Prejudice and uniqueness

The story of Jae-hee (played by actress Kim Go-eun), a free-spirited girl who puts her thoughts into action regardless of what everyone else says, and Heung-su (played by Noh Sang-hyeon) who keeps his distance from the world hiding his identity as a sexual minority. Director Lee Eon-hee's ‘Love in the Big City’ is intriguing, making the audience wonder how the relationship of the characters will evolve. Their relationship accidentally starts when Jae-hee accidentally discovers Heung-su's secret. “You think you’ve discovered a weak side of me, don’t you?” says Heung-su, angrily, almost like an instinct to protect himself. “Why do you think being yourself is a weakness?” said Jae-hee.

The two find a way to free themselves from the prejudice of the world by pretending to be a couple. Heung-su manages to avoid suspicion from those close to him who wonder if he is a sexual minority, while Jae-hee escapes from rumors that she is unable to settle with one man. Although they live together, they date, fall in love, and suffer in their way. A bond forms between the two, though not love. They have created their own zone, free from the world's prejudice. Their uniqueness gradually fades as they blend into societal conventions such as work and marriage, but they remind each other to live as they are.

The film is a queer movie based on novelist Park Sang-young’s novel, which was nominated for the Booker Prize, and the International Dublin Literary Award resonates with anyone regardless of sexual orientation as we all endure pressure enforced by society. The movie is reassuring to viewers who have deviated from their uniqueness while struggling in reality, taking them back to the good old days of youth.