Love, Lies

In Seoul in 1943, So-yool and Yeon-hee are friends raised in the same gisaeng school. Both want to be the best on stage. So-yool is a master of traditional song; Yeon-hee's voice suits modern popular music. So-yool's first love, the composer Yoon-woo, hears Yeon-hee's voice and decides to give her the song he has written. So-yool's jealousy grows and at some point she does something that cannot be taken back. Park Heung-sik's film takes as its subject the last years of gisaeng culture in Korea under Japanese occupation. The narrative builds the rivalry between the two women around a man, but the real matter is whose voice will be recorded and who will be forgotten. Han Hyo-joo plays So-yool and Chun Woo-hee plays Yeon-hee. The music of the period and the costume design are the production's strongest side. Who it's for: Viewers who like Korean period drama, music-centred narrative, and stories of rivalry between women. Who it's not for: The melodrama is heavy and some character decisions are unmotivated. The politics of the occupation also stay in the background.