Killing Romance (2023): A Campy Fever Dream of a Divorce
2023 • Lee Won-suk • 2.39:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Lee Won-suk’s 2023 film Killing Romance is a vibrant and eccentric satire, blending musical flamboyance with screwball energy. It tells the story of a former top actress who withdrew from the spotlight after her career declined. With the help of her biggest fan, an underachiever with a big heart, she plots her escape from a toxic marriage.
Resembling a Wes Anderson film on acid, with elaborate sets built to emphasise symmetry and theatrical blocking, Killing Romance rejects all forms of realism. Mixing genres and tonalities, it ventures into thematically dark places while looking as eccentric as possible, introducing musical moments at unexpected times and maintaining a bold, saturated colour palette throughout.
Actors Lee Hanee and Lee Sun-kyun never hold back from being over-the-top, adding plenty of physical humour to their performances, enhanced by some choice costumes and elaborate cut-out scenes. It’s the kind of film that is crazy enough to survive its excesses with a big smile.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A former pop star trapped in a suffocating marriage schemes with an awkward superfan to reclaim her life, setting off a wildly theatrical plan that spirals into musical chaos, genre parody, and gleeful absurdity. Read my review of Killing Romance.
- Actors: Lee Ha-nee, Lee Sun-kyun, Gong Myung, Hwang Seung-eon, Kim Ye-won.
- Director: Lee Won-suk
- Year: 2023
- Cinematographer: Kang Min-woo
- Origin: Korean Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Genre: Horror & Supernatural
