Netflix’s Melo Movie is an easy-breezy romance. Part of the reason why the narrative is made to build up through the ten episodes is also the painstaking exploration of the motley of characters that populates the narrative. There are multiple strands of love, not just restricted to romantic union. We have platonic love between friends, siblings, and parental love which sometimes take the backseat in the pursuit of romantic love. Melo Movie is also a variation on the romantic subgenre of enemies to lovers. Through this guide, we familiarize ourselves with the main characters and the cast of Netflix’s Korean drama series.
Choi Woo-shik as Ko Gyeom
Choi Woo-shik’s international recognition comes from his role as the Kim family son in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. He also played significant roles in Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie horror Train to Busan and Bong Joon-ho’s benign-monster film Okja. To his filmography, his work in the series Our Beloved Summer also carries a lot of weight. In Melo Movie, Choi Woo-shik plays the young, exuberant, and sensitive Ko Gyeom. Ko Gyeom’s passion for films dates back to when he was merely 9 years of age. A cinephile through and through, his is a unique desire to watch every last film of every country. His journey takes him from being an obsessive hoarder of VHS tapes at the backroom of his uncle’s video store to becoming one of the most coveted film critics of the country. His later chemistry with Mubee translates through their common association with cinema. Although Gyeom is established as a lighthearted character with his boyish charm, as the story progresses, we realize the emotional weight he is silently bearing. By the end of the film, he emerges as a resolute character and dispels the misconception of him being just bubbly.
Park Bo-young as Kim Mubee
South Korean actress, Park Bo-young, plays the role of Kim Mubee, the defiant female protagonist of Melo Movie. Park Bo-young’s role in the recent Light Shop has invited considerable attention. She recently starred in the Korean dystopian thriller film, Concrete Utopia, that even made some buzz for the Oscars. Park Bo-young breathes life into the character of Kim Mubee, who has a hard time letting go of her resentment towards her filmmaker father. Although her father is an endearing character, Mubee cannot force herself to reconcile with the betrayal she faced from her father’s all-consuming obsession with his work. Like Gyeom, we meet Mubee at the age of 9. However, rather than love, she is driven by an inexplicable hatred for movies. As the story moves, we realize her reason for doing so. She therefore makes it a point of her life to be involved in filmmaking in one way or the other. We see her slow progression from her role running errands on film sets to her finally helming a project of her own. Mubee’s mysterious nature draws Gyeom towards her.
Lee Jun-young as Hong Si-jun
Lee Jun-young is a known face in South Korea for his versatility as an actor, rapper, and singer. He rose to fame with his debut as U-Kiss‘ member, a popular K-pop boy band. His most recent work is on the Netflix original film Badland Hunters. Lee Jun-young stars in the upcoming Netflix series, When Life Gives You Tangerines which is about to be released on March 7. Lee Jun-young breathes life into the character of Hong Si-jun, who is aimless yet driven by the passion to create music. He starts off slow, but in the end his success as a composer in Mubee’s film, “Melody,” overshadows the success of the film itself. Even Si-jun proclaims that his personal journey can be understood as a slow burn.
Jeon So-nee as Son Ju-a
Son Ju-a is established as an ambitious character who does not let her personal bonds cloud her vision of her dream of pursuing a career in films. Jeon So-nee’s most recent work was in the Korean adaptation of the Chinese thriller film Soulmate. The film has an interesting way of characterizing Son Ju-a. We see her taking on the difficult job of breaking things off with her friends who were coming in the way of striving for her dreams. She is equally as emotional as Si-jun, but does not let her emotions bog her down. Son Ju-a’s role is not just reduced to the romantic story with Hon Si-jun. Son Ju-a’s return to the narrative is not merely driven by romantic motivation, instead she facilitates the realisation of Hong Si-jun’s dreams in a way.
Kim Jae-wook as Ko Jun
Kim Jae-wook has appeared in such films as Her Private Life and Crazy Love. He has acted in the series Coffee Prince in 2007. In Melo Movie, he plays the role of Ko Jun, Gyeom’s elder brother who supports his dreams in the aftermath of their parents’ deaths. As Ko Jun is left comatose after an accident, the narrative hits a major turning point and the central love story comes to a halt for some time. Then again when Ko Jun finds himself a house right across Mubee’s house it reunites the potential lovers.
