Our Movie (2025)

Beautifully acted and produced but my brain and heart are not aligned on how I feel

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

Instead of a traditional review, this is more like my feelings of the drama.

I usually stay away from dramas about terminal illness, but I want to check this out due to its rave reviews and Namkoong Min. However, giving “Our Movie” merely an 8.25 rating seems like a travesty when there are so many 9s and 10s. The simple reason is: my brain and my heart are not aligned for most of the drama.

Lee Da Eum (FL)/Jeon Yeo Been
I have a hard time connecting with Da Eum. It took me a while to get used to and like her awkward personality even though in my brain, Jeon Yeo Been did a fantastic job portraying this character. I understand why Da Eum acts, thinks, and tries to live her life to the fullest. I applaud her bravery and cheer on her to stay alive for as long as she can. But in my heart, I am not in love with her.

Lee Je Ha (ML)/Namkoong Min
I have to say this is the prettiest/most handsome look for Namkoong Min I’ve seen. I am totally digging those glasses, no-gel natural hair and the casual turtleneck look. His character is aloof and exudes this “I am better than you and I don’t care what you think” vibe. The way he talks, moves and acts is very slow-paced, which greatly contrasts the FL energy. Of course, we never have to worry about Namkoong Min’s acting.

As individual characters, I like FL and ML’s stories of pain and growth. I enjoy the reason why they want to make the movie, and how they ‘use’ each other in the process. But for some reason, when they are together, I am not feeling the chemistry that I need to help me last through the pain towards the end. For a melodrama that I am supposed to be balling and need a box of tissue, the setup was lacking for me on an emotional level. Of course, this is all very personal and subjective, and I am sure many viewers will question my sanity. LOL

Because I am not emotionally connected for about 8-9 episodes, I cannot give this drama a high rating. But when eps 10-12 hit hard, that’s when all fall into place. Now I see why I need to get those tissues and why everyone was so in love with this drama. I finally feel all the emotions, but not because of the romance or chemistry, but because of the situation and how it affected everyone on a different yet personal level.

Despite tolerating many episodes of 2FL annoying and persistently butting into FL’s business, the supporting cast is lovely and supportive. The acting is excellent all around, and not just Jeon Yeo Been and Namkoong Min. The cinematography is beautiful, especially the warm lighting in the bookstore that I love the most. The haunting OST complements the mood of the drama and I’m glad many scenes are shot outside of the hospital.

“Our Movie” is an excellently produced and well-acted drama. Melodrama lovers should not miss this. Even though the drama couldn’t reach my heart for most of the drama, I can’t deny when it’s supposed to hurt, it hurts big time (in a good way). I just wish my brain and heart were connected sooner.


Completed: 8/30/2025 Review #618

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The selfishness and selflessness of human connection.

I’m still in a daze after finishing the last episode. I am not sure how to start writing since I have so many thoughts and feelings existing chaotically in my brain right now.

Our Movie is the perfect example of well executed melodrama that does not rely on excessive angst that borderline crosses to makjang territory. It’s tasteful in it’s emotional torture towards viewers. And it is painful… Even though I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, I knew exactly how it will end, the slowly creeping dread of the finality of the story was exhausting. Exhausting in the most breathtaking and touching way possible.

Da Eum is one of the most beautiful characters I have ever seen. The way she was so full of life, even though she did not have much left to enjoy it. The way she was brave in the situation most would crumble in. But what's most important - the way she cherished herself and people around her. The way she genuinely loved her family and friends, the way she craved the connection and was not afraid to reach for it. Her determination, be it in love, dreams, living, was inspiring.

Was she perfect? No. She was at times childish, stubborn, selfish. There were times when she was irresponsible. And all these moments made her that much more human, that much more lovable, complex and interesting.

While her relationship with Je Ha was obviously the center of the story, I must say I loved her scenes with other characters as much. The conflicting tension between her and her dad - the way he struggled to let her live her life, knowing it will make it shorter. The soulmate bond she had with Gyo Yeong. The complexity of the past and present relationship she had with Jae In. Every interaction she had with any of the characters felt so meaningful.

On the other hand Lee Je Ha did feel a bit underdeveloped compared to her. I still love him, love his story, but somehow I do feel unsatisfied. A lot of things were left to imagine, and it feels like we mostly got the highlights of his story, bullet points of what’s important. That said, even though the title says "Our Movie” I do believe it’s Da Eum’s story so I am not extremely mad about Je Ha not being as developed. Maybe his story was presented in a more subtle way, and with how radiant Da Eum was, I just missed the timing to make the connection to him?

Then we have Chae Seo Yeong - how much I love this woman. The raw flaws and mistakes she made were infuriating, but the way at the end of the day she always managed to make the right choice, to support the right people, to admit to her faults.

I truly appreciate how there were no real villains in the story, or rather - depending on what perspective you take, everyone could have been a villain in someone’s life, even without doing much wrong. The writers made sure to present the same situations from different perspectives, making sure viewers understand that human existence is never black or white. Action you took out of necessity could have scared another person for years. What started as a selfish behavior can turn into selfless conviction. No one is bad, no one is good. We are all just human with flaws, desires, hopes, dreams, fears - they all affect our actions. Many things can be explained, but they should not be excused. We need to know when to apologize and fix what was broken. And this drama presents it all.

Acting… are there even words to describe how amazing it was? These roles could have been so easily under and overacted. It’s a balance game not to make Lee Je Ha emotionless and Lee Da Eum borderline manic. Underacting would make them hard to relate to and feel their emotions, overacting would make the characters seem like caricatures. Both Namkoong Min and Jeon Yeo Been truly put their souls into these roles. I smiled, laughed, and cried watching their performances. It was both beautiful and painful.

What I also want to talk about is the directing and editing. Masterclass. Other directors need to study this show and learn from it. It stands out among all the mainstream kdramas from the past couple of years with its unique styling and creative shots. They truly used everything they had, but with brains and meaning. The transitions used for the storytelling purposes, not just cutting between scenes - perfection. The various filters, screen ratios, camera angles and movements. There were honestly scenes that made me gasp.

The cherry on top was the soundtrack. I am 100% sure I am going to cry when I hear any of the songs. They were so well placed depending on the scenes, creating these memorable moments. If I were to pick my favorite, I’d go with “Love me more”.

So why not 10? There were some plotlines I did not see much purpose of. Example: majority of side romances. The same conversations that were important to present different perspectives could have happened in a more platonic setting, closely related to the filming of the movie. Sadly, some moments just felt painfully detached from the overall drama and the mood.

I also wish we had seen a bit more flashbacks of Da Eum before her diagnosis. I think seeing her interactions with Jae In and Gyo Yeong before her life completely changed would make the future conflict more clear and less one-sided. Technically they did wrap it up well, emotionally I am not satisfied.

All that said, what a heart-stopping and awe-inspiring story it was. It’s a drama that makes you sad, heartbroken even, but somehow not emotionally heavy. I felt exhausted by the last episode, but weirdly thankful. Rather than depressed, I felt motivated. The bitter-sweet taste of life.

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