"The Trunk," "Love Next Door," and "When the Phone Rings": Brief and Not-So-Brief Opinions: Part 14

When the Phone Rings (Netflix), The Trunk (Netflix), and Love Next Door (Netflix).

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The 'brief and not-so-brief opinions' articles are my outlet to rant about or appreciate movies, shows and their elements. I will express my thoughts while watching and after or only after watching, it depends. I will not be rating. These are not spoiler-free for the most part, and no research will be made for or about them (unless it's out of curiosity or accidental, which would be mentioned). They are in no particular order of recent watching as well. However, the opinions are based on the order in which the movie or series is viewed (for the most part). This wouldn't be as structured or detailed, and there would be no set number of picks per article. It would be just as things go. It is intended to be casual. So think…conversations about movie plots, characters, topics, or something like that.

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Love Next Door (2024)

The wonderful, whimsical, and troublesome Love Next Door trope is evident in the relationship between neighbours and childhood friends, Choi Seung-hyo and Bae Seok-ryu. I love how much they supported each other and yearned for each other, with Seung-hyo recognizing and acknowledging it earlier than Seok-ryu did, showing that it was mutual love all along. I also liked the side couple of Kang Dan-ho and Jeong Mo-eum, but the Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu couple is one of my favourite K-Drama couples, along with Jeong Gu-won and Do Do-hee from My Demon. I absolutely love them and everything about the 2023 series, My Demon. I loved their personalities, outfits, romance, the supernatural aspects, and their past lives in the Joseon era, which was a better version of the Destined with You series that I hate-watched for a bit before stopping.

I was surprised by how involved their parents' lives were in this and I liked their various relationships as well. Their families were so intertwined, and seeing how much they cared for one another was moving. It's such an endearing and realistic story, evident in the deviation from cheating as the reason for the broken engagement, but due to exhaustion and different emotions at the time. I loved the maturity, growth, and communication all around. I enjoyed this series and loved the topics they covered. It is a beautifully layered and heart-warming story that explores emotions, friendships, and relationships well.

The Trunk (2024)

The Trunk is a modern drama focused on the life of Han Jeong-won and his contract marriage to Noh In-ji, a punishment from his ex-wife, Lee Seo-yeon. As I watched, I exercised a lot of patience, hoping that Seo-yeon's reason would be justified, instead, she became more and more controlling. I was convinced that she may never have cared about him, given all she did to him, or maybe she once did and felt unloved because he always sought after In-ji. To be honest, I'm inclined to believe she's just heinous in nature as In-ji, and all the other characters, including Seo-yeon, believed as well. The scene of her opening the trunk was interesting, especially after learning that she had stepped into traffic while pregnant and hated that Jeong-won chose the baby instead of her. This scene showed that she may have actually cared about the baby, despite her choice, as it was full of baby clothing and items in the duplicate trunk of In-ji's. Regardless, Seo-yeon was let off far easier than I think she should have especially for the emotional manipulation and drug supplying to Jeong-won. 

I liked In-ji's relationship with Jeong-won. They supported each other and were vulnerable with each other over time. She gave him the strength to open up about the sorrowful story of his parents and go against Seo-yeon. I was proud of their individual and collective emotional growth. I loved the ending. I appreciate that they didn't just fast track things for a happy ending with the two. We already saw how wonderful they would be as a couple during their marriage and now they have to heal from all they went through individually before reuniting. It's a mature and realistic approach, and the audience is not without hope of their coming together again, as their paths have aligned several times already, including the scene by the end where In-ji wants to reach out to Jeong-won, similar to the scene where Jeong-won wanted to reach out to In-ji after she bought the trunk. It's a moody watch based on the book of the same name authored by Kim Ryeo-ryeong, and I enjoyed it.

When the Phone Rings (2024)

When the phone rings is a 2024 series based on the 2022 web novel, "The Number You Have Dialed," authored by Geon Eomul Nye, and is the source for the ongoing Manhwa (South Korean comic) adaptation. Sa-eon is a typical emotionally constipated male lead who is strict with his mute wife, Hong Hee-joo. The kidnapping of his wife leads to several events as Hee-joo, feeling betrayed, devises a plan to escape the contract marriage unscathed. As she pretends to be the kidnapper with the unique phone she escaped with, the kidnapper returns for the phone and much more. The Kidnapper, played by Park Jae-yoon, is the villain and the real Baek Sa-eon, who was left to die due to his odd tendencies, seen as evil and unworthy of the Baek family. This man is the creepiest stalker and killer character I've seen in a K-drama yet. Jae-yoon's performance was remarkable and truly impactful with lasting aftermath. He delivered a truly great performance especially with the Hee-joo character. Hee-joo's struggles, triumphs and other emotions are delivered excellently through Chae Soo-bin.

The series is suspenseful, with several mysteries and tragedies, but Hee-joo and Sa-eon recall moments from their childhood as they rekindle their marriage through daily phone calls, initially assumed to be from the kidnapper. I loved the growth, reveals, and pacing of the series overall, but the finale ruined my experience, as the ending felt rushed and uncharacteristically happy. Especially with the first name change, I felt it was pointless, as the surname change would have had a more significant impact. Regardless, the series is an intense and enjoyable watch.

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