“Friends can live together. Rent is expensive in Seoul”
In a city where rent prices soar, Love in the Big City isn’t just about love—it’s about navigating friendships and adulthood while balancing the hustle of urban life.
The film begins in a way that makes you think you got it all figured out: the man in the fancy dress suit and the woman in the wedding dress are, of course, in love. Shots of Seoul take you to the big city. Love in the Big City, duh.
A flashback returns to their twenties. She has been living in Paris and has recently come back from Korea. She’s cool, he’s awkward. You think you know where this is going… And they become best friends. This is the “Love” in the big city.
Love in the Big City takes you through the tumultuous years of young adulthood of Jae-hee, played by Kim Go-eun and Heung-soo, played by Noh Sang-hyun in Seoul, Korea. As a queer young man and a party girl, this duo braves the city of Seoul, its expensive rent—sharing an apartment— and its conservatism. Heung-soo struggles with accepting himself and Jae-hee experiences being an outgoing woman in the modern age while they’re both finding their place on this Earth.
Together, experiencing the highs and lows of their twenties, and thirties, these two friends, along with the audience, learn how friendship can play such an integral part in someone’s life. At times closer and at times more distant, Jae-hee and Heung-soo give each other advice, share meals and sweet moments, talk through their issues and enjoy each other’s company. One piece of advice that comes up in one of these conversations stuck with me the most, and with the characters as well, is something Jae-hee asks Heung-soo when he’s feeling shame over his sexuality. She says, “How can being yourself be your weakness?” This comes back later, in a scene where Heung-soo hands over the same advice to his friend, asking her to contemplate the strength it takes to be yourself.
With a 1 hour and 58 minute run time, director E.onii makes use of multiple editing and shooting techniques to make us feel as if we’re living through Jae-hee and Heung-soo’s lives. With split shots of the two of them doing their morning routines, or sweet montages of them going through life, we get to see how they grow, and most importantly, how they grow together.
One thing worth mentioning is that the film does include mentions of self-harm, although there wasn’t a trigger warning.
Love in the Big City is a vibrant, fun and at times devastating journey through ten-ish years of these two young adults in South Korea. Kim Na-deul’s script and the delicate performances of Kim Go-eun and Noh Sang-hyun keep the movie lively and interesting while also not holding back on the sad moments of life. Watching Jae-hee and Heung-soo meet, grow, and sustain their friendship through fights, heartbreaks, distance, and life’s pivotal moments creates a moving journey that’s both intimate and universal, making Love in the Big City a worthwhile watch.
Love in the Big City is based on the book of the same name by Sang Young Park, which was published in 2021. The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, though it doesn’t have a Canadian release date yet.
Watch the trailer here.