Jeon Yeo-been’s ‘Our Movie’ Promises Emotional Rollercoaster

Jeon Yeo-been has a penchant for experimenting with roles, deviating from the usual K-drama heroine archetypes. Some of the works she’s best known for—After My Death (2017), Vincenzo (2021), Night in Paradise (2021), A Time Called You (2023), Cobweb (2023), and Harbin (2024)—evidence she isn’t an actor playing safe when making character choices. Underpinning that again, her proclivity to trying things new, the upcoming Our Movie has Jeon taking the lead in a demanding role.

Director Lee Jung-heum’s Our Movie is a romance melodrama diving deep into human suffering and resilience through the emotional experiences of its protagonists. It promises an emotional rollercoaster as two individuals with life and fate’s complexities weighing upon them in distinct capacities fall in love. 

Nam Koong-min—noted for his appearances in A Dirty Carnival (2006), Remember (2015-2016), Beautiful Gong Shim (2016), Good Manager (2017), Hot Stove League (2019-2020), and My Dearest (2023)—is starring alongside Jeon Yeo-been—taking on as Lee Je-ha in the new drama.

Je-ha was a prodigy in filmmaking, having earned rave reviews for his stellar debut feature, carrying on his father’s legacy. His fame, however, is only here today, gone tomorrow, for the sophomore jitters wearing him down, gumming up his work for the following years. Five years down the line, Je-ha comes back to work on his second movie—a star-crossed love story.

In the process of preparing for the film, Je-ha befriends Lee Da-eum (Jeon), a budding actor who is doomed by a terminal illness with no hope of recovery. Even so, she doesn’t let it dampen her spirit. Da-eum is a sweetheart to be around. Her interest is piqued when she hears Je-ha’s script, and what follows becomes an oasis of hope for her acting career.

Our Movie turns into the waking dream narrative of Je-ha and Da-eum—the man’s opportunity to break free from his long-term job rut, a new chapter in his life—and the woman’s last chance to find true happiness in a life that’s slipping through her fingers too fast. Working on the project together, Our Movie becomes their story, one of destiny, experiences, and something much more when love sneaks in. 

It seems to be a cathartic moment for Da-eum, letting her follow the desire to star in a film while simultaneously handling her reality and finding peace in the creative process of working on it. It’s as much about being vulnerable as it’s about being strong. If anything, Our Movie takes one into an experience where the urge for artistic expression and the power of love meet weaving together Je-ha and Da-eum’s circumstances.

I’m looking forward to Jeon Yeo-been and Nam Koong-min’s amazing synergy to unfold and enrich the storytelling. Our Movie is poised to be released next year.