K-Movie 'Love Untangled' Review, More Than a Makeover Story in Charming 90s Korea

Love Untangled follows a teen who learns her curly hair isn't the barrier to love she thought it was.
Set against a warm 90s Busan backdrop, it explores self-acceptance and first love.
The film is a feel-good journey that delivers a perfectly happy ending.

The new Korean-language film Love Untangled is now streaming on Netflix, offering a sweet, nostalgic escape. The story centers on Park Se-ri (played by Shin Eun-soo), a teenager who is utterly convinced that her big, curly hair is the root of all her romantic problems. She’s certain that if she could just have the same sleek, straight hair as her fraternal twin sister, Hye-ri, she’d finally win the heart of her crush, school heartthrob Kim Hyun (Melo Movie’s Cha Woo-min). Her plan gets a major boost with the arrival of Han Yun-seok (Mercy For None’s Gong Myung), a quiet transfer student from Seoul whose mother, Baek Jang-mi (Hong Eun-hee), is a hairstylist. Se-ri strikes a deal: she’ll help the injured Yun-seok get around school if his mother gives her a free “Seoul magical straightening treatment.” But as she spends more time with Yun-seok, her simple plan gets complicated, making her question who her heart truly belongs to.

While Korea is globally renowned for its romantic comedy K-dramas, its films are often celebrated for more intense genres like violent thrillers or social satires. Love Untangled (also known as 고백의 역사 or “History of Confession”) is a refreshing exception.

“Korean rom-com TV dramas are known for their shamelessly fussy romanticism and fantasy elements. My guess is that since film is a slightly more serious medium, there’s less room for the full-blown feast of awkward overreaction that differentiates Korean rom-com from its western counterparts," Director Sun Namkoong revealed, as quoted from TIME.

This film joins Netflix's growing roster of Korean romance features, aiming to provide the happy ending that 2022’s heart-wrenching 20th Century Girl famously denied viewers.

Breaking Down the Heart of ‘Love Untangled’

The film is far more than a simple makeover story. Se-ri’s journey is about self-acceptance. She straightens her hair and, while it looks great and earns her compliments, she has a pivotal realization during her planned confession to Kim Hyun: she doesn’t love him.

Her connection with Yun-seok, who confesses he actually likes her big, frizzy hair, shows her what real love feels like, being accepted for exactly who you are. The film beautifully captures the intense self-consciousness of youth.

Director Sun explained, “Korean school culture in particular gives you a lot of pressure for looking different. It says a lot that nobody really cares about Se-ri’s hair except Se-ri in our film. Her curls are perfectly fine and everyone else probably knows it, too. But we can relate to her not liking her hair. The parts of us that we can’t change are the parts that we struggle to learn to accept.”

The setting of 1998 Busan is a character in itself, providing a warm, optimistic backdrop. The director chose this era because, "it was a period with a strange cultural optimism. It was the time when the first generation of idol singers came out in Korea, new things exploded in the pop culture scene and new doors were opening for young people.”

The plot also heavily incorporates the immense pressure of the CSAT, Korea’s all-important college entrance exam. Yun-seok’s grand romantic gesture, showing up on CSAT day in a giant teddy bear costume to wish Se-ri luck, is a highlight, perfectly blending Korean tradition with teen movie tropes. The film builds to a fairy-tale ending that director Sun intentionally crafted, stating, “The real world is brutal enough.”

The film holds a solid 7.2/10 rating on IMDb. It did spark some minor controversy online regarding the lead character's curly hair being portrayed as a "complex," but this is directly addressed and deconstructed as the central theme of the film's narrative.

The Cast and Director Share Their Thoughts

Ahead of the release, the director and cast shared their insights into the project. For director Sun Namkoong, curly hair was a powerful symbol.

"The curly hair is the protagonist's complex, something she can't control. Our film asks viewers if it's really necessary to change that," she added.

She also revealed her inspirations were a mix of classic American teen movies like The Breakfast Club and Clueless and the arthouse films of directors like Gus Van Sant and Edward Yang.

Shin Eun-soo, who brings the energetic Se-ri to life, found similarities with her own personality.

"Park Se-ri has a very bright and positive energy, and she has a charm that makes people feel good just by seeing her. She's similar to my own personality that comes out when I get close and comfortable.

She also took on the challenge of learning the Busan dialect for the role, working with a coach multiple times a week and getting help from her Busan-native co-stars, Cha Woo-min and Yoon Sang-hyun.

Cha Woo-min, who plays the popular Kim Hyun, discussed his role, saying, "I was drawn to the fact that the film is set in Busan, and I thought it was a calm and cute script among the ones I've recently received, which was appealing."

So, What’s It All About? A Brief Synopsis of Love Untangled

Love Untangled is a teen romance set in Busan in 1998. It follows 19-year-old Park Se-ri as she makes a plan to overcome her lifelong complex by straightening her curly hair and then confessing her love to her crush. But things get complicated when she gets entangled with a new transfer student, Han Yun-seok. The film follows her journey of self-discovery, first love, and learning to accept the parts of herself she thought she needed to change.

So, should you watch it? Well, that's entirely up to you. But if you're in the mood for a heartfelt, nostalgic coming-of-age story with a satisfying dose of romance and a meaningful message about self-love, Love Untangled might just be the perfect Netflix escape you're looking for.

Source: TIME, Netflix, IMDb, The Korea Times, The Korea Herald