My Dear Enemy

I haven't seen much of Lee Yoon-ki since This Charming Girl, and I've been wanting to see more of his films. Lately I've been able to see his fourth feature film, My Dear Enemy. In this film we see the earmarks of a director maturing into his own and creating his own unique style.

Byung-woon is a charming guy - he spends his time with various crazy business schemes and waits around in a horseracing stadium. He is then confronted by his ex Hee-su, who asks unconditionally for the 3.5 million won (around 3500 USD) he borrowed from her. He doesn't have the money on him right now, but he promises Hee-su he'll get her the money if she comes with him to meet some of his friends so he can get money from them.

The film is structured like a roadtrip, where Byung-woon goes from friend to friend (mostly women), trying to raise the money. In the meantime, both of them learn new things about each other, and see a few glimpses of the relationship that was.

Byung-woon isn't portrayed as a scumbag as many other movies would have been prone to do, here he is shown as a person who means well and is legitimately guilty about their relationship falling apart. Ha Jung-woo portrays the character with just the right nuances and the viewer tends to sympathize with him. Hee-su (portrayed by award winning actress Jeon Do-yeon) at first seems too angry with her ex, but further conversations reveal why. She's obviously hurt by what happened in the past, and in some way, she still cares about her ex. How much, on the other hand, is another question entirely.

The film shines the best with the characters delivering exceptional performances. Although there aren't any drama-filled cry-your-heart-out moments in the film, there are exceptionally awkward situations where I felt myself squirming in my seat. These moments flesh out the dichotomy of their respective views of their failed relationship even further.

The film ends on a rather low key but perfect moment, encapsulating everything the little day-long roadtrip was meant to be. No deus-ex-machina are present. Instead, the characters see each other in a new light, and for now, that's for the best.