Killing Romance Review: A Delightful Korean Take On A Wes Anderson Movie [Fantastic Fest 2023]
"Killing Romance" is an utterly amusing Korean absurdist comedy with romance, a revenge murder plot, and even musical numbers, in a clear love letter to the work of Wes Anderson. Add in some wonderfully over-the-top performances and a weird and hilariously campy script and you get one of the most fun times you can have at the movies.
The movie follows Yeo-rae (Lee Ha-nee), a woman who is shot straight to stardom after a clip of her drinking a soft drink at incredible speed goes viral, resulting in a Guinness World Record, merchandising, modeling deals, and a music and movie career. Sadly, this all comes crashing down when she stars in a disastrous sci-fi B movie that becomes a big flop. This prompts Yeo-rae to leave Korea in disgrace, finding refuge in the remote island of Qualla. Here, she meets an eccentric rich guy named Jonathan Na (Lee Sun-kyun) they instantly hit it off. The two get hitched, enjoying the island paradise before returning to Korea seven years later so Jonathan can start business negotiations to open a theme park in Qualla with his name on it.
Everything seems perfect at first, but there is trouble in paradise. Yeo-rae finally realizes that the island charm in Jonathan is just a farce and that he is a bigot and an abuser, which prompts her to find a way out. Thankfully, she finds help in Bum-woo (Myoung Gong), their next-door neighbor, a student and huge fan of Yeo-rae more than willing to help her out of her occasionally violent marriage by killing Jonathan. Of course, this is easier said than done, and the result is less a revenge drama and more slapstick comedy with elaborate and colorful sets, big performances, and karaoke musical numbers.
Delightful whimsy
Arguably the biggest appeal of the film is the Wes Anderson-like style of it all. Director Lee Won-Suk clearly has a love for the movies of the Texan director, with "Killing Romance" taking inspiration from Anderson's use of elaborate practical sets, a vibrant color palette, narration, title cards, and symmetrical imagery. That said, this is not a mere homage or copy, but the work of a director who can take a source of inspiration and add his own spin to it, bringing a sense of absurdity to the story that makes "Killing Romance" a hilarious riot.
There are gags like a killer sauna and a deadly eating competition, a stampede of more ostriches than you could imagine, and did I mention the songs? "Killing Romance" may not be a full-on musical, but whenever we do get a musical number it is extremely catchy.
Lee Ha-nee is great as Yeo-rae, delivering an empathetic performance and conveying the character's plight in a way that makes it extremely easy to root for her. But it is Lee Sun-kyun who steals every scene he's in. The "Parasite" actor is just having one hell of a year, also delivering killing performances in "Sleep" and "Project Silence." Lee plays Jonathan as a mustache-twirling (literally) cartoon villain with a penchant for shouting random English phrases. There is not a single redeeming quality about Jonathan, but it is impossible not to laugh along with this monster even as he does horrible things because Lee is just that over-the-top funny.
"Killing Romance" is a delightfully weird comedy that manages to touch on serious topics like domestic violence, while never losing sight of its comedic tone. With music, romance, drama, comedy, and thrills, "Killing Romance" is the full package.
/Film Rating: 8 out of 10