19
39
8
1
1
1
1
1
6
2
3
1
1
1
3
1
3
A Place to Be
Love in the Big City is warm, witty, quietly heartbreaking, and emotionally messy in the best way. It tells the story of Koo Jae Hui, a free spirited woman, and Jang Heung Su, a closeted gay man, two misfits who gradually become each other’s safe place. As they navigate loneliness, prejudice, identity, messy relationships, and the growing pains of adulthood, the movie becomes less about finding the perfect life and more about finding a place where you can finally be yourself.
What I appreciate most is how genuine the story feels. It never tries too hard to make a statement, nor does it romanticize the characters’ struggles just to squeeze tears out of the audience. Tragedy exists because tragedy is part of life, but so do laughter, desire, bad decisions, insecurity, friendship, and all the wonderfully complicated things in between. The movie simply lets its characters live through them. At times, it felt less like watching a movie and more like quietly witnessing the lives of two people trying to figure themselves out. Raw, imperfect, and very human.
I also really liked how the movie treats Jae Hui and Heung Su’s relationship. It never forces their bond into romance, yet somehow they feel like soulmates. Not the romantic kind, but the platonic kind. They have each other’s backs, tease each other, bicker, playfully hit each other, and somehow remain each other’s person even after the ugliest arguments. There were moments when they could have a huge fight and then, one second later, immediately worry about each other. That kind of friendship feels incredibly precious. Who says a soulmate has to be a lover?
Kim Go Eun was fantastic as Jae Hui. I have never doubted her performance, and she brings so much life into this character. While some people might see Jae Hui as a misfit, I honestly found her refreshing. She says what she thinks, owns who she is, and when she decides to make a statement, she makes it with her whole chest. Girl, slay! More than anything, I found myself rooting for her because there is something liberating about watching someone refuse to shrink herself just to fit into other people’s expectations.
And then there is that crying scene. My goodness. Script aside, Kim Go Eun’s performance alone broke me. The way she cried while trying to speak, gasping for air, choking on her words, and struggling to get everything out felt painfully real. It was as if years of pent up emotions had finally found the exit and came rushing out all at once. I especially appreciate that she did not try to make the crying pretty. It was messy, ugly, and completely human. I cried with her.
Noh Sang Hyun was equally impressive as Heung Su. He brought so much nuance to a character carrying layers of complicated emotions about his identity. His love life could be frustrating because he has genuine people interested in him, yet he keeps pushing them away. But honestly, I understood him. Before he can commit to someone else, he needs to figure himself out first. He has not even found the courage to tell his own mother, a person who clearly holds enormous influence in his life.
I also read Heung Su’s reluctance to come out as partly rooted in the fact that he does not want his identity to be treated as something abnormal. He wants to live somewhere where it simply is not a big deal. This is why his argument with Jae Hui about why her identity gets to be considered normal while his requires a coming out felt especially meaningful. Noh Sang Hyun delivered all of that uncertainty, frustration, fear, and vulnerability so convincingly that Heung Su never felt like a character designed to represent an issue. He simply felt like a person trying to live.
That brings me to one line that really stayed with me: “How can being yourself be your weakness?” It is such a simple question, but it hit hard. I have always felt that being different should not automatically make someone lesser, although I understand why Jae Hui and Heung Su are considered misfits within the world they live in. I feel fortunate to have grown up exposed to different kinds of people and perspectives, because it taught me to be more open minded. Still, seeing the characters constantly negotiate with a world that wants them to be more acceptable made that line resonate deeply.
The movie also made me think about how subjective the word “misfit” really is. Sometimes the problem is not that we do not belong. Sometimes we are simply standing in a room that has not learned how to make space for us yet. Jae Hui embraces who she is more openly, while Heung Su spends much of the story trying to understand whether he can do the same. Their journeys are different, but ultimately they are both searching for the same thing: somewhere they do not have to apologize for existing.
The visuals are pretty normal. Nothing particularly breathtaking, but nothing distracting either. The OSTs are similar for me. They work, but I was so invested in the characters and their story that I barely paid attention to anything else. And honestly, that is probably a compliment. The story itself was enough to hold my attention.
The ending felt a little rushed, especially when it came to Heung Su’s mother. I wish the movie had explored their relationship more because her shift from approaching his identity through a strongly religious perspective to seemingly trying to accept it felt a little too sudden. There was room for more emotional development there. Still, the ending works. It feels less like a conclusion and more like the opening of another chapter. The characters get their closure, and somehow, so did I.
By the end, Love in the Big City felt like a warm embrace or a gentle pat on the back. We have all been misfits in our own way. Some of us embrace it, some hide it, and some spend years trying to figure out what it even means. This movie does not promise that being yourself will always be easy. It simply reminds us that it should never be a weakness.
And perhaps that is what touched me most. Beneath all the messiness, humor, heartbreak, and growing pains, Love in the Big City is ultimately a story about finding someone who makes you feel at home while you are still learning how to make a home out of yourself.
What I appreciate most is how genuine the story feels. It never tries too hard to make a statement, nor does it romanticize the characters’ struggles just to squeeze tears out of the audience. Tragedy exists because tragedy is part of life, but so do laughter, desire, bad decisions, insecurity, friendship, and all the wonderfully complicated things in between. The movie simply lets its characters live through them. At times, it felt less like watching a movie and more like quietly witnessing the lives of two people trying to figure themselves out. Raw, imperfect, and very human.
I also really liked how the movie treats Jae Hui and Heung Su’s relationship. It never forces their bond into romance, yet somehow they feel like soulmates. Not the romantic kind, but the platonic kind. They have each other’s backs, tease each other, bicker, playfully hit each other, and somehow remain each other’s person even after the ugliest arguments. There were moments when they could have a huge fight and then, one second later, immediately worry about each other. That kind of friendship feels incredibly precious. Who says a soulmate has to be a lover?
Kim Go Eun was fantastic as Jae Hui. I have never doubted her performance, and she brings so much life into this character. While some people might see Jae Hui as a misfit, I honestly found her refreshing. She says what she thinks, owns who she is, and when she decides to make a statement, she makes it with her whole chest. Girl, slay! More than anything, I found myself rooting for her because there is something liberating about watching someone refuse to shrink herself just to fit into other people’s expectations.
And then there is that crying scene. My goodness. Script aside, Kim Go Eun’s performance alone broke me. The way she cried while trying to speak, gasping for air, choking on her words, and struggling to get everything out felt painfully real. It was as if years of pent up emotions had finally found the exit and came rushing out all at once. I especially appreciate that she did not try to make the crying pretty. It was messy, ugly, and completely human. I cried with her.
Noh Sang Hyun was equally impressive as Heung Su. He brought so much nuance to a character carrying layers of complicated emotions about his identity. His love life could be frustrating because he has genuine people interested in him, yet he keeps pushing them away. But honestly, I understood him. Before he can commit to someone else, he needs to figure himself out first. He has not even found the courage to tell his own mother, a person who clearly holds enormous influence in his life.
I also read Heung Su’s reluctance to come out as partly rooted in the fact that he does not want his identity to be treated as something abnormal. He wants to live somewhere where it simply is not a big deal. This is why his argument with Jae Hui about why her identity gets to be considered normal while his requires a coming out felt especially meaningful. Noh Sang Hyun delivered all of that uncertainty, frustration, fear, and vulnerability so convincingly that Heung Su never felt like a character designed to represent an issue. He simply felt like a person trying to live.
That brings me to one line that really stayed with me: “How can being yourself be your weakness?” It is such a simple question, but it hit hard. I have always felt that being different should not automatically make someone lesser, although I understand why Jae Hui and Heung Su are considered misfits within the world they live in. I feel fortunate to have grown up exposed to different kinds of people and perspectives, because it taught me to be more open minded. Still, seeing the characters constantly negotiate with a world that wants them to be more acceptable made that line resonate deeply.
The movie also made me think about how subjective the word “misfit” really is. Sometimes the problem is not that we do not belong. Sometimes we are simply standing in a room that has not learned how to make space for us yet. Jae Hui embraces who she is more openly, while Heung Su spends much of the story trying to understand whether he can do the same. Their journeys are different, but ultimately they are both searching for the same thing: somewhere they do not have to apologize for existing.
The visuals are pretty normal. Nothing particularly breathtaking, but nothing distracting either. The OSTs are similar for me. They work, but I was so invested in the characters and their story that I barely paid attention to anything else. And honestly, that is probably a compliment. The story itself was enough to hold my attention.
The ending felt a little rushed, especially when it came to Heung Su’s mother. I wish the movie had explored their relationship more because her shift from approaching his identity through a strongly religious perspective to seemingly trying to accept it felt a little too sudden. There was room for more emotional development there. Still, the ending works. It feels less like a conclusion and more like the opening of another chapter. The characters get their closure, and somehow, so did I.
By the end, Love in the Big City felt like a warm embrace or a gentle pat on the back. We have all been misfits in our own way. Some of us embrace it, some hide it, and some spend years trying to figure out what it even means. This movie does not promise that being yourself will always be easy. It simply reminds us that it should never be a weakness.
And perhaps that is what touched me most. Beneath all the messiness, humor, heartbreak, and growing pains, Love in the Big City is ultimately a story about finding someone who makes you feel at home while you are still learning how to make a home out of yourself.
Was this review helpful to you?
