Netflix has greenlit “Love Untangled,” a youth romance feature set in 1998 that explores themes of first love and friendship. The film follows 19-year-old Park Se-ri as she plans to straighten her perpetually frizzy hair before making a life-changing confession, all while getting entangled with transfer student Han Yun-seok.
The film boasts an exciting line-up of fresh faces, including Gong Myung, Shin Eun-soo, Cha Woo-min, Yoon Sang-hyeon, and Kang Mi-na. Gong Myung (“Lovers of the Red Sky,” “Killing Romance,” “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” ) plays Han Yun-seok, a transfer student who gets involved with Se-ri’s mission to confess to her crush. His character, who stays by Se-ri’s side with a seemingly indifferent demeanor as she strives to win over her crush, is expected to make audiences’ hearts flutter.
Shin Eun-soo (“Twinkling Watermelon,” “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned”) plays Park Se-ri, a high school student who has a lifelong frustration with her unruly curly hair that she just can’t seem to straighten. Determined to confess her feelings to the most popular student at school, she believes the key to success is straightening her hair and enlists the help of the transfer student Han Yun-seok. Shin Eun-soo’s cute and charming performance as Se-ri is one audiences will have to watch out for.
Bringing fresh energy and capturing the essence of youthful nostalgia, the rest of the cast includes:
- Cha Woo-min (“Weak Hero Class 1,” “Night Has Come”) as Kim Hyeon, Se-ri’s crush and the most popular student in school.
- Yoon Sang-hyeon (“Doctor Slump,” “Under the Queen’s Umbrella”) as Baek Seong-rae, Se-ri’s classmate, desk mate, and friend who helps her with her crush confession operation.
- Kang Mi-na (“Welcome to Samdal-ri,” “Usury Academy,” “Café Minamdang”) as Ko In-jeong, Se-ri’s rival and friend who shares secrets about straightened hair.
“Love Untangled” is directed by Namkoong Sun, who has received accolades by numerous awards. For her short film “Worst Friends,” she received the Best Film Award in the “A City of Sadness” category at the 8th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival, and the Grand Prize at the 2024 Jeonju International Film Festival for her independent feature film “Time to Be Strong.” Director Namkoong’s early career was marked by her sensible directing, earning her invitations to prominent film festivals both locally and internationally with pieces such as “The End of the World” and “Ten Months.”
In “Love Untangled,” she will bring her unique perspective to explore the unpredictable nature of teen love and friendship with warmth and depth. The film is also produced by the renowned bombaramfilm, the studio behind “Kim Ji-young: Born 1982.”
Stay tuned for the glittering chemistry between the next generation rising stars in “Love Untangled,” only on Netflix.