Killing Romance does not for a second expect anyone to suspend disbelief. That means anything is possible and the plot features some funny, unexpected twists. The storyline could be the plot of a thriller—an unhappily married woman enlists an admirer to kill her husband so she can regain control of her life. It could be a tragedy, but instead it’s a comedy in which Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Ha-nee and Gong Myung dance and sing around each other in often hilarious and unpredictable scenarios.
Lee Ha-nee plays Hwang Yeo-rae, an actress, who got her start because of her ability to consume huge quantities of a drink prized for quantity over quality. After the launch of her career she appears in several movies, the last so awful it generates a much-laughed-at catch phrase. She’s afraid to risk another role. The opportunity to marry Jonathan, a rich powerful Prince Charming, seems too good to be true. It is too good to be true. He’s an egomaniac whose home is filled with larger than life portraits that celebrate his existence. He’s a mustache-twirling villain who doesn’t even have a real mustache. He wants to control her every move and her only escape might be to murder him.
Then Yeo-rae meets her next door neighbor Beom-woo, played by Gong Myung. The earnest Beom-woo has never succeeded at anything, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. He might be the wrong person to enlist in murder, but he’s the only option she has and together they come up with some laughable schemes.
Murder isn’t usually a funny subject, but director Lee Won-suk has created a candy-colored world where people randomly break out in song and murder attempts become farcical. Underscoring the fantastical elements of the story are scenes that occasionally play out against one-dimensional props or backgrounds that look like stage set canvas. Lee Sun-kyun is the merry ringleader of the show, perpetually in search of the spotlight. Lee Ha-nee’s character wants to escape his circus, but not for an ordinary life. She wants to be the star of her own show and thanks to Gong Myung’s adoration dares once again to dream.
Killing Romance is a far cry from director Lee Won-suk’s previous film, The Royal Tailor, a drama about the rivalry between two tailors set during the Joseon Era. Playing Jonathan is also a very different role for Lee Sun-kyun, known for his TV drama My Mister and the Academy Award-winning film Parasite. It’s a very physical role. As Jonathan, Lee’s every move is broadly center stage, almost vaudevillian. Lee Ha-nee, who also stars in the film Phantom and the TV drama One The Woman, is a gifted comedian. Her engaging dimpled smile means viewers will root for her even as she plans a murder. Gong Myung, who is known for his roles in the dramas Be Melodramatic and Lovers of the Red Sky is haplessly sweet and befuddled as the devoted Beom-woo.
Killing Romance was released in Korea in April and will be screened at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) on July 14 and 30.
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