Netflix’s Melo Movie, at first glance, reads as an account of varied love stories. However, to proclaim it as a simple romantic comedy-drama is reductive and ignores the other forms of love that frequently sway the boat. Tucked in among the romantic stories of connection and disconnection, familial bonds, and friendships—a burgeoning subject matter of K-drama—is a meta-commentary on cinema and its acknowledgement as a singular cultural artifact. It periodically pauses to assess and draw conclusions on the deep influence of cinema on its own narrative anatomy.
Spoilers Ahead
What is the story all about?
Ko Gyeom grows up with the dream of watching every single film that has ever been made in the world. With his knowledge of and passion for films, he is easily someone who seems to be destined for a successful career in cinema. At 26, therefore, he turned up to audition for a film. At the director’s office, he bumps into a young girl, Kim Mubee. A complete opposite, Mubee, her name a Koreanization of ‘movie,’ channels an equal intensity of hatred towards her name and her unsought kinship with movies. Mubee’s animosity stems from her childhood neglect from her father, who, on account of being a director, had to direct all his attention and time to his films. As a mischievous revenge, Mubee started spreading the story as a child that her real father is dead. However, Mubee’s father loved Mubee deeply, but there was no way he could alleviate the situation that arose from her feelings of being neglected.
The contrasting personalities of Gyeom and Mubee quickly fan the flames of curiosity in each about the other. They get off on the wrong foot and quickly become enemies, but one can never deny the apparent possibility that a romance is right around the corner. While working on the set, the sexual tension between Mubee and Gyeom rises. It all ends in an abrupt, yet passionate, kiss. However, after the kiss, Gyeom disappears, and Mubee tries to forget him and move on with her life. Mubee is unaware that Gyeom had to tend to his brother, who was left comatose in a dangerous road accident.
Some years later, Mubee becomes a filmmaker, and Gyeom becomes a film critic. At a post-film interaction event, Mubee is shocked to see Gyeom again and tries to pretend she doesn’t recognize him. Gyeom’s sudden arrival reawakens the lost feelings in Mubee. More drama unfolds as Gyeom moves into Mubee’s neighborhood with his brother, Ko Jun. As Mubee starts to flourish as a filmmaker, a screenplay by a writer called Son Ju-a impresses her. After initial hesitation, Son Ju-a agrees to collaborate with her. Turns out, she is a childhood friend of Gyeom.
Parallely, Melo Movie introduces the story of Hong Si-jun and Son Ju-a. Si-jun works at the video store of Sang-sik to earn some money but is deeply passionate about creating music. Sang-sik, however, rebukes him for his lethargic attitude towards life. Despite being out of his home to gain a footing in the world, Si-jun seems to have only found a surrogate caretaker in Son Ju-a as a replacement for his parents. On their seven-year anniversary, Ju-a calls it off. Fast forward a few years, and Son Ju-a becomes a successful screenwriter. Things between Si-jun and Son Ju-a ended so quickly that the former still harbors bitter feelings for her. He surreptitiously goes to catch her film, but when Ju-a tries to talk to him, he grows hostile. Son Ju-a, however, is keen on roping in Si-jun for the film’s music score. This is the same film where she collaborates with Mubee.
What are the different ways the characters engage with cinema?
Part of the reason why Melo Movie stands as singular in its choice is its meta-indulgence and exploration of the forms of the different ways people interact with cinema and media forms. The central characters have differing yet unique negotiations with cinema, whether personally or professionally. We meet Ko Gyeom, a devout cinema enthusiast, with a belief in his criticism skills. Then, as an accompaniment, we meet Mubee, a perfect contrast to Gyeom, whose career as a director has been unknowingly shaped by her personal bonds. Apart from that, we see Son Ju-a’s involvement as a writer, Uncle Sang-sik’s VHS store, and Si-jun’s foray into the world of film music. Interspersed with references to such films as Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso, and even the more recent A Star is Born by Bradley Cooper, it is an interesting exploration of a nation’s cultural negotiation with the global filmic culture. Whether through dialogic or visual references, Melo Movie tries to establish the primacy of films in everyday exchanges and the sustenance of human lives.
What are the different forms of love exhibited by the characters?
The conflicting pulls of love and an active commitment to portray them in all their complexity have determined the subject matter and mood of Melo Movie. If we recognize Gyeom and Mubee’s romantic destiny as the story, we are also forced to acknowledge the differing tones and expressions of their love for cinema. While no feelings can be deemed one-dimensional, Gyeom’s passionate engagement with films marks him as a somewhat lover. However, Mubee’s love-hate relationship with the art form is a reflection, or perhaps an allegory, of her personal relationship with her filmmaker father. Mubee’s relationship comes across as far more complex and nuanced. Initially, we are made to face her absolute disregard for the world of cinema. Slowly, as the narrative progresses, we are made to witness that what we have been judging on face value is also an expression of love. Her decision to become a filmmaker and her way of what her father must have been like is a testament to her desire to emulate her father unconsciously.
On the other hand, the love story of Hong Si-jun and Son Ju-a is a story of a different form of love. It is a love that expands, grows, breaks, and painfully meditates on if lifelong union is in itself a marker of successful love. Through their union the series presents a more mature attempt at portraying love, as it also portrays their personal journeys as an accompaniment. In the first episode itself, Si-jun and Ju-a decide to break up. While Ju-a is the one who initiates the breakup, Si-jun is not happy with her decision. Years later, they meet and try to explore the possibility of their jagged hearts coming back together.
. Their own commentaries on love pertaining to their romantic relationship do not shed as much light as Sang-Sik’s nuggets of advice to Si-jun. Sang-sik’s words, in a way, anticipate the course their relationship is going to take well in advance. In Episode 1, for instance, he suggests Son Ju-a call it off, citing Si-jun’s desire to be coddled instead of contributing to the growth of a mature love. Indeed, Son Ju-a reflects on his words and takes the decision, even if she tries to laugh it off at first. In the last episode, Sang-sik learns that Si-jun has been meeting Son Ju-a again. He asks him what it means to be complete in love, a trick question not in terms of the philosophical void but also in terms of the faulty framing. Si-jun thinks hard and comes up with the answer that marriage and passing away together complete love. Sang-sik then reminds him that the idea of love being incomplete unless dragged to an ideal outcome is the reason for eternal suffering. The word ‘love’ is more of an act than a distant feeling that needs to be achieved, the success of which is measured by socially sanctioned union.
By the end of the film, the two former lovers realize that they are not destined to be. The story also does not romanticize their parting and tries to supplant the romantic breakup with the blossoming of a friendship. Instead, the two take divergent paths. In the end, when Ju-a’s film “Melody” hits the theaters, the music score of Si-jun gains immense popularity. It is and has been a story of personal journeys. As Ju-a admires the album cover in a store, she quips that she had always known she had an eye for talent. While on their journey to collaborate professionally, the questions of complicated feelings between the two surfacing and sabotaging their work return several times. Upon receiving the offer to compose the music, Si-jun even grows paranoid about Ju-a’s motive to belittle him. However, as the story progresses, we see Ju-a’s genuine professional admiration for Si-jun. Her last words are a reflection of her sense of personal achievement and pleasure at honing and exposing a creative individual to the world.
Then, Melo Movie also explores the love that falls outside the ambit of the romantic—the love of parents and siblings. They are equally important as narrative motivations. It is Ko-Jun who helps nurture the love of films in Gyeom. On the other hand, Mubee unconsciously takes after her father, Hun-dong’s path, despite displaying her resolute rejection of him.
How does Gyeom become a successful film critic?
In Melo Movie, an interesting and often uncharted correspondence takes place between the film critics and filmmakers. In the digital age more than ever, critics emerge as one of the sole functionaries in the promotion and propagation of film culture. Film critics, therefore, indulge in what can be called an intellectual exercise of appraising the art form of film. They largely influence what the audience will pick and what they will discard and set the ball rolling on the varied discussions on the art form. Film criticism, however, is shrouded with a compulsory misidentification and a preconceived notion. As a preconceived notion, film critics are mistaken for people with a hostile lens—constantly nitpicking, finding faults, and thereby attempting to pick a direct bloodless battle with the filmmakers. As misidentification, film criticism is often mistakenly interchanged with the concept of film reviewing. Through careful consideration of the aftermath of the film-watching experience, film critics sought to use evaluative measures to dwell on how well the film achieves what it had set out to achieve. With the expansion of the scope of critics, some critics have also concerned themselves with filmmaking roles and vice versa.
The relationship between film critics and filmmakers is one informed by misinformation and the impression of the critic being the bad guy. This is, of course, formed by the media’s ploy to sensationalize them—as spewing angry tirades and vehemently splitting hairs. In the very first introduction, Gyeom as a young boy is established as a cinephile who, very interestingly and specifically, dreams of watching in his lifetime every film that has ever been made. It is specific as we are wired to expect him to enunciate his desire of becoming a great filmmaker or an accomplished actor. Instead, the film at the very first go sows the seeds of his later emergence as a successful and popular film critic. There is a constant communication that is always ongoing between film critics and filmmakers, which takes different forms. Gyeom not only reviews films and critically evaluates them but also initiates interviews with filmmakers, whether veteran or newcomer. There is a constant acknowledgment of Gyeom’s words being simple and his evaluation being lucid, making his criticisms more suited for the larger public. As a film critic, he stresses his responsibility to promote and highlight indie films that lack the backing in the face of the brutal competition with the big budgets.
In the episode “It’s Not Your Fault” (Episode 4), as Gyeom is asked to be a part of a radio interview, he cautions against the pitfalls of associating with the art of film criticism. This actually helps establish his credibility as a film critic, despite the eventual backlash he faces after a filmmaker’s attempt to commit suicide. He puts forth the critics’ responsibilities, which are not simply to engage with the narrative ending and declare the effects achieved based on it but also in the larger framework of film culture, where the critic is in some way substantially influencing film production. According to Gyeom, film critics are not so much hostile media elements as they are independent agents creating and ushering in a filmic culture. He acknowledges that despite the best of intentions at initiating dialogues and upholding the professional values, miscommunication is unavoidable and sometimes an identification of the essential disconnect required to define theory and practice separately.
What does the future hold for Gyeom and Mubee?
By the end of Melo Movie, Gyeom and Mubee realise that despite their initial hesitation to trust in each other, there is more than what meets the eye. The relationship Gyeom and Mubee share is built on a strong foundation of a mutual passion for cinema. However, Mubee also hints that ever since they’ve gone official with their relationship, Gyeom concerns himself less with watching films. As a reply, he always points to Mubee as being the main priority of his life. Although that seems like an endearing trait, we are already made privy to the knowledge of the identity of Gyeom’s first love, films. Sticking with the decision of letting his passion take the backseat might only be momentary for our male protagonist. For Gyeom, the future looks rewarding if he associates with films in one way or the other, even if film criticism is not an option anymore. However, that is solely dependent on his personal choice. On the other hand, Mubee’s grit and determination to get her film released, even when there’s a lack of funding initially, shows that she is here for the long run. It is not only her artistic vision but also her tenacity which would help her gain fame as an emerging film director of eminence.
