Sublime, ethereal, and totally unforgettable, the poignant Our Movie is no doubt my number one favorite Korean drama of the year 2025. In so many ways it reminded me of the masterpiece classic Korean dramas I first started watching and fell in love with two decades ago, such as the Four Seasons' Korean dramas Autumn In My Heart, Winter Sonata, Summer Scent, and Spring Waltz, or the dynamic romantic melodramas that have few equals to this day, such as I'm Sorry, I Love You or Friends or Sad Love Story.

Too often today the Korean dramas being produced, especially the ones that are partly financed by Hollywood money, are dark and dreary and even evil tales focusing on mass murders or other crimes that I have no interest in watching. If I want to see evil stories I can watch my nightly news! When I go for my entertainment I prefer the escapism of lovely, inspiring, heartfelt, old-fashioned love story Korean dramas of the past, and Our Movie gave perfect honor to those gems of the past which began the Hallyu Wave worldwide over two decades ago. I should thank the two writers Han Ka Eun and Kang Kyeong Min, and the director Lee Jung Heum, for their poetic vision in creating this precious Work of Art. I will no doubt be returning to it in future to enjoy its profound beauty all over again.

Our two leading actors were so simpatico together that often I found my jaw dropping in surprise as I watched their truly amazing chemistry together! Brilliant lead actor Nam Goong Min I have been watching for twenty years in multiple favorite dramas such as My Dearest, My Rosy Life, Can You Hear My Heart?, Remember, Cheongdam-dong Alice, In Need Of Romance 3, Sensory Couple, A Still Picture, and the glowing lead actress Jeon Yeo Bin had charmed me in dramas Live, A Time Called You, the Hyun Bin film Harbin and the Song Hye Kyo film Dark Nuns. Very early on I was struck by the similar appearance actor Nam Goong Min had to legendary actor Bae Yong Joon in Winter Sonata! I kept wondering if it was intentional. :)

The supporting cast in Our Movie were all excellent too, including the lovely Lee Seol (D.P. 1 and 2) and the veteran actresses Seo Jung Yeon (Castaway Diva, Midnight Romance In Hagwon) as well as Ye Soo Jung (Jirisan, On The Way To The Airport). And I always enjoy seeing veteran actor Kwon Hae Hyo who had -- coincidentally? -- played Bae Yong Joon's best friend in Winter Sonata two+ decades ago.

The Story:

We meet a film director named Lee Jae Ha (Nam Goong Min) whose first film had been a big hit but five years have passed him by since its success and he has somehow lost the will to make any additional films. He often seems depressed, listless, and withdrawn. His late Dad had been a famous filmmaker too, decades before, and had made a hit film too, titled White Love. The lead actors in that film, Kim Jin Yeo (Ye Soo Jung) and Kim Hyun Chul (Moon Sung Geun) have gone into retirement now as seniors but sometimes still meet up with their director's son Jae Ha. They tell him what his Dad's beautiful film had meant to them in their lives, and they encourage him to return to film-making.

Then Jae Ha happens to discover an old original screenplay for White Love, and as he reads it he realizes it is different in some ways from the finished film his Dad had made. He discovers that it was actually his Mom who had written the original script, not his Dad, as everyone had believed! His parents are both gone now and Jae Ha becomes inspired to remake White Love using his Mom's original script. He goes on the lookout for possible stars for this remake, and also brings up his ideas to people in the film industry who might be interested in financing such a project.

The corporation BU Film becomes interested in remaking White Love, especially a supportive friend to Jae Ha, working as a producer in the company, named Bu Seung Won (Seo Hyun Woo). Soon the funds are secured. Both Jae Ha and Seung Won begin to approach the casting company Beyond Entertainment for possible actors in the new project. Their lead actress Chae Seo Young (Lee Seol) seems very much interested in playing the lead in the remake of White Love, but Jae Ha isn't fond of the idea. Apparently years before they had dated but she had cheated on him and the relationship had ended abruptly and with ill feelings. Jae Ha simply isn't enthused about hiring her for the main female role in his film, which entails a female character facing a terminal illness. 

 

Jae Ha approaches people in the medical field to ask if he could speak to patients facing cancer or other terrible illnesses that might lead to death. He wants to learn first hand what those patients are facing and how their treatments affect their emotional well-being.

In a rather roundabout way he comes into contact with such a patient, who also happens to be an actress, named Lee Da Eum (Jeon Yeo Bin). She learns about the remake of White Love and becomes determined to land the lead role even though she is dealing with a terminal illness herself and may not even live long enough to complete the film! She keeps approaching Jae Ha and asking him to give her a chance and little by little her efforts play upon his emotions and he gives her a chance to audition for the role. Her audition is so powerful and well-received that amazingly she is cast in the main female role in the remake of White Love. However, she is told by Jae Ha to keep her illness a secret from everyone because if they knew she was dying she wouldn't have been cast, no matter how great her audition had been. She agrees.

Actress Seo Young is cast in a supportive role in the film and soon begins to realize that Da Eum may be really ill. She keeps her suspicions to herself -- at first. As the film progresses most of the production company is happy with the rushes and many begin to suspect that the emotionally withdrawn Director Jae Ha might actually be falling in love with his lead actress.

They spend quite a bit of time together off set as well and it's definitely noticed by others, including her leading man in White Love, actor Kim Jung Woo (Seo Yi Seo), and her adorable new personal manager, the kindly Lim Joon Byung (Lee Joo Seung, Pinocchio, Producer). Talented cinematographer on the project, named Ji Chul Min (Heo Jung Do, Crash Course In Romance), sometimes has to work overtime to get the exact images of Da Eum that Director Jae Ha desires for his film.

Someone who is not thrilled with the whole situation is Da Eum's physician Dad in charge of her care, Dr. Lee Jung Hyo (Kwon Hae Hyo). He worries that all the stress of film-making and a new romantic relationship might actually hasten his daughter's demise. Whenever she has a physical setback Dad insists she enter the hospital for care which slows down the production schedule of the film.

Seo Young's casting employer at Beyond Entertainment, Go Hye Young (Seo Jung Yeon) seems determined to learn more about Da Eum, in the hopes of signing her up for future films, unaware that Da Eum might not even be able to finish filming White Love. Da Eum discourages Hye Young in her efforts to make her join Beyond Entertainment, and of course Hye Young doesn't understand why. Seo Young then apprises her of her own suspicions that Da Eum might be terminally ill in her own life, and not just for the part she is playing in the film.

Da Eum's physician Dad has some direct confrontations with Director Jae Ha and Da Eum always intervenes to convince her Dad how much making her final film means to her. Da Eum begins filming her own private film expressing her love for everyone involved in the remake of White Love. She hides it all away in a place she knows her beloved Director Jae Ha will find once she has passed on. She also leaves behind some notes and pictures for all the cast and crew who helped her so much.

 

Eventually it gets to the point where the rumor mills about Da Eum's health affect the overall production of White Love and she stands before them all and confesses that she is terminally ill. She asks for their help so that she can finish the film in a timely manner. Everyone becomes supportive of her and the film is soon nearing completion. The news of her illness also reaches the media due to an annoying snooping "journalist" named No Hee Tae (Jeon Suk Chan, Something In The Rain), but with the onslaught of the publicity about her terminal illness the film becomes highly publicized and anticipated at the box office, guaranteeing financial success. Da Eum and Jae Ha enjoy the rushes in private and profess their undying love for one another.

Da Eum manages to finish White Love despite some serious medical setbacks but there is always a possibility of a sudden cure for her disease (which is never actually named in the script but it seems like some serious auto-immune illness to me, judging by her symptoms). She and her love Jae Ha travel after the film is finished, to some lovely country places; they watch film revivals of classic films in the theaters; and they try to keep their interactions fun and positive as much as possible. Da Eum even wins a Best Actress Award for her performance.

We the audience do not know if Da Eum will survive her illness, or perish from it, until the last fifteen minutes of Our Movie. The main emphasis of the story is the true love of two very wholesome souls, who were once hurting and withdrawn, who inspire each other to create "a thing of beauty that's a joy forever" in their film and in their personal lives as well.

I found every moment of this superlative Korean drama heart-tugging and unforgettable. The cinematography and music were stunning as well. I have a new first class Korean drama favorite in Our Movie, and it actually might be the last Korean drama I watch again before my own journey to Jesus after my transition to heaven. It's that beautiful. Enjoy this masterpiece! Don't miss it!

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