Recap Korean Movie "Nothing Serious"

Dating, romantic relationships, not to mention love, have become more and more difficult to achieve, particularly in the First World countries, where the pace of life, egos, and societal pressure have been challenging people in that regard for many years now. Online dating has been an answer to this problem, creating, though, its own set of issues. Actress turned filmmaker Jeong Ka-young directs and co-writes a movie based on the aforementioned subjects, in a title that was the 9th highest grossing in S. Korea for 2021.

31-years-old Woo-ri is a creative writer aspiring to become a novelist, but instead is stuck in an online magazine, writing about whatever his editor in chief demands. As the story begins, the previous sex columnist has just quit, and thus, he is tasked with writing that column too. However, not being exactly experienced in the field, he decides to install the Love Bridge app, which actually brings him into dating a girl in New Year's. The said girl is 29-years-old Ja-yeong, who has just had her start-up grant accepted, but is tormented by a recent break up. As she misses sex and being lonely on New Year's weighs heavy on her, he accepts Woo-ri's proposal and the two meet. Through much soju, they end up in a motel, but even more surprisingly for both, they start meeting more frequently, although neither will admit that they are actually dating. In the meantime. Woo-ri uses this experience for his column, which soon becomes a tremendous hit for the magazine, even though he inslcudes nothing about the sex in it. His editor-in-chief is rather happy with the result, but soon asks him to finally start mentioning sex in his column. Meanwhile, Ja-young has no clue about the whole thing.

Jeong Ka-young takes a rather realistic look at the concept of (online) dating and the difficulties relationships pose these days, with the penetration of the Internet even in this aspect being both a blessing and curse. Blessing for the opportunities it presents in meeting new people and curse because, as both protagonists eloquently state, you never know what you will actually get, with women especially, being particularly vulnerable to the dangers the whole thing poses. That the characters in the film discuss these matter, along with a number of others considered taboo such as one-night-stands and women's pleasure, emerges as one of the best traits of the movie.

On a secondary level, Jeong also sheds a thorough look on how (online) magazines work, with the blunt statement that their goal is to attract people who are bored, being as realistic as it is pragmatic. The focus on sex and gossip this type of outlets have is justified fully in that regard, while the constant " chasing " of audiences adds another notch to this whole, occasionally ridiculous approach.

However, where the movie truly thrives is in the presentation of the relationship of Woo-ri and Ja-yeong, which is adorable as it is intriguing, on a number of levels. The first is the obvious antithesis of the two. The former is restrained, trying to appear serious at all times, in a "scholarly" type of demeanor that hides, though, much insecurity both in terms of romance and of professional future. The latter, on the other hand, is cheerful and more open, to a point at least, in an attitude that essentially gives her the upper hand in their interactions, but also hides a saddened heart, eagerly looking for love. This antithesis works excellent for the narrative, resulting in a number of interesting scenes and much comedy, essentially being the main element of the light approach implemented in the movie. Lastly, this factor, and the whole movie essentially benefits the most by the acting of Jeon Jong-seo as Ja-yeong and Son Sukku as Woo-ri, with their performances being excellent, both individually and in their evident chemistry when they are together on the screen.

That despite the fact that they are both attracted to each other, eventually even ending up having sex marathons, and feel lonely, they both take a rather long time to admit their feelings, is another comment on modern relationships and people's insecurities regarding opening up, that actually carries a large part of the narrative and is also one of the main sources of comedy here. In that fashion, the approach the director takes regarding the sex scenes is rather interesting, since they are portrayed but in non-explicit fashion, more focused on comedy and music video aesthetics than sensualism, in a style that actually mirrors Woo-ri's column, adding a meta level to the narrative.

The approach to the cinematography by Lee Sung-jae-II and Lee Dong-hwa-I (lighting), is also intriguing, with the close-ups during the monologues, the way the sex scenes are framed, and the pop-up coloring that occasionally mirrors a comic book working excellently for the overall aesthetics of the film. Nam Na-yeong's editing results in a pace that lingers from fast to faster, in perfect resonance with the romantic comedy premises of the title. Lastly, Kim Jae-hwa gives a delightfully over-the-top performance as the editor-in-chief, with her functioning as a catalyst on a number of occasions

"Nothing Serious" may be a typical rom-com on a number of levels, but is also very smart in its comments, humor and their presentation, features two delightful performances and is quite well-shot, resulting in a movie that is very easy to watch while also providing much food for thought.