Call It Love (Review)
(사랑이라 말해요; aired from February 22 to April 12, 2023, on Disney+; 16 episodes)
Call It Love is an exclusive Disney+ K-Drama which only underscores this streamer’s dedication to Korean content. And the quality of that content is also very good, as we’ll see with the present show too.
Call It Love is a melodrama and romance, it’s not a romantic comedy though (although some of the marketing might give that impression). The premise of the show focuses on Shim Woo-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) whose family (her mother and two siblings) was abandoned when her father left them to live with another woman. After his death, Woo-joo decides to take her revenge on his father ex-mistress (Nam Gi-ae as Ma Hee-ja). Woo-joo approaches her son Han Dong-jin (Kim Young-kwang) with that intention but falls in love with him instead.
Contrary to the premise, this is not a story about revenge, so do not expect something akin to Netflix’ The Glory, it’s a show of a completely different kind. Call It Love is a story about forgiveness and redemption. The motif of revenge is here quickly abandoned for the sake of reconciliation. The affection between our main leads, Woo-joo and Dong-jin, is a sort of forbidden love, since their respective families are hostile to one another, and much of the show is dedicated to overcoming that hostility so our main characters can be together.
Woo-joo and her siblings are not the only people in the show who were wronged. Han Dong-jin himself was wronged by his former girlfriend, Kang Min-yeong (Ahn Hee-yeon aka Hani of EXID), who cheated on him, but returns after few years to seek his forgiveness (and thus they form a classic K-Drama triangle with Woo-joo). Dong-jin is also an object of yet another revenge plot by his former boss Shin Sung-man (Shin Mun-sung), which is an example of a revenge going too far, a cautionary tale for our characters. And there are more secondary arcs like those, most of which focus on themes of forgiveness and reconciliation.
The show predominantly focuses on Woo-joo though. We get to know her family and friends, observe her life, and how it changes thanks to Dong-jin. Woo-joo is an introvert, reluctant to show her true feelings or talk about them. Instead, the show masterfully works through close-ups, we observe Woo-joo’s (Lee Sung-kyung’s) face and her micro expressions, which convey her emotions. The show purposefully often leaves us in the dark, we are not always sure what Woo-joo thinks (and similarly, Dong-jin), as she faces a variety of situations. Throughout the show we follow Woo-joo and Dong-jin’s relationship through a series of such close-ups, as they often do not talk much. They both have similar personalities, and therefore their interactions often result in some awkwardness. All of this is possible thanks to skillful performances by Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang, which may serve as a model of how to portray introverted and withdrawn characters, something what is very difficult in visual media.
Call It Love is then not your typical K-Drama. Also, the pacing of the show is purposefully slow and prolonged, which might be tiring for some part of the audience. The atmosphere of the show is somewhat heavy, melancholic, and moody, it only brightens in the very last episode. All of this is underscored by the show’s music composed by Park Sejun (박세준; he is listed under different romanizations of his name in different streaming services), his score is reminiscent of the music he composed for Little Women (although it was not available in the album form when I was writing this review).
Call It Love is then an excellent show, which, however, expects some dedication from the viewers. In exchange, they will be treated with great performances and a compelling story about family and forgiveness.
Call It Love on Wikipedia or MyDramaList
