Love 911

Kang Il is a firefighter. He lost his wife during a call and has spoken to nobody since; he does his job and takes no interest in anything else. Mi-su is a doctor. A case has been brought over a patient's death and she needs a witness to defend herself; she needs the statement of the fire crew that reached the scene first. Kang Il refuses to give it. Mi-su keeps going to the fire station to persuade him. Neither can bear the other. Jeong Gi-hoon directs. Han Hyo-joo and Go Soo are in the cast. The structure follows the known shape of Korean romantic comedy and uses emotional drama and humour together. Its most concrete side is the firefighting; the call-outs are shown in detail and the crew's working conditions are inside the narrative. The second matter it treats is occupational risk; what firefighters see and carry sits at the centre. The narrative takes the strand of grief seriously and the humour does not cover it entirely. Its limit is predictability; where the relationship is going is clear early and the ending lands where expected. It did good business in Korea. In the second half the emotional register rises markedly and the pace falls. Who it is for: viewers who like Korean romantic comedy and drama grounded in a profession. Who it is not for: the plot is familiar, the emotional register high, and the running time long.