Very Ordinary Couple



  • The film follows young bank clerks Lee Dong-hee and Jang Young who have just broken up with each other. They work at a local branch of Standard Chartered,

    and their seemingly nasty split turns scandalous in the office. After going through a period of irrational behavior, including physical fights and Young’s impulsive one-night stand with a mutual colleague at work, the two decide to give their relationship another try. Once again, they are madly in love.

    The real story of the film begins as the two begin to date again, in spite of their shared doubts and fears. As the second honeymoon phase ends, the same problems ― those that had led to their initial break-up ― surface: the boredom, the trust issues, and the mutual dishonesty about what they really want. The hot-tempered Dong-hee seems like he needs an anger management class, while Young tries to avoid conflicts by telling small lies ― unaware of how lies, regardless of the motivations, can destroy trust.

    Above all, the couple's shared experience of the break-up gradually makes them insecure about their relationship. This eventually leads to a suffocating disaster: Dong-hee tries very hard to pretend that he is interested in the things Young suggests doing, only to please her and save their relationship ― although he'd really rather sleep in than go to an amusement park on his day off. Young, on the other hand, gets extremely self-conscious of everything she tells Dong-hee, as she is worried that she will upset him off by "saying something wrong" ― just like how she did before the first break-up.

    There is a sadness that fills the screen as the two desperately try to save their relationship, pretending nothing is wrong and trying to believe that things will work out in the end. "I will be good to her," Dong-hee repeatedly says in the film. "I’ll try harder to make this work."

    But watching them forcing on a smile while obviously annoyed by each other’s company, the audience can instinctively tell that the two will soon part ways ― in spite of their genuine efforts and affection for each other. The movie reaches its climax as the two flawed characters realize that they've messed it up again, that they can no longer be in denial, and there are some things in life that cannot be controlled no matter how hard they try.




    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


Share