Review: Melo Movie - A Reflection on Different Types of Love

"Melo Movie" (a reference to "melodrama" and a South Korean expression for "love stories") was released on Netflix on February 2025.

Directed by Oh Chung-hwan and starring Choi Woo-shik (as Ko Gyeom) and Park Bo-young (as Kim Mu-bee), the series revolves around a couple.

First, we are introduced to Ko Gyeom, a movie buff whose dream is watching all the movies that exist in the world and act in some of them. However, he ends up becoming a movie critic.

On the other side, we have Kim Mu-bee, an aspiring movie director who hates her own name and has some past trauma related to movies and her love for them.

At some point in their lives, they met and got together, but something pulled them apart. Years later, they met again.

The question is: will this love really last, considering Ko Gyeom's laid-back personality and Kim Mu-bee's aloof and distrustful ways?

Eventually, the show reveals Kim Mu-bee's past trauma: she loved someone who didn't love her in the same way, and decided to put a safe distance between her and other people. She built a wall between herself and everyone else, avoiding any deep bonds as a result.

On the other side, Ko Gyeom, with his laid-back personality, stands out wherever he goes and can charm anyone around him. Their personalities are polar opposites.

Ko Gyeom tirelessly pursues Kim Mu-bee, trying to knock down the walls she built around herself brick by brick. Watching him do that organically, just by being next to her when she needs him, is incredibly gratifying.

Another couple with an interesting journey the show introduces to us is Hong Si-jun (played by Lee Jun-young) and Son Ju-a (played by Jeon So-nee).

These two start out as a couple, and have been together for seven years. However, on their 7th anniversary, Son Ju-a decides to break things off with Hong Si-jun, and doesn't exactly tell him why.

Throughout the years, Hong Si-jun agonizes over being abandoned, and even develops an aversion to his ex's name. But a job opportunity brings them together again, and the show emphasizes that, even if you love someone, it can't overcome or heal everything. Sometimes, it's just not enough.

This couple is more realistic. Hong Si-jun's selfish side shows up occasionally, as Son Ju-a eventually confesses how she put their love above herself and became emotionally overwhelmed for years. We, the viewers, are torn in this conflict. Do we cheer for them or hope they find happiness apart?

One of the most complex characters in this show is Ko Jun (played by Kim Jae-wook), Ko Gyeom's older brother and the one who raised him after their parents died.

Ko Jun is a devoted, loving brother. He gave up his youth to take care of his younger brother, and put his well-being above his own desires. He never reveals much about himself, not even to Ko Gyeom. To Ko Jun, it was more important to work, raise Ko Gyeom, and watch the movies his younger brother loved. This aspect of his personality led Ko Gyeom to believe Ko Jun didn't care about his life. And this turns out to be true after some traumatic events happen.

However, Ko Jun isn't a shallow character: he is deeply melancholic and accepts what his life has unavoidably become. He shows his love for his brother in several ways, even when it's time to decide where to live. Ko Jun gets emotional when he watches movies, cries and laughs when he sees Ko Gyeom happy. But he knows how unavoidable his life has been, and that everything has to end.

Understanding Ko Jun is no easy task, not even to the ones who live with him, but don't know his secrets. However, one thing is certain: his love for Ko Gyeom is above everything else.

If you manage to get past how slow it is, "Melo Movie" depicts various kinds of love: between friends, past and current lovers, father to mother, brother to brother, and men and women.

We can't help but laugh when we see Ko Gyeom's relationship with his friend, Ma Sang-u, a movie director who always receives harsh criticism for his mediocre movies. He is constantly reminded of that by Ko Gyeom, who always makes sarcastic remarks.

We also end up identifying ourselves with Hong Si-jun and Ko Gyeom's relationship at some point, particularly because of how different they are yet still love each other as friends and support each other. Even if they don't tell each other that.

In the end, we find out, alongside Kim Mu-bee, that a smile doesn't mean a person is fine, and that just because someone is laid-back, it doesn't mean they're insensitive.

We also learn that just because someone didn't value us in the past, it doesn't mean everyone else will abandon us too. Just like Kim Mu-bee, sometimes the smartest, healthiest decision is to let our walls down and let people come into our lives, show us their good sides.

The most important lesson Kim Mu-bee teaches us is that sometimes the love we're looking for in another person is right by our side, with open arms, waiting for us to notice them.

What about you? Have you ever stopped to think love doesn't need to be romantic?

Thank you, and see you next time!