ReviewKilling Romance movie review: Korean comedy musical, starring Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Hanee, is a genre-bending crowd pleaser

Lee Hanee plays an internet celebrity who flees to the imaginary island of Qualla, where she falls for a wealthy narcissist, played by Lee Sun-kyun

Both a screwball comedy and a film that tackles toxic masculinity and domestic violence, Lee Won-suk’s movie is well on the way to becoming a cult classic

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Lee Sun-kyun (centre) and Lee Hanee (right) in a still from “Killing Romance”. Directed by Kee Won-suk, the Korean comedy musical tackles serious issues with a light touch, in between toe-tapping K-pop numbers. Photo: Warner Bros. Korea

Published: 6:15pm, 17 Jul 2023

4/5 stars

A Day-Glo fairytale pastiche punctuated with toe-tapping K-pop karaoke anthems, director Lee Won-suk’s genre-bending comedy musical, Killing Romance, is a bona fide cult classic in the making.

Starring Lee Hanee and Gong Myoung, and with a barnstorming performance from Parasite’s Lee Sun-kyun, this whirlwind of unbridled energy scores both as a scathing critique of celebrity culture and a rallying cry for hardcore fandom.

The film has already accrued a passionate following in South Korea and could add to that through a tour of international film festivals that began on July 14 when it opened the New York Asian Film Festival.

The story revolves around Yeo-rae (Lee Hanee), a beautiful yet only modestly talented internet celebrity who rises to fame guzzling soda and endorsing redundant products online.

When her big-screen debut is met with widespread mockery, Yeo-rae flees to the idyllic island of Qualla, where she falls head-over-heels in love with Jonathan (Lee Sun-kyun), a wealthy narcissist who surrounds her with gifts while cutting her off from the rest of the world.