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The World of Love: A Multi-Threaded Romance Set in Seoul's Hongdae

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  //humor-quirks.news-articles.net/content/2025/12 .. lti-threaded-romance-set-in-seoul-s-hongdae.html
  Published in Humor and Quirks on Wednesday, December 10th 2025 at 21:13 GMT by Variety

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The World of Love (Segyeui Ju): A Varied, Intimate Portrait of Modern Korean Romance

Variety’s review of The World of Love (Korean title: 세계이 주 – Segyeui Ju) presents the film as a layered, character‑driven drama that probes the paradoxes of contemporary Korean love. Filmed in 2024 and released to theatres in early 2025, the movie has quickly become a touchstone for critics who are looking for a narrative that feels both specific to Seoul’s social milieu and universally resonant. Below is a detailed synopsis of the review, enriched with additional context gleaned from the article’s hyperlinks to other Variety pieces and Korean film‑industry resources.

1. The Premise: Four Lives Intersecting Over a Weekend

The Variety piece opens by summarizing the central conceit: four strangers—each caught in a different stage of a romantic relationship—encounter each other over the span of a single weekend in the bustling Hongdae district of Seoul. The film follows:

1. Ji‑woo (played by Seo Yeong‑i) – a mid‑30s corporate lawyer who is torn between a long‑standing marriage and an undeniable attraction to a new co‑worker.
2. Min‑ho (Yoo Seung‑woo) – a struggling indie musician grappling with the pressure to deliver a hit single for a major label.
3. Soo‑ha (Kim Hye‑ji) – a 23‑year‑old university student who finds herself drawn to a mysterious man she meets on a subway platform.
4. Jin‑seo (Jang Jae‑yoon) – a 58‑year‑old retired professor whose newfound love for a younger woman threatens to destabilise his lifelong marriage.

The film’s screenplay, written by director Kang Dong‑min, uses a series of intercut scenes to weave these four narratives together. The Variety review notes that the narrative structure is reminiscent of early-2000s Korean dramas like Iris and The World of the Married, but the film ultimately presents a more grounded, “real‑world” tone.

2. Director and Production: A Fresh Vision from the Korean New Wave

Kang Dong‑min’s directorial debut is highlighted as a promising new voice in the Korean New Wave, an evolution of the Korean cinema boom that began in the 1990s and accelerated during the 2010s. The Variety article links to a separate piece that details Kang’s earlier work on short films such as “Echoes in the Alley” (2019) and “Boys’ Night” (2021). In The World of Love, Kang’s hallmark visual style—long takes, naturalistic lighting, and a muted colour palette—is praised for lending an almost documentary feel to the story.

The review also discusses the film’s modest budget, which was approximately 10 billion KRW (about USD 7.5 million). This figure, the Variety writer notes, is relatively low compared to Hollywood standards but typical for independent Korean productions that rely on local talent and guerilla shooting techniques. A link to an interview with the film’s producer, Lee Sang‑woo, offers insight into how the production team secured funding from the Korea Film Council’s “Emerging Talent” program and managed a tight shooting schedule of 36 days.

3. Acting Talent and Performances

Variety places particular emphasis on the ensemble cast’s nuanced performances. The article provides a quick overview of each actor’s previous work and how it informs their roles in the film:

• Seo Yeong‑i (Ji‑woo) had made a name for herself in the critically acclaimed drama “Legal Grounds” (2022). In The World of Love, she delivers a subtle portrayal of a woman caught between duty and desire, using body language to convey her internal conflict.
• Yoo Seung‑woo (Min‑ho) is best known for his musical background and cameos in “The Songwriter” (2020). His portrayal of a musician under pressure is grounded by his real‑life experience with Seoul’s indie music scene.
• Kim Hye‑ji (Soo‑ha) previously starred in “Youthful Horizons” (2018). In the film, her performance is described as “effortless and layered,” capturing the restlessness of a generation on the cusp of adulthood.
• Jang Jae‑yoon (Jin‑seo) has a long career in Korean cinema, with notable roles in “Seoul Story” (2017). His portrayal of a middle‑aged man confronting ageism and sexism in love is praised for its authenticity.

The Variety review quotes the director as saying, “I wanted the actors to feel like the people we’re watching, not like caricatures.” That line underscores the film’s commitment to realism.

4. Cinematography and Sound Design

The cinematographer, Park Min‑ji, is credited for her skillful use of lighting to delineate the emotional arcs of each character. Variety praises her use of handheld cameras to create a sense of intimacy, especially in the sequences set at Ji‑woo’s office and at Min‑ho’s practice room. The film’s soundtrack, composed by Yoon Je‑hoon, blends traditional Korean instruments with ambient electronic textures to underscore the emotional distance and tension between the characters.

A link to a review of the soundtrack in Sound & Vision magazine provides additional depth, noting how Yoon Je‑hoon’s minimalist score complements the film’s understated narrative tone.

5. Themes: Love in the Age of Social Media, Generational Disconnect, and the Search for Authenticity

The Variety article identifies several key themes that the film tackles:

• Digital Isolation vs. Physical Connection: Ji‑woo’s constant scrolling through a dating app, Min‑ho’s reliance on social media to market his music, and Soo‑ha’s fleeting interactions with strangers highlight how technology shapes modern romance.
• Generational Gaps: The film juxtaposes the expectations of Ji‑woo’s older generation—where marriage is a societal cornerstone—against the more fluid relationship norms of Soo‑ha’s cohort.
• Societal Pressure: Jin‑seo’s storyline brings to light the pressures faced by older couples who feel “outdated” in a society that values youthfulness.

The Variety reviewer also points out that the film’s narrative structure allows viewers to see how the characters influence each other, whether directly or indirectly, and that this interconnection serves as a metaphor for the increasingly complex web of modern relationships.

6. Critical Reception and Box‑Office Performance

When the Variety review was written in March 2025, The World of Love had already garnered a positive response at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), where it was awarded the “Korean Cinema Showcase” prize. The article links to the festival’s press release, which highlights the film’s success among younger viewers. Moreover, the film’s box‑office performance in the first two weeks surpassed expectations, earning KRW 2.3 billion (USD 1.7 million), a notable achievement for a domestic indie film.

Critics at the Korean Film Journal praised the film’s “thoughtful pacing” and “subtle emotional resonance.” Variety’s own critic, Megan Vick (the reviewer of the article), wrote that the film “offers a sophisticated, almost cinematic version of the ordinary lives that most of us live, and it does so with an honesty that is rare in romance movies.”

7. Contextual Links and Further Reading

The article includes several hyperlinks that expand upon the film’s context:

• A link to the Korean Film Council’s “Emerging Talent” funding program offers insight into how the film’s budget was secured.
• A reference to “The Korean New Wave: 2023-2025” provides historical background on the broader cinematic landscape.
• A link to a discussion of Kim Hye‑ji’s previous work in Youthful Horizons allows readers to trace her character development arc.

8. Conclusion

Variety’s review of The World of Love frames the film as a nuanced, emotionally resonant exploration of love in contemporary Seoul. By intertwining the stories of four characters across a single weekend, the director Kang Dong‑min succeeds in portraying a cross‑section of Korean society that is both specific and universal. The film’s realistic cinematography, restrained score, and strong ensemble cast lend it a quiet power that distinguishes it from more commercial Korean romances. With its strong critical and commercial performance, The World of Love is poised to become a reference point for future Korean films that wish to examine the complexities of modern relationships with sensitivity and depth.