Love and Leashes (모럴센스)is a romantic movie directed by Park Hyeon-jin and stars Seohyun, Lee Jun-young, and EL, alongside other cast members. The movie has a runtime of 118 minutes.
Netflix describes the movie as:
Love never hurt so good for two co-workers who enter a contractual relationship as partners in consensual play, pleasure and pain.
– Love and Leashes review does not contain spoilers –
Man, talk about awkward office encounters. As well as very racy office romances. This is what encompasses Netflix’s Korean fare for the week Love and Leashes. Although both Ji-hoo and Ji-woo seem like very normal, “vanilla” people, it turns out there is more than meets the eye with these two. And when that comes out in the open, much to both of their shock and amusement, it sends off sparks that I am sure audiences were not ready for.
Now, I am not going to sit there and pretend that I know a lot about BDSM. I really do not. Neither do I believe that 50 Shades of Grey is the ultimate movie on it. You do get a rundown of what BDSM might entail very sparingly at first in the movie. But as the movie progresses, it becomes apparent that the movie tries to be a comedy about the awkwardness of having kinks.
There’s also an emotional aspect to it, especially because crybaby Ji-hoo is scared shitless that people will judge him for his kinks. It’s nice how the creators really tried to get the point home that there’s nothing wrong with having kinks and that’s something that the movie stays true to throughout its runtime.
Love and Leashes takes a bit of time to get to its complicated relationships but once it does, it gives a lot to think about. The sexual tension burns through the screen since every action is slow and calculated. There’s a moment of comedy after these intense sequences that cut through the heavy feeling of tension. The sexual tension rings heavy in the air even during the vanilla moments. Shockingly, the movie doesn’t have any sex.
The difference between their work and play environments, which take place one after the other, is as stark as can be. It’s an entertaining watch definitely and one that gave me goosebumps several times. Plus, it was hella fun to watch the two bounce their crazies off each other. Chemistry is the main part of movies that showcase intense dominant-submissive relationships and Seohyun and Lee Jun-young look every bit the part. Their chemistry is infectious and although sometimes you can guess that Seohyun isn’t whipping Jun-young in reality, it still plays out great between the two.
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The bright reds on dark and dreary backgrounds look absolutely beautiful as does the entire movie. Cinematography-wise, the movie is deliciously beautiful and adds to the intense bondage scenes. The shots are taken so wonderfully and the colours are so warm that there’s a feeling of comfort even if the situations are unfamiliar and seem a bit scary.
I have my apprehensions, however, about exposing unsuspecting people to your kinks. I think the first rule of BDSM is consent and exposing these people in a random park is just so bad. Also, people who are totally about the BDSM life calling themselves perverts send out the wrong message. Having a kink is fine, as long as there is consent. There’s nothing perverted about it.
Either way, as the conflict comes into the picture, you feel bad for everyone. But the conflict was meant to be, it’s an expected outcome to a rather odd situation. However, the issue is solved rather theatrically and easily and that’s where the movie kind of flounders. After that slight conflict, the tone of the entire movie feels a bit off. You are left dissatisfied with the route that the movie takes and although a happy ending is all that we crave, the movie doesn’t mull over the complex Dom-Sub relationship between the protagonists. Also, the overlong start seems a bit overkill when the time could’ve been utilised for a better understanding of the characters and their intentions.
Summing up: Love and Leashes
Love and Leashes gives us a lot of hope as to what is about to come when it first starts off. Unfortunately, as it comes to an end, you are left dissatisfied and rather underwhelmed since the resolution of the conflicts and complex emotions seem ingenuine. All in all, it’s a rather vanilla BDSM movie that doesn’t take the ultimate leap of faith and stays in safer waters. It’s entertaining to watch though if you want something to relieve your stress.
The movie’s heart is at the right place, it’s just that its execution is extremely flawed.
Love and Leashes is streaming on Netflix.
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I have to agree with every word of this review. The end was sort of a let down. The movie isn’t sure if it wants to be casual sex, or a relationship story. You wind up really liking the characters, especially Lee Jun-Young (actor) but are left feeling like nothing is really resolved. And there are some scenes toward the end that are plain flat out confusing, as if they were an after thought and stuck in there to try and develop the romantic side to their relationship. That was super disappointing. I will say that Jun”s acting was very good. I hope to see him in more films.