films and thus why he prefers these roles. but i’m sure he can find scripts that give him that and make him look good on camera and bring out his best qualities.
also can i just say, the music was AWFUL. i’ve never had a thought like this before. this truly fell so short compared to others.
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Dystopian view of future contractual marriages
What made this experience for me more riveting than most viewers was having read the book. It does not follow the storyline exactly and the script writers selected different aspects to highlight this dark drama. The premise of renting marriage partners for a 1 year contract with the ability to cancel and divorce with or without fault was briefly sketched but not well disclosed.The ML, played by Gong Yoo, gives a nuanced performance of a person scarred by first his mother's suicide then his pregnant wife's attempted suicide and subsequent death of their unborn child.
His current relationship is due to a contract marriage and when he begins to show too much attachment to the FL, played by Seo Hyun-jin, she abruptly ends it leaving him grieving.
His ex wife, although now also in a contract marriage, is shown to be still obsessed with him and deranged enough to install cameras in his home, threaten suicide and plant suicide pills in his studio.
Add to the mix another stalker who is a psychopath and also obsessed with the FL threatening to kill the ML and boasting about having already killed someone and the tensions are running high.
The trunk theme is based on the importance of the two trunks in the story.
One belongs to the ex-wife and is stolen by the psychopath convinced he will find damming evidence about the organisation and be able to expose them for putting him in a mental institute.
The second trunk belongs to the ex-wife and it too contains emotionally damming items.
The tension is slow paced, dark, brooding and oppressive a lot like how the relationships are featured. Use of lighting, music and atmospheric sounds keep the noir aspect.
The ending is hopeful and open ended.
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Mature story
This is the first time I write a review on this site. I felt that I had to, because this genuine piece of art has way too low ratings. I loved the actors, they are really talented professonals, they made the story believable. The characters they were acting felt real. The story was multilayered and clever. You could never know what's going to happen next, the plot was never predictable like it so often happens when it comes to Asian dramas. If you are ready for an adult and mature drama, this is for you.Was this review helpful to you?
A warm, dark, hot and sad slow burn
The plot is dark but so comforting at the same time. The cast transmit so perfect their chemistry, its so enjoyable to watch them <3, I love how she's not stupid like other protagonists that you just want to smack their faces and He's just the definition of 'I can fix him' but this time SHE REALLY FIXES HIM!!! ugh Gong Yoo you're so perfect that hurts... long story short, if you're into more mature and a little twisted kdrama it's *worth watching*Ps. I really loved it... but why that ending? My anxiety can't take it
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This review may contain spoilers
The show had perfect pacing!! It did such a great job discussing trauma and toxic relationships. This is what I wanted to see for Mr.Plankton. I see that many new directors of this genre are doing abnormal camera shots and music which is great because it's good to see something new. Though I disagreed with some of the characters, especially the original wife, I sympathized with everyone. I loved how the writers addressed being apart of the LGTBQ in a non cliché way(I even think the female lead friend liked her). It made the movie feel real. I thought the first wife would kill herself, but I'm was glad she stuck through. This was really a solid 8.5. This genre is hard to execute well, but the director in my opinion did a good take on it. I loved that the leads were not the typical lovey-dovey couple — that would be unrealistic. Everything about this drama was raw and real, not forced at all in my opinion.Reading other reviews, I understand why people would think it was dull or drawn-out, but I think it's because they went in with high hopes. I went in knowing nothing, and I guess I was in the perfect mood for this drama.
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