Our Love Story 2016 Movie Review

『Quietly Trembling Hearts, A Record of Love』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: Our Love Story (연애담, 2016)
🌍 Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea
🎞️ Genre: Romance / Drama / Queer
⏳ Runtime: 99 minutes
📢 Director: Hyun-ju Lee (이현주)
🖋️ Screenplay: Hyun-ju Lee (이현주)
📺 Platforms: Watcha, Wavve, TVING, Naver Series On

👩‍💼 Cast: Sang-hee Lee (이상희) – Yoon-ju,
Eun-yeong Ryu (류에벨) – Ji-soo

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🚬 The Encounter Was Casual, But the Heart Grew Heavy

Graduate art student Yoon-ju meets Ji-soo one day in front of a convenience store when Ji-soo asks her for a cigarette. A small coincidence sparks a conversation, which turns into an awkward kindness and soon develops into regular meetings.
Yoon-ju is drawn to Ji-soo’s honesty and seriousness, while Ji-soo is slowly attracted to the comfort she feels with Yoon-ju. But they do not approach each other at the same pace.

🌫 The Closer Love Gets, The More It Prepares to Drift Apart

Unlike Yoon-ju, who is ready to enter her first serious relationship, Ji-soo wavers between love and the fear of others’ eyes.
💬 “I like you. But I’m afraid people will find out about us.”
Ji-soo’s words capture the temperature of their love. She enjoys her time with Yoon-ju, but remains trapped as someone’s daughter, as a member of society.

🌙 Tender Silence, Cracks Within

The emotional line of this film is not intense. Silence, gazes, and body language hint at fractures in their relationship.
When Yoon-ju smiles at Ji-soo, Ji-soo looks away. Lying side by side in bed, they quietly turn their backs to each other. This difference becomes the distance that leads to the end of their love.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Meaning

🎥 Restraint and Realism in Direction

Director Hyun-ju Lee captures the characters’ inner lives with a static camera, avoiding exaggeration.
Rather than relying on dialogue or music, she uses expressions and silence to create a realistic and truthful depiction of relationships.

🎭 The Weight of Choosing Love

Our Love Story goes beyond being a story of forbidden love to ask a deeper question: Can one bear the weight of love?
Ji-soo could not choose love, while Yoon-ju tried to protect it. Because they could not arrive at the same heart, their relationship falters.

⚖️ The Creator and the Work’s Dilemma

Director Hyun-ju Lee was convicted on charges of sexual assault. This fact brings ethical conflict to the viewing of the film.
The contradiction of a film about women’s stories made by a director who committed violence against a woman cannot be overlooked.
Therefore, Our Love Story is more than just a film; it demands reflection and responsibility from those who engage with art.

📷 Cinema Touch: Quiet Emotions Within the Frame

The small rented room, the workshop, the old alleyways—these spaces embody the characters’ sense of isolation and emotion.
The camera doesn’t move in too close, but it captures their psychology with precision. Restrained lighting and muted tones give the film the feeling of peeking into a private diary.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥♥
⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★★