I. Introduction
Based on the webtoon Moral Sense by Gyeoul, Love and Leashes is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Park Hyun-jin and starring Lee Jun-young, Seohyun and Seo Hyun-woo. In February 2021, at the Netflix content road show See What's Next Korea 2021, the production of a romance film tentatively titled as Moral Sense was announced. On March 21, 2021, Netflix confirmed through a press release that it would distribute a Korean original film Moral Sense. It was released on Netflix on February 11, 2022, to coincide with Valentine's Day.
II. Synopsis
Love never hurt so good for two co-workers who enter a contractual relationship as partners in consensual play, pleasure and pain. It depicts a romance between Ji-hoo, who has everything perfect but has secret BDSM desires, and Ji-woo, a competent public relations team member who finds out about his secret.
III. Cast
| Names | Seo Hyun | Lee Jun Young | Lee El | Lee Suk Hyeong | Kim Bo Ra |
| Pics | |||||
| Characters | Jung Ji Woo | Jung Ji Hoo | Hye Mi | Woo Hyuk | Ha Na |
IV. Teaser & Trailer
V. Movie
VI. Reception
Love and Leashes has scored positive scores of 8.1 on Mydramalist & 6.4 on IMDB.
- Kim Junmo writing for OhmyNews stated that the film has a message and the attributes of a romantic comedy. Kim wrote - As it is a story about the minority taste of BDSM, the difference between likes and dislikes is a limitation of this film. Kim opined - The barrier to entry is high. Above all, scenes containing BDSM's actions are the core of sympathy between the two main characters, but it is difficult to universally provide emotional pleasure, catharsis, and excitement.
- Kate Sánchez rated the film with 8.5 out of 10 and wrote - Love and Leashes is sweet and sensual. It's a wholesome look at boundaries and love while also taking time to explore kink in a context that doesn't treat it as something dangerous or abnormal, one of the best representations of kink I've seen in a film.
- Ricardo Gallegos of La Estatuilla praised the performances of Seohyun and direction stating - Park Hyun-jin does a good job of weaving the threads of the story together and adding a touch of respectful humor to the story's development. Concluding Gallegos wrote - Although Amarrados al amor manages to use classic and conventional elements of the romantic comedy genre, it stands out thanks to its sweet handling of the central relationship, the sensuality that it transmits in its exploration of sexual freedom and its honest intentions to inform and break taboos.
- James Marsh of the South China Morning Post rated the film with 3 out of 5 stars and praised the performances of lead pair writing - Seohyun and Lee Jun-young deliver sweet and wholesome performances. Marsh opined that the film has made efforts to normalise BDSM and erase its stigma, and it has come out as a sweet and well-meaning workplace romance. March concluded - Love and Leashes is a commendable effort to lift the blindfold on a stigmatised subculture, albeit without the reward of any lasting gratification.
