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Method korean movie review
Completed
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0 people found this review helpful
by vampbunny
Oct 21, 2022
Completed
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers
This movie was pretty good although the ending was a little iffy because it was not what I personally wanted, it ended perfectly. The pace is fast and quick and gets right to the relationship immediately. I will say there are a few spicy scenes and it's not mature, but it definitely is more than I have seen in most k-dramas. If you are looking for sweet romance then this is NOT for you. Would definitely rewatch for the actors and their characters together.

-- Spoilers Below --

Jae Ha is a seasoned actor who takes his job and craft seriously. He is a method actor and gets deep into his characters and who they are and literally becomes them. He is harsh and cold, openly showing his disdain towards Young Woo in the beginning of the play. Young Woo is a famous idol who is tired from his daily schedule and then adding the play on top of it. He starts out super childish and very obviously does not care about the play nor what any part of it. That all changes when he starts taking a liking to Jae Ha, wanting to be around him and wanting to take in and learn everything he can from him. Jae Ha pushes Young Woo to take the play seriously and while doing so, ends up falling for Young Woo himself.. getting caught into a whirlwind relationship between the two. It's hot and sneaky, and you can see them falling for each other more and more as they go deeper into their characters and play. Jae Ha becomes cold and angry towards his wife who begins to have doubts about Jae Ha and how he is dealing with his character Walter. She sneaks around to try to read his method acting journal, which she finds blank, and even tries to catch some practice scenes to which Jae Ha tells her to just stop. She eventually catches them kissing in the theater and stays quiet about it. After her catching them, she tries to initiate sex with Jae Ha but he refuses and shows no interest. My one downfall with the plot and storyline is, they run away and go on a day adventure out to a beach and Young Woo posts pictures to his Instagram. They find him and Young Woo cuddling together in a van sleeping and accuse him of kidnapping Young Woo. The rumors of the dynamic of their relationship and "supposed" kidnapping gets out to the news outlets and they become slightly distant. How exactly did he kidnap Young Woo if he went voluntarily with him and is an adult? - His wife finds him at the beach too and gets into an altercation with him alluding to that this isn't the first time that Jae Ha has gotten too deep into a role. Things start escalating as their home is broken into and things start getting darker between the 2. Young Woo wants to be in a relationship with Jae Ha and to be out and open with him, to tell the truth to the press and let it be known how they feel, but Jae Ha doesn't want to do that at all. He pushes his feelings for him down, so Young Woo does the same and puts on the "chains" of hiding his sexuality and never getting to be with the person he loves. During the play, Jae Ha shares a passionate kiss that wasn't in the script with Young Woo, and continues on. The play is dark, emotional, and heavy, but has a great reaction. After the play, Young Woo coldly says that he is the best Singer and Jae Ha is just Walter. It ends with him getting into his limo and driving off obviously saddened and still with his feelings for Jae Ha, while Jae Ha's wife shows up to the theater and they leave together hand in hand.

Most of the reviews I read before watching were mostly about how the ending could've been better and I want to agree because the few "love" scenes we did get between Jae Ha and Young Woo were passionate and left you yearning for more, but I can also see the realism in their love story in South Korea. Especially in the year this came out, LGBTQ+ is not totally accepted there and is looked down upon, and I can imagine that is even more-so true for idols and actors. They are left with their feelings that they both obviously fell for each other hard. The play is called unchained, which I feel hits the story in another way meaning their feelings, but in the end they are both still chained due to them.

Would 100% watch again, I loved all the actors and characters and just couldn't get enough of it in the hour that we did have.
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