Amor com Fetiche (2022)

Surprisingly wholesome and not what I expected

I'm writing this as someone who hasn't read the manhwa and tbh I liked it a lot. I was afraid that they would make BDSM into something that's only funny and weird but I liked how there were characters who treated it normally and not just like it's a weird kink. I liked both leads a lot like how Jiwoo was a strong woman who won't take shit from anyone like her misogynistic boss also she was really sexy in the scenes where they did a play especially the one in the red room (I screamed lmao). Jihoo was really vulnerable and honest with his feelings which I really was touched by especially when he said that Jiwoo was the one and only sun to him (I may have cried a lil). It's refreshing to see how he also owned up to his preferences in front of the disciplinary board/bosses unlike others who usually would keep quiet and let the girl/their partner take all the blame because of their pride. It also showed the proper way of BDSM as well as the wrong way so people will be educated on the difference and the importance of consent. It also showed that not only men could be problematic but also women (Jihoo's ex) could also be toxic and manipulative which is not shown a lot in media. The only thing that I have a complaint about is that I feel that the development of their feelings into love could have been shown more which would have been shown if this was a series but alas it's a movie (unless they have a part 2?). Anyways, it's worth the watch! Just don't watch this with your parents because it is really suggestive though there was no nudity so incase they walk in you're safe on that aspect lol.

Leia Mais

Simple, Sexy and Clear - Recommended

This was a good film with a clean and simple storyline. The actors did a phenomenal job playing these characters, not once do they falter. It's a great film to start the conversation about BDSM - informative yet not too graphic. The side characters are a good addition and help keep the plot straight without too much interference. Kudos to the leads for making the characters seem so real. A definite mention for the director and screenplay writer - jobs well done. The movie is exciting and makes for a good watch. It has a good enough light side to it where it can be rewatched. Lots of fun and a definite recommendation!

Leia Mais

Butterflies, Butterflies, Butterflies!!!!

I must say female directors are really killing it, there's a notable difference in nuances comapred to male directors. It's the same case in this, the small details in the slow burn romance that director Park Hyeon Jin show fantasticly.

Isn't there atleast one secret desire waitng within your heart? Something that you can't admit to yourself.

Love and Leashes was not what I expected, especially with the 18+ rating on Netflix but it was probably for the better. It showed a more realistic approach and focused on the slow burn romance of our leads.

Here's what I found good about Love and Leashes

Story
it bravely took an unconventional and unique topic into life especially in Korea, so that's something to applaud. Besides that we get office situations, friendship, and slow burn romance. One problem I do have was the Hanna and Jihoo storyline, it was unnecessary.

Social Issues
The things shown here might be over the top and in your face but nonetheless it was still shown well. Right from the start we see how men and women are treated differently inside a workplace and goes on throughout the film. Many more realting to this as you decide to watch.

Comedy
10mins in and I am laughing out loud. The comedy here is my style, very light and fun.

Technical
Music was slow and romantic, perfectly fits the theme of the film. Cinematography for a romantic comedy was also good.

Pacing
A lot might dislike the slow burn romance and think this has bad pacing. However I sooo love it, the build up, the character developing, the realization of love.

Acting
SEOHYUNNNNNNN the woman that you areee?? She was outstanding here, it was a 360 turn to the image she has created. Proves how great of an actress she is.
This is my first time seeing Jun yeong and thought he did as well as Seohyun. Portraying someone that is considered uncanny is difficult and props to him.

Favorite part
During the scene where they were alone in the office. As I said Seohyun is amazing, her expressions and eyes changed in a blink of an eye. Furthermore it unlocks different varieties of emotions throughout and jad me at a lost of breath.

Ending
PERFECTTT!!! Just watch it right now.


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Overall
To anyone just wanting to watch a romcom but wants it a little racy, this is the movie for you. Honestly even if it was a slow burn, I think none fans of this can overlook it because the build up was as entertaining in my perspective.

Leia Mais

Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadochism and Masochism

Love and Leashes are definitely entertaining! It's fun to watch. Crazy good chemistry between Seohyun and Lee Jun-Young. The concept of BDSM and love was detailed. Even though BDSM was well explained and how it feels like to have a fetish and be accepted was well detailed, there was something lacking! There could have been more depth to it. Moreover, there are many erotic scenes, that were beautifully layered, especially the editing of this movie is really good. Another thing is that Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadochism and Masochism, all these concepts of BDSM were so interesting. The way it was shown, not just scenes but the meaning behind it and stuff.

Leia Mais

Sexual Education & Product Placement

Always eager to watch romcom that test some boundaries I watched Love and Leashes until the very end. I saw the FL/ML frolicking on a comfy bed; she with Timotei wavy hair, he with a cutie pie smile on his face uttering "Saranghaeyo Ju-in", and I just sat there on my couch, thinking WHAT?!

Story
I THOUGHT I was going to see an office romcom with two colleagues exploring their sexual wishes, a BDSM version of the wonderful phonesex romcom Whatcha' Wearin? (2012). I expected they would use the Korean office hierarchy as the perfect breeding ground for humiliation kinks, but what I SAW was a sexual education class; a BDSM kiddy version with commercial incentives. This time no rings, shoes or designer bags, but collars, dildos, candles, leashes. I do admire the Korean business attitude, but really, I expected less toys, more arthouse, and creative kinkiness.

The Good
Love & Leashes isn't romcom, it's a warm and sweet opinion on sexual self-exploration. Ji-woo does research on the internet, and the audience looks over her shoulder. Kinks are explained in voice-overs, distinctions are made between D/S and SM play, we see the use of safe words, aftercare, and the whole shebang.

The Bad
What I personally wanted to see though, is the BDSM psychology. What makes it good to feel pain, why do people love to bound someone literally, is BDSM in our nature or is it nurture? There were some hints to the answers, but not much, and not really funny.

Overall
BDSM can be interpreted in romcom style, and there are good examples from more than 20 years ago. Try Pedro Almodóvar's "Tie me Up! Tie Me Down" (1989) with young Antonio Banderas; or Secretary (2002). The only newness I could find in Love and Leashes was that it is Korean, with product placements in style.

Leia Mais

Love or Leashes?

i am writing this opinion as a webtoon reader of the original... and i honestly would have preferred if this was readapted into a mini-series instead of a movie.. and here's why i felt so..

STORY
I may be biased since I am comparing it to the webtoon, but honestly if this was a drama, there would have been more time to understand each character's backstory,...

Jiwoo: I really love her character in the webtoon, and I think the adaption here is 80% synchronized. But the Jiwoo in the webtoon is more cold-headed, but there were some parts (e.g her showing her anger, the scene of her cursing) that made me felt disjoined from the character portrated in the webtoon. Also, I honestly would have preferred if there was some development regarding Jiwoo BDSM's tendencies. In the film, her finding out Jihoo's fetish, and coming to accept it all came too fast... and the confession scene felt un-Jiwoo for me. In the webtoon, the confession was more like after she sorted out her boundaries etc. Here was more like an order, and Jihoo just adamantly rejected ..
Jihoo: I actually wanted to see some flashback scenes of why he became a male-sub. It was only briefly explained through voiceover dialogue but I felt that it was an important one. There were quite a build up and explanation in the webtoon. I also wished there was more conflicts of Jihoo with himself? In webtoon, there was the vandalism plot (Hana stalker ex-bf) and Ivan (i think they made him into Lee Han here) which had him in stress over his preferences. There was also Jihoo's ex-bf + blind date in the webtoon that were development scenes for Jihoo to question the boundaries between wanting Jiwoo as his master, girlfriend or both. I think since this is a movie, there wasn't time to build on this, so everything felt rush. But of course, there may be a different perspective for watchers whom had not read the webtoon.
-In the webtoon i really liked Hanna & the cafe owner whom was Jihoo's best friend! Their interaction was so cute!! but i think they integrated Hanna's character into Lee El's character, so :( and they removed Jihoo's best friend, whom i actually really like in the webtoon (HE IS SUPER TSUNDERE)
-Also, the confrontation scene between Jihoo's ex and Jiwoo was actually more interesting in the webtoon.. i can't believe they only just brushed by each other in the film :(
-Also Ivan, was one pivotal character i feel in the webtoon because he actually likes Jiwoo (which makes Jihoo nervous) but then also finds out his secret fetish.. but there wasn't much utilization of his character here other than ousting the two's BDSM voice recording...

Acting
I have nothing to pick on about the acting! For Seohyun i am really seeing her in a new light?? Because let's be frank, i think even some SONES would not have expected her to choose such a production!!! But then she nailed it?? it was completely natural for me :D For Junhyoung, i have no comparisons since its the first time i am watching him act, but i would say he really gave me that puppy vibe HAHHA which i think was what the director was going for :)

Overall, as a fan of the webtoon, i will obviously pick the webtoon over the film. But one good thing of this film is, i really liked how they handled the part on gender discrimination at workplace because this is what actually happens irl??? this also justifies why people like Jihoo wants to hide their preferences. I also preferred the film's ending because i did see sides of Jihoo as a man, and not as a sub to Jiwoo after they established their dating + sub & dom r/s in the film but i didnt see much of it in the webtoon... the webtoon was almost likely an open ending. I would say, it's a good watch still. I am curious of opinions of non-readers to be honest since I think my review was very biased since i kept comparing to the webtoon :|

Leia Mais

A daring theme but lackluster execution

Right from the day the trailer premiered on Youtube, I had high expectations from this movie. Looking at the cast was the biggest surprise because who ever thought that Seohyun and Jun could ever be in a movie which has a risque and BDSM theme?! I was expecting a lot of naughty scenes and some nudity but this movie was tamer than I thought. While the focus on the playing part is quite evident, I expected a more daring scenes like 50 Shades which this movie is definitely not.

PLOT:
I liked the first half of the plot better than the events that followed towards the end. It was slow and not as funny nor deep as it was trying to be. While I did like that this movie attempts to educate general viewers on BDSM and to show that kinks aren't always shameful it also misses its mark in a lot of places. While the set up is quite fresh, I felt like this movie missed out on a lot of its potential. Not to mention some clichés towards the end that just made my eyes roll and the ending was also a bit lacking for me.

CAST:
While Seohyun really, really tried to come as a cool and mature woman to me she still has the same cute face she did years ago in SNSD. Knowing her real life personality, I appreciate that she must have really worked hard to seem believable in this role an d I'm glad that she is someone who is ready to take on bold projects. In spite of it all she still lacks a lot in the acting department and should stick to side roles. Jun is decent but again- I only ever enjoyed his acting fully in his past dramas. But I could tell that the cast really worked hard for their roles which was good but the acting wasn't the best (although they were really easy on the eyes).

OVERALL:
While I was super excited to catch this movie on its premiere date, it fell terribly short of my expectations. It could have been shorter, deeper, better acted and better written. It does have places where it worked, especially with breaking stereotypes on BDSM and dealing with embarrassment and trying to hide it from others, it still had a lot to make up for. Now I am not sure if the movie was worth the wait and excitement I had over the past weeks. This isn't a movie to recommend but fine if you want to kill time watching something chill over a weekend.

Leia Mais

This was better than I expected. I had really worried they’d make it cringe just so they can mainstream BDSM but this was thoughtfully made. This was more of an introduction to BDSM with the script including informative dialogue to provide a more accurate representation of what fetish is as opposed to the misguided notion the public has on it (ironically enough, the script took care in doing so and yet there was a comment on the drama page that concluded the kink signified trauma and the characters needed therapy. Smh. The damage 50 shade of hell did is irreparable!)

I’d label this more as a rom-com than kink tv with the 1st third making me giggle (and cringe) while the 2nd third had enough sensual and the final 3rd closed the loop by bringing both together. The actors did very well in depicting their respective characters perfectly (disregard synopsis description of ML for this). Although many are impressed by Lee Jun Young’s performance (he did indeed do very well) my eyes were fixed on Seo Hyun. 1st reason being my superficial side found her damn fine esp. in that red room. In leather. (Netflix being petty wouldn’t let me screenshot) but 2nd reason being, I love how calm and collected her character was and how mature and diligent she was in learning this new life she found herself into. Watching her go from utterly innocent to a dominatrix was fascinating to watch.

Besides the contractual DS part, the movie also touches on subjects of misogyny, insecurity, misperception etc. Though these issues were shown they were not deeply explored. And even when dealt with it was on a quick and superficial manner. Which considering the time constraint is understandable.

Now what I didn’t like is the office drama in the last third. I’d have preferred if the script hadn’t gone that route and had actually maintained the stance that work and personal life can completely stay separate. To top it off I hate public declaration of affection/ preachy speeches and sermons and they decided to do that. It was completely unnecessary and major cringe!

Leia Mais

It shouldn’t be acceptable to be abusive to someone just because they’re different

I loved what this movie addressed, how it addressed, and why it addressed. It was bold, without being vulgar in the sense that would offend anyone. More importantly, it cleverly manages the stigma and shame associated with non-traditional practices, and the risk it poses to practitioners who wish to disclose their interest in a closed and judgmental society. Desipte it only scratching the surface, I appreciated that it made the attempt. It emotionally drew me in how the two leads interpreted and approached the complexity of the practice in the non-dating situation, where they both try to balance their desire for appropriateness with the desire for connection and honesty. I liked the writer's approach of humor in handling such a serious and complicated issue. It especially worked well in some of the more sensitive moments of the movie. Great writing, directing, editing and storytelling.

As for the actors, I have to say this movie would not be the same without Seo Hyun and Lee Jun Young, and particularly Lee Jun Young a thousand and one kudos for his brilliant, brilliant acting — everything from his facial and bodily expressions and how he uses his eyes, and practically all his senses. I was totally and completely drawn to him from the minute he gets on screen. I was reminded why I fell for him in the drama Avengers Social Club. I commend them both for taking on such bold roles and giving it their all. They were both fantastic in how they interpreted their individual characters and in their chemistry together on screen. They made a life-long fan out of me. As much as the drama was centered on our leads, I have to give kudos to Baek Hyun Joo as Ji Woo's very progressive mother. I loved her character and mother, and Lee El as a friend and kindred spirit. A job well done on both fronts.

I commend this movie for the message it sends to the many who feel they don't belong or think they've done something wrong because of their non-traditional practices. It lets them know loud and clear that they are not alone. They didn't do anything wrong, and being different doesn't mean they are bad, so what if people call them perverts. What’s wrong with being a pervert; come to think of it, what is a pervert? A pervert is defined as “a person with unusual or abnormal sexual tastes.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve done anything wrong. Someone with a shoe or hand-fetish can be seen as a pervert. It doesn’t make them evil, just different. So in that sense, I like that the movie brings awareness to the deplorable acts of discrimination against those who are different for simply being different, while assuring them they are not alone. We must be the change we want to see.

Leia Mais

Good contribution for more movies on those topics

This review is based on just watching the movie, not knowing the webtoon, what I see makes quite a difference in rating.

I didn't know what to expect, but I think it handled that multifaceted topic BDSM quite in a good way, as far as I can judge. Especially they've done it with respect and care of the protagonists. So in that sense it gives a strong statement to respect and accept people having different desires, especially the ones not being generally accepted by "normal" society and to have an open mind and awareness to that. So many people lacking of having that mindset still. That awareness worked very well throughout the whole movie for me and made me rate it that high. Also the FL and ML were acting perfectly well I think. I hope they'll do more in the future. Also the other cast was very good.

Of course some aspects were a bit fast paced or not covered much, like their background or the transition of their relationship. That would have needed more episodes than just a movie and I wouldn't mind seeing a sequell covering that. I read that the webtoon provided more detail. But on the other hand to drag that into a 16 episode drama would've been too long and led to the usual plot problems of lengthy dramas.

So why not see that movie as a good contribution to do more stuff on such topics in society ?

Leia Mais

Bdsm!? That killed my curiosity!

When I first saw its trailer ..bdsm? OMG ! I was thinking what kind story they are going to put it in. The poster of the movie also gained my attraction where there were no usual dark colours but more lively colours .,and also the Jun in the posters. Now that I have seen the movie....I would like to say it's awesome.
As other bdsm ,here it's not toxic,but it is cute and sexy.

Story : the uniqueness of the movie itself is the bdsm . And I was thinking will the movie will be able to execute well and portray the bdsm as the viewer needs? Well... In my opinion the story is executed well ..and the director and writer has done a good job in it making it no boring. The main leads roles from colleagues to dom and sub was impressive. I really liked how the FL tried understand the ML's interest and also how she try to be the dom that she has never done. Frankly speaking I really don't know much about BDSM ,but from this movie I understood that BDSM movie can also be made in cute and comedic way .
This movie also contributed how bdsm can be bad too.. but they didn't go more in to that .( That's for the better, other wise the story's genre would have changed to thriller). And also how bdsm can affect realtionships too. I really liked how the main leads realtionship changed from colleagues to awkwardness and to awesome cute sexy bdsm scenes .Any way I liked the story. Even though the story was simple it was executed well.


Acting: both the main leads have done a good job in playing their characters.especailly Jun , he proved that he is a talented actor ,other than as an idol. Acting cute,playing dog and BD scenes showed his other side as an actor.comparing to his other dramas he done good job in this movie. Next ,the FL, seohyun ...,when I first saw her as cast I was thinking will she able to be a fit for this character? But I was wrong! She was the best casting. In the movie her cold eyes and character voiced that ' I m the master'. I could feel it! . The chemistry of the main leads was good. The part where they played the dog was really funny. I liked how they played the dom and sub .they have done good job in portraying their characters and it was suited for story.


Music : music? Honestly, I really didn't hear any music while watching this movie. Is it because I was too immersed in the movie?^_^


Re-watch value: I won't say It has good re-watch value.it is good for a one time entertainment.but for some they may can see it many time as needed.

Overall: overall the movie is good.the plot is interesting, I really liked how they added rom- com to bdsm instead of it becoming toxic. And also Jun playing the sub part ,showed that even though jihoo is perfect as from head to toe ,loved by everyone on outside, but inside he had a secret that was hidden that he likes feel to be crumbled and feel pain . So , this movie also shows that everybody is not perfect concept too ! Any way give it a try.. ..

Leia Mais

Beginners Guide to BDSM

when we hear about BDSM, the first thing that comes to mind is Fifty Shades of Grey, where we saw the richness, privet jets or better say a billionaire's secret desires. it seemed all right since he was Rich, if he was poor it would turn into some crime movie.
Love and Leashes show the desires of an average office working guy, who is afraid that society might think of him as a pervert. but he meets someone who catches him but doesn't tell anybody. they both are novices to BDSM but give their best to learn and explore this new world. there is mild nudity(as ML is shirtless in a few scenes) but has a complicated shyness. this movie could have gone all wrong but it maintained the subject and the characters well. they felt raw, sexy, and clean. it had subtle rom-com too, not making it into some XXX nude content. this movie is a guide for average people who aren't rich like Mr. Christian Grey could also enjoy BDSM, but first of all, a CONSENT IS A MUST.

the exploring of this hush-hush world through the FL was done awesomely, she maintains her Dominant play well. but as a woman, she showed her weaknesses too. I loved her hard work learning about BDSM. Submissive ML was a charm, he was cute, courteous, and sexy in his work clothes wearing those ropes and belts.

EVERYONE DID A GREAT JOB. ACTORS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS EVERYONE DESERVES AN APPLAUSE.

Leia Mais