Love in the Big City (2024)

"If obsession isn't love, then I have never loved before"

The film stars Kim Go eun as Jae hee, a bold and free-spirited woman, and Noh Sang hyun as Heung soo, a young gay man struggling to accept his identity in conservative Seoul. The story revolves around Jae-hee and Heung soo, who form an unlikely friendship after Jae hee discovers Heung soo's secret. Despite the societal pressure and homophobic attitudes, they support each other and navigate through the complexities of love and acceptance. Jae hee, often misunderstood and judged by others, finds solace in Heung-soo's company, while Heung soo learns to embrace his true self with Jae hee's encouragement.

The film beautifully balances heavy themes with lighthearted moments, all thanks to the strong chemistry between the leads. One of the standout scenes is when Jae hee asks, "How can being yourself be a weakness?", encapsulating the film's message of self-acceptance and the power of friendship.

Comparing the movie to its series adaptation, both versions stay true to the core storyline but differ in their execution.

•The series, delves deeper into the characters' backstories and provides more screen time to explore their emotional journeys.
•The movie, on the other hand, condenses the narrative, focusing on the pivotal moments that highlight the characters' growth and their bond.
•The series shows his bold lifestyle and his journey towards love, heartbreak and acceptance, on the other hand the movie emphasizes one of his important part of life i.e Jae Hee and his friendship. We did see a bit part of her in the series but just because movie only revolves around them and their friendship, it was heart touching at times.

Both Lee Soo Kyung/Nam Yoon Su and Kim Go Eun/Noh Sang Hyun are different genre of same kind. Please don't try differentiate between the series and movie as both has its own charm. I enjoyed both of them very much.

Overall, it is a touching tale of friendship, self-discovery, and acceptance, making it a must-watch for fans of heartfelt romances.

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Don't Shy Away From Being Yourself ❤️

Life becomes a little easy - when you find people who accept and love you for who you truly are. This message is exceptionally narrated in this movie through the main leads who are deemed "different" by society but manage to hold on to each other and fight through prejudices/biases of society, friends, family and their own self to eventually loving and accepting themselves for who they truly are.

From the moment we're born, society judges us for our looks, height, skin color, skills, sexual orientation, behavior, and more. Biases and prejudices are ingrained in people’s minds upon first meeting us, and while some may change with understanding, many remain. Despite progress, there’s still a long way to go to eliminate these judgments in today's world. "Love in the Big City (2024)" is a commendable step in the right direction, and I applaud the cast, crew, and original novel creators for this remarkable film.

The movie powerfully portrays the challenges of "being different" through a heartfelt narrative that evokes a range of emotions—smiles, tears, and everything in between. The female lead is someone I've admired for a long time, but this was my first time seeing Steven Noh in action. Known from "Pachinko," his portrayal, even within a limited emotional range as his character demanded, showcased his immense talent. The main leads bond together on the common ground of being labelled outcasts and the movie progresses from their 20s to early 30s showing us how they fight the societal prejudices, missed chances at love, inner fear of showing their true self, facing their family, overcoming failed relationships to ultimately accepting their own true self, and being proud of it.

The line "How can being yourself be a weakness?" resonates as the film’s strongest message. Personally, as someone who has faced various judgments from young age from strangers/close relations alike movies like this offer a solace of sorts - a feel-good factor that reinforces the importance of learning to love your true self, before seeking it elsewhere.

The film does not come across as preachy - but rather resonates with me (and am sure others) because it does not shy away from showing the good/bad and ugly side of journey towards self-acceptance. Profound, Powerful, Engaging - from start to finish, would highly recommend it as a must watch ❤️

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