Kim Na-deul

Kim Na-deul’s “Love in the Big City” (2024) isn’t your run-of-the-mill rom-com, that’s for sure. The film dives right into the messiness of urban life, following Young, a sharply-dressed but emotionally tangled twenty-something drifting through Seoul’s neon-lit nights. He’s got baggage—like, a whole matching set—haunted by an ex he can’t shake and a present that keeps slipping out of his grasp. Friends? Yeah, sort of. More like a rotating cast of lovers, hookups, and late-night confidants who may or may not have his best interests at heart. There’s this persistent tug-of-war between intimacy and isolation; the city is buzzing, crowded, alive, but Young often finds himself lonelier than ever. Every barstool conversation, every text at 2 a.m., it’s all a search for connection. Kim Na-deul doesn’t shy away from the gritty stuff, either—the awkward dates, the drunken mistakes, the brutal honesty that sometimes stings sharper than a slap. The movie’s got this raw energy that pulses through every scene, painting heartbreak and hope in the same messy strokes. It’s not all gloom, though. There’s humor, wit, and these tiny glimmers of joy—shared cigarettes on rooftops, stolen glances on the subway, that weird comfort you get from a friend who just gets it. “Love in the Big City” nails what it means to be young and lost in a place that never really sleeps, chasing love even when it feels impossible.