The Trunk (2024)

Even those who commit the most despicable acts are worthy of love.

When I first started watching, I was really confused. I couldn't understand why a wife would force her husband to enter into a contract marriage with someone else just so they could get back together. It seemed convoluted and almost diabolical. As the story unfolded, I realized that it truly was twisted and diabolical. The wife wasn't the only one with issues; many of the characters were emotionally damaged or traumatized, suffering lasting negative effects. And I think this is what humanized them and drew me in to the story.

One key takeaway from this drama is that a broken person can easily break you. However, it also highlighted the importance of genuine human connection and empathy—like a kind word, a comforting hug, or simply being present for someone; these can help heal a broken spirit if not completely change a person's life. But I think the most important message was that even those who commit the most despicable acts are still worthy of love.

Behind every great drama is a talented writer and director, and that is so true in Seo Hyun Jin (my favorite actress of all time), Gong Yoo, Jung Yun H and all the other cast member's great performances. Well done!

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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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Mature, Understated, but Beautiful

If you're looking for a romantic drama or a mystery/thriller drama, then look somewhere else. This felt more like a meditative exploration of what relationships can look like. I personally loved it. I loved that it was a wholly mature, no emotional melodrama BS that kdramas are known to dish out on popular demand. I wish they delved more into the backstory of NM agency instead of being this shrouded in mystery organisation. That would've added more depth to the story. Other than that, I loved the acting, the cinematography, the story, and most importantly, the framing of the story. Its not always that we see mature, muted, understated kdramas, and I truly think we need more of these.

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Cryptic...in a good way.

Upon seeing the leads and not even reading the
a word of the synopsis, I immediately knew that 1.) The chemistry was going to be 5-Alarm-Azula-Blue-Fire-Flames-Spicy and 2.) The kiss scenes were going to send me to another dimension, another timeline, another universe, another plane of existence!
Sooooo....check and MOTHER.Flipping. CHECK.

Now, plotwise, the dynamic between Seo Yeon, Jeong Won and In Ji reminded me a lot of Never Let Me Go(moreso the book, than the film) where two people who were perfect together from the beginning and should have fallen in love and been happy together much earlier, are forcibly separated by a third person, who sees they are meant to be and ruins it, just to come back around to it when it inevitably falls apart.

Cinematography is beautiful, and was reminiscent of Scandinavian set shows and movies like Wallander or A Man Called Ove, where the weather and nature is almost its own character and you can feel the cold through the screen. That being said, this was released at the cusp of Autumn/Winter, which was a very fitting time, it fits the aesthetic of the show wonderfully.

The acting is on point from every actor and I really enjoyed how the main couple did not waste time. Jeong Won, once he got over his hesitation, was just hauling ass with his feelings and was ready to risk it all at the drop of a hat.

Idk about other reviews on here but if you like cryptic shows(which I do) that are mysterious and have you wondering what happens next, but also explore deeper, darker emotions between damaged people who are starved for love, then you will really like this show. Highly recommend!

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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 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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A very different tale than usual melancholic dark dramas. Acting was so perfect, well you don't expect anything less from these actors.
Cinematography and directing was an art. The mystery around murder itself was handled very gracefully. Usually when there is non-linear story telling, it tends to overdo itself and we keep jumping the time to lose focus on the main aspect of the story. This wasn't the case here and you don't lose the anticipation and grip of main story flow. Characters being consistent, plot being equally paced, it gives sense of a well made and thought drama.
The story of healing of the characters from their past is done well but you only end up sympathising with them as the backdrop of these dark past is so bizarre you hardly co-relate. Nevertheless, it felt natural in this plot dimension itself.
A worthwhile watch, a fresh concept and equally fresh execution.

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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! lol
It'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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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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Masterpiece Drama in 2024

I really loved the story! It might not be super realistic, but the way each character has their own flaws makes it feel so relatable and human. Even though I’ve watched it once, every time I rewatch it, I always catch new details that make me want to keep coming back.

That said, I feel like Soyeon’s character is a bit of a weak spot. I just couldn’t find a good enough reason to excuse her behavior as an ex-wife or as a person. But then again, if they’d gone too deep into Soyeon’s perspective, it might’ve overshadowed the main storyline, which would’ve distracted viewers from the leads. So yeah, the gap in Soyeon’s backstory is kinda a double-edged sword.

All in all, I think this drama is super artistic with amazing acting. Sure, there are a lot of details that get left behind, but considering it’s only eight episodes, it makes sense.

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