Listen, this probably is not 9.0 out of 10.0 movie. The plot is thin, the pacing odd; I will gladly admit to all of that. But what can I say- I am not immune to the charm of a romance done right, and that is why Love and Leashes essentially is. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I was thrilled when I read the premise of this. I think the way sexuality has been tackled as a subject matter in K-dramas in the past has been sufficiently awkward and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen when kink got thrown into the mix, expecting to get a genuine gem or something so bad it just had to be good. I am happy to report that this movie definitely belongs to the first category.

Let’s start with the vanilla part of it all, before we dive into the plot. All the actors are pretty solid. Our male protagonist was a bit stilted and awkward at parts, but nothing that bothered me too much. While this movie isn’t overly sexual compared to Western films of the same genre, there are more than enough scenes that must have been pretty uncomfortable to film, but the chemistry between our leading pair stayed strong, so props to the actors. I thought they both brought a lot of charisma to their roles and I really enjoyed watching their dynamic evolve.
The cinematography is also pretty good. I can’t think of a word better than stylish. Sexy but not too much, to the point where it feels like you’re just looking at raw meat. In fact, this contains very little nudity but still managed to be pretty steamy, which I would largely attribute to the lighting. This is just very cool-looking sleek movie. The cinematography might not have been terribly creative overall but it definitely had its moments. I also thought the way this was cut added a lot of charm, the office scene (you will know which one hehe) especially stood out to me, I enjoyed it a lot.

Ok now let’s get to the meat (terrible choice of words, I apologize):

I haven’t read a single chapter of the webtoon, so I had absolutely no clue what the heck I was getting into but I can’t help but acknowledge how healthy this romance was! When it comes to bedroom-activities I want to everyone to do as they please as long as it is consensual. That being said, sexuality does not exist in a vacuum. I don’t want this review to be a deeper discussion of the ethics behind BDSM, as I for sure am not an expert on the subject, but it’s worth noting that, from a storytelling-standpoint alone, it’s difficult to justify why someone would get enjoyment out of beating the shit out of their partner. Dominant and submissive- these ideas are all about power. It is an incredibly delicate and difficult task to tackle that subject without immediately falling into unhealthy tropes. A story about such a relationship gone wrong can still be meaningful and interesting- but you have to be aware of the toxic dynamic as to not accidentally glamorize abuse. Many other stories have tried and failed the exact same thing (looking at you 50 Shades Of Grey) but for the first time ever I feel like I was offered a believable and healthy glimpse into the world of BDSM.

So what has this film done differently compared to other popular kinky franchises? Let’s first talk about the obvious: our dom is a woman. This might sound trivial to some people but for me this played a huge part in the power dynamic of this couple. As mentioned in the paragraph above, our typical relationship-patterns are not something that have appeared out of thin air. The woman taking a passive role and the man taking the dominating one- that is not a phenomenon that just sort of happened but the result of a deeply patriarchal society.
I want to avoid comparing this film to the 50 Shades-franchise too much because it’s simply too good to be branded as its Korean counterpart but since both tell, or at least attempt to tell the stories of women falling into the world of BDSM and finding sexual liberation, I will have to draw a few parallels:
In 50 Shades we have impressionable and painfully naïve Anna who is being coerced into her partner’s lifestyle. Christian is her first ever boyfriend and other than his attractiveness she virtually has zero reasons to be into him, as he tends to be extremely cruel to her, even outside of the bedroom where it’s all supposed to be part of the play. Anna never seems to make peace with her partners fetish, she just learns to love him despite that until he finally overcomes his trauma and gets over it.
Ji-woo on the other hand is confident and outspoken, those being the very reasons Ji-hoo starts to feel attracted to her. He treats her with immense respect, constantly making sure that she is okay with the whole thing, as he is worried about traumatizing her. She gives him the clear okay for a BDSM-relationship, does extensive research on the topic and gets to explore fetish on her own terms. Ji-woo takes an active part instead of just taking it. We actually see her find joy in taking the lead and being playful and kinky in the bedroom.
Our male love interest here, does not have to be taught to be vulnerable, it’s a core element of his part in the relationship. That alone made for a much healthier romance than I have seen in countless vanilla love stories. Neither does he have to overcome his kink, unlike Christian Grey. Instead Ji-hoo, while being aware and open about his his fetish, is still on a quest to find self-acceptance. This means that he, just like the female protagonist, has to grow into his role of the BDSM-partnership. Our pair gets to explore new things together because they are both equally inexperienced. There is balance in the unbalanced. Their power might be unequal in the bedroom but in the real world both characters maintain a healthy relationship as they figure out how to navigate a master/servant-dynamic together.
But the film doesn’t stay uncritical of the dangers that come with a kink built on an offset power-dynamic. Not only is there a scene dedicated to “fake-doms” abusing their power, our female protagonist herself has to learn the boundaries of her role. The film makes it clear that just because Ji-hoo is a submissive, does not mean that he is entirely passive or anything close to pathetic. Clear communication and respect are still what their relationship thrives off.

It makes a huge difference whether you’re watching a female character grow into the role of a submissive partner or a dominating one. I don’t want to give the impression that I think that every woman that enjoys getting spanked is singlehandedly upholding the patriarchy. As I said, everyone should do as they please as long as it’s consensual, but Love And Leashes makes a much better and more convincing case for female sexual liberation. And ultimately makes a more interesting story, especially taking cultural differences into account. While sexism is an issue everywhere, when it comes to emancipation, East Asia still has a very long way to go. Women being submissive isn’t just role-play, it’s the societal norm. So it is not surprising that Ji-woo expects her coworker to be the dominating type after learning of his fetish. That role already reflects what we as a society expect out of a man. But getting to see Ji-woo find genuine joy in fulfilling her role as a dom was strangely empowering to see. This was a genuinely educational, romantic glimpse into the BDSM-world. They treated the subject matter with the respect it deserves while still being lighthearted enough to work as a romcom and I can’t recommend it enough. While this might not strictly deserve the high rating I gave I think this charming film excels exactly at what it is trying to be with all its flaws and awkwardness. Love and Leashes is a must-see this Valentines-day for everyone looking for a refreshing take on a truly unconventional relationship.