Love Untangled Review
Director: Namkoong Sun
Date Created: 2025-08-29 16:49
3.5
Love Untangled Review: Written by Ji Chun-hee and Wang Doo-ri and directed by Namkoong Sun, Netflix’s 고백의 역사 is a 119-minute Korean movie that brews a mix of teenage angst, first-time love, and the insecurities that come with youth. The film stars Shin Eun-soo as Park Se-ri and Gong Myoung as Han Yun-seok, among other cast members such as Cha Woo-min, Youn Sang-hyun, Choi Gyu-ri, Lee So-yi, Kang Mi-na and others. The film takes a late-90s tale to pan out for that teen girl Se-ri, who has only one problem in life, being her boisterous frizzy hair—at least until love gets knotted into her scheme of things.
Love Untangled Review
Netflix’s Love Untangled was precisely what I had anticipated that it would be: a cosy romance. But the journey was not without its strengths and weaknesses. Some scenes reminded me to smile nostalgically, while others led me to think that the film could’ve been released much tightly and efficiently.
The best thing about the Love Untangled movie is how immensely relatable Park Se-ri is as a character. She’s insecure, goofy, funny, and at times completely all over the place—essentially the definition of a teenager fighting a severe bout of self-image. Her fixation on needing her naturally curly hair to be straight isn’t only done for humour or goal moments, but also a symptom of a root-deeper insecurity that we’ve all suffered through puberty. It was so long ago when I was in school, and a bad haircut or a faux pas in shoes was literally the end of the world.
The chemistry between Shin Eun-soo and Gong Myoung is also a strong point. While the romance develops in a very formulaic way, moments shared by the two are natural and pleasant to watch. Through the show, there are several of these quiet moments—like sidelong glances and awkward conversations—that left me smiling. Sometimes it is those small moments which bring on the best feeling of a first love more than the more dramatic moments.
Another element I enjoyed was that retro ’90s feel. From disposable cameras to cassette tapes, everything was a pleasant throwback. To me, who grew up before smartphones took over, this element of the film is pure heaven. It also adds a certain charm as the romance unfolds in a pre-texting, pre-social media world—where you had to confess in person and every word and movement mattered.
I also liked the film’s cheerful tone. The cinematography uses warm colours, giving the movie a soft, almost dreamy feeling. The music is playful and light, perfectly matching Se-ri’s chaotic energy. Even when the story dips into sadder moments, the overall mood remains hopeful, which makes Gobaekui Yeoksa a movie an easy to watch after a tiring day.
Although there were many aspects that I loved about the Netflix movie Love Untangled, my biggest issue was that it was extremely uneven in its plot. The start is good, and we sense the day-to-day hardship of Se-ri and her slow-growing love for Yun-seok. But the second half tries to introduce into the equation a more serious conflict that isn’t necessary. It felt like the film was scared it was going to be “too easy,” and therefore it needed to introduce into the equation a whole lot more drama. Personally, it would’ve suited it to keep it purely about the love story and open-minded acceptance of Se-ri.
Casting is another mixed bag. While Shin Eun-soo is perfectly cast as Park Se-ri, as acts well at centring the film—her bodily humour, efficacious emotional face acting, and vivacious youth seemed real. On the other hand, Gong Myoung, though, did not impress me as much as a high schooler should. He acts well, yet he acts like and looks like more than a high schooler should, and this breaks the illusion at times. It didn’t damage the film for me, exactly, but it was distracting at times.
Finally, though the hair as an insecurity metaphor is clear, the film doesn’t develop it as much as it could have. It addresses the pressure of fitting into the ideal of beauty, particularly in Korea, and yet it goes off into light romance and doesn’t finish that one well.
Netflix Love Untangled Review: Summing Up
Despite these flaws, I can’t deny that I had a good time watching the movie Love Untangled. It’s not groundbreaking, but it has heart. I grinned at the silly misadventures of Se-ri, smiled at her fluttering interaction with Yun-seok, and even felt a little nostalgic for the times of my own teenage years. This is the kind of film that you watch when you don’t want something serious or heavy. It will not change the direction of your life, it’ll provide a warm two hours of feeling relaxed and a dash of a reminder that teenage insecurities are a common denominator.
