Amor com Fetiche (2022)

Amor com Pastelão!

Havia muita expectativa em torno da produção. Muita gente, inclusive, apelidou a produção de “50 Tons de Cinza” da Coreia. Eu já imaginava que o filme não seguiria esse caminho porque o gênero é: Comédia/Romance. Então nesse sentido eu não me senti “decepcionada” como algumas pessoas ficaram.

A atuação dos atores é ótima e é muito legal ver a Coreia fazendo um filme que trata de um tema “tabu” com leveza e humor. Porém, analisando com olhos mais “críticos”, eu achei um filme fraquinho, daqueles que ninguém vai lembrar, e que eu certamente não assistiria novamente. O filme também não tem nenhuma surpresa, pelo contrário, ele segue um caminho bastante previsível.

? Eu recomendaria?

Sempre tenho em mente que o que pode ser maravilhoso para mim, pode não ser para você, e vice-versa. Nem sempre temos uma unanimidade. Depende do que você espera do filme. Se for algo só para passar o tempo, e matar a curiosidade, vá em frente. Mas se espera um filme incrível, diferenciado, que te prende do início ao fim, não vá com muitas expectativas.

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Jung Ji Woo e Jung Ji Hoo tem apenas uma coisa em comum: os nomes. De resto, são totalmente opostos. Ele, Ji Hoo, um cara simpático, certinho e amado pelos colegas de trabalho, e ela, Ji Woo, uma mulher calculista e denominada como fria pelos colegas de trabalho.

São justamente essas características que tornariam Ji Woo perfeita para o papel, no entanto, ela é alguém inalcançável para ele, já que está em uma posição de comando. Porém, sem querer, através de um erro com o pacote de compra, Ji Woo descobre que seu novo colega de trabalho tem um fetiche sexual. Abalado, Ji Hoo fica com medo de ser exposto e ridicularizado, mas nada acontece, o que engrandece sua fascinação pela mulher que tem dominado seus pensamentos.

Minha Opinião:

Primeiramente, foi maravilhoso ver a Seo Hyun nesse papel de mulher fatal! Eu já a achava incrível no SNSD não apenas pela voz, mas por sua postura sempre impecável. E ela brilhou muito, apesar da Ji Woo não ser uma mulher que sempre estava confortável com a parte Dom do BDSM.

E para quem ficou com receio desse filme ser muito intenso, fiquem calmos, nada disso! Coreia é um tanto hipócrita e puritana para isso, então, temos o tema abordado, mas nada sexual está presente no filme. Na verdade, começa como uma grande comédia que fica por conta do ator Lee Jun Young, que interpreta um rapaz calmo e pacato, mas com gostos peculiares (quem pegou a referência, é isso aí hehe).

Mas o que realmente me fez gostar desse filme foi a parte melodramática dos personagens. A parte de DS (sigla para Dom, dominante e Sub, submissa) nem chega aos pés da problemáticas que Ji Woo passa no trabalho com seu chefe abusivo que trata as mulheres como merda, mas enaltece qualquer coisa feita pelos profissionais masculinos. É muito bom vê-la como uma mulher que não age indiferente quando é maltratada, e muito menos passiva. As caras e bocas que faz, e as conversas que tem com outras colegas de trabalho é um diferencial.

Já o Ji Hoo foi o quem mais me causou preocupação. Ele é um homem maravilhoso, mas que possui traumas de longa data que precisam ser tratados. E alguns deles vem à tona com o término de um relacionamento, e a mesma namorada que ainda se vê enredada e o culpando, o que faz seu gosto aflorar ainda mais quando encontra Ji Woo.

O casal funciona bem e gostei de perceber os sentimentos crescem cada um à sua maneira. Ele atráves de seus gostos, e ela, pelo jeito sincero do Ji Hoo. Eu gostei bastante do filme, não o considerei estranho por causa do assunto, mas fiquei apreensiva por ver que o personagem masculino necessitava de terapia por causa dos traumas passados.

Indico se você é maior de idade, e como falei lá em cima, deixo o meu alerta de gatilho para abusivo psicológico e físico.

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Adiei assistir esse filme por muito tempo por causa do tema abordado. Não é algo que me interessa, mas hoje procurando uma comédia romântica para assistir me deparei com esse filme mais uma vez e resolvi dar uma chance. Embora de fato o tema abordado seja o BDSM, não é um filme explícito sexualmente, talvez seja sensual nesse sentindo. Mas é também cômico. A cena do protagonista masculino latindo foi um tanto ridícula e precisei pausar um pouco porque senti muito vergonha alheia pelos atores kkkkkkkkkk

Mas ao mesmo tempo foi legal ver os dois personagens encontrado alguém compatível com seus interesses sem se sentir de alguma forma estranhos por terem gostos tão peculiares.

Seo Hyun e Lee Jun Young foram perfeitos em seus papéis.

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Fifty Shades should disappear so Love and Leashes can become the introductory standard for BDSM

Going into this movie I was afraid they would make a joke out of BDSM or portray male submissives as pathetic, but I was ecstatic to see that it was not the case in the slightest. This movie is a very solid introduction for what BDSM is and means if you have no clue about it-- even putting up definitions and explanations of terms on screen to make it easier to understand.

The portrayal of male submissives is scarce at best, but actually good, respectful, judgement-free depictions of male submissives are almost nonexistent in mainstream media. That was my primary concern, but if it's yours as well I am here to reassure you that you've got nothing to worry about. The movie does an incredible job of framing Ji Hoo's submissiveness as something that is simply his preference and there's nothing wrong with it, even when others may judge him. Another common problem with the depiction of men who have more submissive personalities is that writers tend to end up delving in the territory of trying to reassure the audience that the character is not *actually* 100% submissive in bed, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. That. Never. Happens. Here.

On the other hand, Ji Woo's character is absolutely incredible because she is the inexperienced Dom that had never been able to put into words what she is actually into. Maybe TMI, but that was me, once. Her quick ease into the Dom role even if she is unsure about doing a good job clearly stems from the fact that this has always been who she is-- she just never had a chance to explore it with anyone. The inexperienced Dom trope also sometimes falls prey to the sudden role switch where the male character takes charge because she is *so* inexperienced and gets *so* easily flustered because of it-- or he was actually in charge all along even if he "acted" submissive, but this incredible movie avoids that completely. He is the submissive, she is the Dom, and even when she may falter and worry she is not doing a good job, those roles remain the same.

You may think this should've been a multi-episode drama instead, but I disagree. Had they done that, the conflicts would've been dragged and many people who may give this a chance because it's  a movie simply wouldn't have watched it. The movie is incredible just the way it is.

This was made by people who took the topic seriously and approached it with nothing but respect, and I am eternally thankful for it.

*It should be noted that I have not read the manga, therefore my opinion is solely based on the movie as a stand-alone story about BDSM.

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Sweet, Sexy, Submissive, Consensual ... slightly complicated too

This movie has a little bit of everything, fun informative beautifully shot and will have you thinking a lot of thoughts at once while still managing to make your heart flutter thinking oooh they are so sweet,.. and awch that must hurt but ohhh so sweet.

Knowing very little about the subject I found myself intrigued by both the plot and the informative scenes here and there making this not only fun and pretty for the eye but also a source of learning.

I love how this shows deals with the extremely important issue consent as well as shows the difference between consensual acts of dominance as well as non-consensual ones with the main focus being on consent, acceptance and growing together.

The characters in this movie are complex, lovable (most), there are PLENTY of pets (human and non human), lots of humor and not a single annoying character in sight. So what do I say a rom-com done right, that I may just re-watch with my husband for some inspiration, or just for fun ;)


I would say this is probably the funnest rom-com movie I have seen so far, so I strongly recommend people to watch it.

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Fifty Shades of Pink

Fifty Shades of Grey, this isn’t. There are parallels to be drawn involving primarily the contractual relationship trope and the BDSM theme, if it isn’t already apparent. That is where the similarities end, however. Despite the R-18 rating, I would consider Love and Leashes to be much less intense and provocative but rather more fun and heartwarming. After all, this film is meant to coincide with this year’s V-Day which takes place in just a couple of days. Hence the more upbeat and romantic vibe, this is definitely a case of love being slowly unleashed.

Jung Ji Hoo is your average salaryman working in a 9 to 5 job. Unbeknownst to his co-workers, however, he has another side to him - one that involves a fetish for BDSM. One day, due to a mix-up by the delivery service, a female colleague finds out his secret. What transpires subsequently involves a whole lot of awkwardness and embarrassment as well as the resulting suggestive intimate moments, before eventually leading to something more profound.

Directed by Park Hyun Jin, who also co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with Lee Da Hye, the source material is the Naver webtoon entitled The Moral Sense conceived by Gyeoul aka Winter, which was serialised from 2015 to 2018. The original score was composed by Kim Hong Jip and Lee Jin Hee, with Lee Sun Kyu playing the guitar. Principal photography took place from April to July 2021.

What I Generally Liked

Running at just under 2 hours, I thought the film was rather entertaining and eventful. The concept is refreshing, by Korean or even Asian standards, for a mainstream production distributed globally by Netflix. You don’t often come across BDSM-themed romance as the main feature of the story and in this case, the subject matter was handled in a very tasteful and mature manner.

For me, the main takeaway from the film has more to do with the relationship dynamics in terms of the emotional connection between two individuals rather than purely the explicit nature of the BDSM acts themselves to be manifested as a comedic effect or cheap thrills. I particularly appreciated the nuances drawn from the eventual growth of both leads and the organic evolution of their relationship. Additionally, the film explores elements of office politics and gender discrimination that are very much borne of a deep-rooted patriarchal culture.

Given the involvement from Netflix, the film unsurprisingly delivers reasonably high production values. I’ve enjoyed the overall quality of the visuals presented and the set designs, while the accompanying music score nicely complements the ambience of the scenes.

My first time seeing both Seo Hyun and Lee Jun Young in lead roles and they gave a pretty decent account of themselves in their portrayals of Jung Ji Woo and Jung Ji Hoo respectively. I haven’t read the webtoon but I do think they managed to personify their characterizations the way they were intended to be convincing and relatable to viewers, to a certain extent.

The ML is just adorable, almost like a puppy who loves playing with whips, handcuffs and candle wax. The FL, on the other hand, is like a deer caught in headlights. At first, anyway, as she gradually gets a hang of the whole situation. In fact, her transformation from the down-to-earth girl next door to a dominatrix behind closed doors is quite remarkable.

For the most part, the film comes across as quite lighthearted but things do get a tad serious in the final third, where we get to observe a bit more substance in the portrayals of both leads as they finally deal with the repercussions of their actions. I honestly feel that Seo Hyun generally did more of the heavy lifting in this film.

Final Thoughts

As a feature length film that is meant to be mostly a romance comedy, I think the scope of the storytelling is quite extensive. Perhaps certain aspects could have been fleshed out more, such as the respective backstories of the leads and interactions with the people around them but I honestly think those aren’t particularly major issues. For all intents and purposes, and without giving too much away, I was rather pleased with the final outcome and closure to their story. Suffice to say, all’s well that ends well.

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Let’s Talk About ‘ Love And Leashes’, Baby…

“Controversial”, “risky” and “unconventional” are some of the immediate buzz-words which come to mind when talking about Netflix’s South-Korean movie ‘ Love and Leashes’.

Directed by Park Hyun Jin( ‘ The Color Of A Woman’) and based upon the webtoon ( 모럴센스), ‘ Love and Leashes’ focuses upon office worker Jung Ji Hoo ( Lee Jun Young). Clean-cut, professional and adored by his female coworkers, Ji Hoo has always been able to maintain his prudish persona . However in reality “prim and proper” Ji Hoo hides a deep secret from his peers; he’s a BDSM enthusiast.

When bemused coworker Jung Ji Woo ( Seo Hyun) unknowingly stumbles upon his salacious desires through an open package, Ji Hoo soon finds his sexual fantasies awakened when he enters a consensual-contractual “slave and master” relationship with his coworker. However as their risqué relationship begins to play out, Ji Woo and Ji Hoo soon finds themselves questioning their sincere feelings for one another along the way…

Perhaps one of the most notable things which should be said about ‘ Love and Leashes’ is that it is a daring concept . Topics of sexual and amorous relationships have certainly been explore beforehand in South-Korean productions such as ‘ You’re My Pet’ ( adapted from its Japanese predecessor ‘ Kimi Wa Petto’), or more sardonically throughout ‘ The Handmaiden’ , ‘ Thirst’ and ‘ Happy End’ . However due to a respectfully conservative atitude towards sexual content in South-Korean culture and media , it is still slightly unusual to see this topic addressed in mainstream popular culture .

Despite its eyebrow-raising premise, ‘ Love and Leashes’ surprisingly starts off as a somewhat lighthearted rom-com and office drama. Jung Ji Hoo is established as a smooth-talker and highly liked by his superiors who tries to avoid conflict, whereas Jung Ji Woo is an “ everyday” office worker with a slightly stubborn streak. ( Helping viewers to understand the dynamic between the characters as well as foreshadow their later roles within their racy relationship.)

However despite the somewhat niche early setup, ‘ Love and Leashes’ wasn’t afraid to delve slightly deeper into some issues in the workplace- sexism , prejudice as well as several references towards homophobia and sexual harassment , bustling their way into the film’s early workplace vernacular .

Nevertheless whilst praise must be given towards director Park Hyun Jin’s open address of these current issues early on in the film’s narrative , it is hard to ignore that these references were rarely touched upon after their initial use. ( In theory this dynamic could’ve easily been explained more within the nature of the narrative.)

Yet ‘ Love and Leashes’’ seemingly mundane workplace setup soon begins to into an amalgamation of lighthearted and riskier comedy after main female lead Ji Woo stumbles upon the package.

For those expecting ‘ Love and Leashes’ to be a series revolving entirely around erotica and debauchery, it is noteworthy that ‘ Love and Leashes’ is predominantly a romantic comedy. Risqué and sexually suggestive jokes and setups were mainly used as the necessary pretext behind a surprisingly warm-hearted romantic love story for the main leads.

Naturally this isn’t to say that Park Hyun Jin wasn’t afraid to delve deeper into depicting the misconceptions and taboos surrounding fetishises, hedonism and casual relationships. The narrative would often diverge away from the typical tropes surrounding setups of sexual fantasies being “ nauseating”, “ unhealthy” or “ encouraging sexual abuse”, by instead shedding light into a fairly positive, consensual and healthy relationship between the main leads .

Yet when the film’s narrative wasn’t driving home messages about sensuality or comic relief, ‘ Love and Leashes’ did surprisingly touch upon some sentimental moments surrounding its main characters. In particular this became apparent through . Ji Woo’s uncertainty and gradually growing mixed feelings for her coworker , as well as Ji Hoo’s own struggles with his dating life. However whilst these elements of the storyline were present in ‘ Love and Leashes’, the backstories and problems surrounding the characters were often limited and subdued by the plot. As a consequence it could often feel as though our main leads were roughly sketched out as individuals; necessary plot devices for keeping the storyline afloat, but rarely being given definitive sentience also.

Of course it is hard to ignore the somewhat controversial casting choices also. Former U-KISS member Lee Jun Young ( ‘ Class of Lies’, ‘ D.P’, ‘ Imitation’ and ‘ Let Me Be Your Knight’ ; plays the unusual role of main male lead Jung Ji Hoo, whilst costar and Girl’s Generation’s Seo Hyun( ‘ Private Lives’) takes on the role as main female lead Jung Ji Woo. However despite the somewhat surprising and controversial cast decisions, Seo Hyun and Lee Jun Young were delightful as our main leads. ( Both actors also openly spoke in interviews about their initial surprise upon reading the context of the script, alongside their enjoyment at being able to take on different roles.)

Admittedly the onscreen chemistry between both stars felt somewhat stunted in early parts of the film. Initial “ role play” scenes came across as awkwardly delivered for audiences ( in particular one scene surrounding Jun Young attempting to literally embody a “ dog”). However as the narrative progresses and allowed opportunities for their characters to grow, their chemistry did become more apparent.

The pacing is admittedly tightly-packed in the first half. Whilst this did allow opportunities in order to delve deeper into the characters’ relationship and certain issues, it did provide to be a double-edged sword. This is mainly due to the fact that the second half downplayed the pacing with a notably slower and sharper focus upon the bittersweet elements of the characters; prominent but admittedly rushed in the course of the movie. The attempted climax served in the latter-half felt somewhat anticlimactic. There was little buildup or foreshadowing and whilst the ending did serve a somewhat cheerful resolution for the events of ‘ Love and Leashes’, viewers may feel a little disorientated in parts with the storyline.

Under the directing reigns of Park Hyun Jin, ‘ Love and Leashes’ was notably a multitude of slick and professional cuts, scenes, editing and gradients. Notably Hyun Jin placed heavy focus upon the contrasting tones of minimalistic everyday life and the office, against the lustful neon, vivid and lively palettes surrounding Ji Hoo and Ji Woo’s role play sessions. ( One of the most striking scenes of the film came through Ji Hoo’s birthday “ present” . Against the pallid tones of the room’s surroundings, Ji Hoo’s present in an unopened black box, a pair of patent ruby red heels, greatly sticks out for viewers to visually engorge.)

It is notable that the OST is sparsely placed in the movie. ( Aside from the opening credits, emotional buildup moments and the ending.) Instead under the directing reigns of Park Hyun Jin, ‘ Love and Leashes’ is predominantly focused upon the characters’ dialogue exchanges and interactions. When the OST is present it is climatic; helping to reflect the emotional scope of characters and situations.

Despite its unusual setup and premise , ‘ Love and Leashes’ was foremost a love story between its main leads. It is arguably one of Netflix’s riskier moves from South-Korean production in recent years. Nevertheless despite the somewhat expected controversy surrounding the movie’s casting choices, Seo Hyun and Lee Jun Young’s onscreen chemistry and performances were solid and dynamic. The themes surrounding ‘ Love and Leashes’ are versatile if somewhat stunted in parts, but surprisingly delivered a sweet and risqué romance along the way.

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Romantic comedy fitting XXI century standards.

Not having much inside on how sub-dom relationships work, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the depiction, but I can for sure say the movie does an amazing job in presenting it in a positive light. The word best describing the movie is: consent. Everything that happens is the result of mutual agreement that focuses on the preferences and needs of both sides.

What’s more, while the movie presents Jung Ji Hoo as someone with, to call it broadly, issues, it flips the expectations the audience might have. It shows how the problems he faced were not the reason he sought that type of preference, but rather the judgment, he faced because of his preferences made him doubt himself. From the start, there was nothing wrong with him, but rather the society that puts unreasonable expectations and limits on everyone’s freedom of expression.

The thing that made me appreciate the movie more was the fact it never centered around sex itself. Focusing on other aspects of the relationship, with explanatory narration was a great choice.

Honestly speaking, the movie was just adorable. Watching Ji Woo and Ji Hoon try to figure out themselves, their preferences, but also work it out within their relationship was just an entertaining journey. I feel like there was a level of innocence presented on screen that will surprise many viewers.

The cast did an amazing job. There was only one scene that got me “this is just too scripted and unnatural for me to ignore” because of Lee Suk Hyeong’s delivery and the weird timing of the scene itself.

Production wise, I could not ask for more, though I might have asked for less. For me, some of the special effects were unnecessary. That said, they did not really lower my enjoyment of the movie.

Overall, it does a good job in presenting sub-dom relationship in a new light, that shows the more realistic and broad perception of it, without only focusing on the sexual aspects of it. It serves as a good criticism of the standards society creates, that serve no one and often hurt us. I would truly recommend it to all the 16+ audiences for sure.

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Delightfully awkward, refreshingly sexy and suprisingly empowering - the whole romcom package

Listen, this probably is not 9.0 out of 10.0 movie. The plot is thin, the pacing odd; I will gladly admit to all of that. But what can I say- I am not immune to the charm of a romance done right, and that is why Love and Leashes essentially is. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I was thrilled when I read the premise of this. I think the way sexuality has been tackled as a subject matter in K-dramas in the past has been sufficiently awkward and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen when kink got thrown into the mix, expecting to get a genuine gem or something so bad it just had to be good. I am happy to report that this movie definitely belongs to the first category.

Let’s start with the vanilla part of it all, before we dive into the plot. All the actors are pretty solid. Our male protagonist was a bit stilted and awkward at parts, but nothing that bothered me too much. While this movie isn’t overly sexual compared to Western films of the same genre, there are more than enough scenes that must have been pretty uncomfortable to film, but the chemistry between our leading pair stayed strong, so props to the actors. I thought they both brought a lot of charisma to their roles and I really enjoyed watching their dynamic evolve.
The cinematography is also pretty good. I can’t think of a word better than stylish. Sexy but not too much, to the point where it feels like you’re just looking at raw meat. In fact, this contains very little nudity but still managed to be pretty steamy, which I would largely attribute to the lighting. This is just very cool-looking sleek movie. The cinematography might not have been terribly creative overall but it definitely had its moments. I also thought the way this was cut added a lot of charm, the office scene (you will know which one hehe) especially stood out to me, I enjoyed it a lot.

Ok now let’s get to the meat (terrible choice of words, I apologize):

I haven’t read a single chapter of the webtoon, so I had absolutely no clue what the heck I was getting into but I can’t help but acknowledge how healthy this romance was! When it comes to bedroom-activities I want to everyone to do as they please as long as it is consensual. That being said, sexuality does not exist in a vacuum. I don’t want this review to be a deeper discussion of the ethics behind BDSM, as I for sure am not an expert on the subject, but it’s worth noting that, from a storytelling-standpoint alone, it’s difficult to justify why someone would get enjoyment out of beating the shit out of their partner. Dominant and submissive- these ideas are all about power. It is an incredibly delicate and difficult task to tackle that subject without immediately falling into unhealthy tropes. A story about such a relationship gone wrong can still be meaningful and interesting- but you have to be aware of the toxic dynamic as to not accidentally glamorize abuse. Many other stories have tried and failed the exact same thing (looking at you 50 Shades Of Grey) but for the first time ever I feel like I was offered a believable and healthy glimpse into the world of BDSM.

So what has this film done differently compared to other popular kinky franchises? Let’s first talk about the obvious: our dom is a woman. This might sound trivial to some people but for me this played a huge part in the power dynamic of this couple. As mentioned in the paragraph above, our typical relationship-patterns are not something that have appeared out of thin air. The woman taking a passive role and the man taking the dominating one- that is not a phenomenon that just sort of happened but the result of a deeply patriarchal society.
I want to avoid comparing this film to the 50 Shades-franchise too much because it’s simply too good to be branded as its Korean counterpart but since both tell, or at least attempt to tell the stories of women falling into the world of BDSM and finding sexual liberation, I will have to draw a few parallels:
In 50 Shades we have impressionable and painfully naïve Anna who is being coerced into her partner’s lifestyle. Christian is her first ever boyfriend and other than his attractiveness she virtually has zero reasons to be into him, as he tends to be extremely cruel to her, even outside of the bedroom where it’s all supposed to be part of the play. Anna never seems to make peace with her partners fetish, she just learns to love him despite that until he finally overcomes his trauma and gets over it.
Ji-woo on the other hand is confident and outspoken, those being the very reasons Ji-hoo starts to feel attracted to her. He treats her with immense respect, constantly making sure that she is okay with the whole thing, as he is worried about traumatizing her. She gives him the clear okay for a BDSM-relationship, does extensive research on the topic and gets to explore fetish on her own terms. Ji-woo takes an active part instead of just taking it. We actually see her find joy in taking the lead and being playful and kinky in the bedroom.
Our male love interest here, does not have to be taught to be vulnerable, it’s a core element of his part in the relationship. That alone made for a much healthier romance than I have seen in countless vanilla love stories. Neither does he have to overcome his kink, unlike Christian Grey. Instead Ji-hoo, while being aware and open about his his fetish, is still on a quest to find self-acceptance. This means that he, just like the female protagonist, has to grow into his role of the BDSM-partnership. Our pair gets to explore new things together because they are both equally inexperienced. There is balance in the unbalanced. Their power might be unequal in the bedroom but in the real world both characters maintain a healthy relationship as they figure out how to navigate a master/servant-dynamic together.
But the film doesn’t stay uncritical of the dangers that come with a kink built on an offset power-dynamic. Not only is there a scene dedicated to “fake-doms” abusing their power, our female protagonist herself has to learn the boundaries of her role. The film makes it clear that just because Ji-hoo is a submissive, does not mean that he is entirely passive or anything close to pathetic. Clear communication and respect are still what their relationship thrives off.

It makes a huge difference whether you’re watching a female character grow into the role of a submissive partner or a dominating one. I don’t want to give the impression that I think that every woman that enjoys getting spanked is singlehandedly upholding the patriarchy. As I said, everyone should do as they please as long as it’s consensual, but Love And Leashes makes a much better and more convincing case for female sexual liberation. And ultimately makes a more interesting story, especially taking cultural differences into account. While sexism is an issue everywhere, when it comes to emancipation, East Asia still has a very long way to go. Women being submissive isn’t just role-play, it’s the societal norm. So it is not surprising that Ji-woo expects her coworker to be the dominating type after learning of his fetish. That role already reflects what we as a society expect out of a man. But getting to see Ji-woo find genuine joy in fulfilling her role as a dom was strangely empowering to see. This was a genuinely educational, romantic glimpse into the BDSM-world. They treated the subject matter with the respect it deserves while still being lighthearted enough to work as a romcom and I can’t recommend it enough. While this might not strictly deserve the high rating I gave I think this charming film excels exactly at what it is trying to be with all its flaws and awkwardness. Love and Leashes is a must-see this Valentines-day for everyone looking for a refreshing take on a truly unconventional relationship.

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Beautiful and a breath of fresh air

Everyone of course expected something raunchy or over the top. I really love how they truly put in the effort to show detail to the BDSM community as well. I did not read the manhwa but that doesn't matter because this movie even on its own was really fun to watch. I hope that many other people give this movie a chance and go in with an open mind, not one that expects it to be just like the manhwa. I knew from the beginning kdramas / movies rarely stick to doing things as they really are in webtoons , manhwas, etc. Recommending this to anyone that would love to watch.

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