The Trunk (2024)

Most memerable drama of 2024

I enjoyed Seo Hyun Jin in Another Miss Ohh and The Beauty Inside, which I coincidentally watched only a couple of weeks ago, and so I was really interested to see how she would do in this new drama and wow I was not ready for how great she would be! The show hooked me quickly with its mysterious plot and the asymmetrical, curved, modern, wealthy yet cold and emotionless interiors or the main settings contrasted with where the FML comes from, not wealthy yet equally cold and emotionless. The cool tone of the lighting and the stark cinematography reflects how the characters feel no connection anymore to the world around them, the tone at times is so dark and foreboding that it felt difficult to watch, and found myself taking breaks to steady myself to watch further. The circumstances of the arranged marriage between the ML and Seo Hyun Jin's character is never really explained in a way that made any sense to this viewer, and one sort of has to set that aside and just accept that they have been thrown together into this situation. The reward for doing so is seeing the outstanding performances of the two leads portraying characters with hearts so broken come slowly back on line. Many of the most emotionally powerful moments of the film having little or no dialog whatsoever, with much being expressed through the eyes and small, silent kindnesses and affirmations, and I think it takes both great acting and mature, authentic chemistry between actors to pull that off, and they did in spades. Whereas I frequently forget a drama almost as soon as the final credits start rolling. I feel Seo Hyun Jin's performance, and also that of the other actors, was such that this show will stay with me, much as My Mister did before it, for a long time to come.

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Gong Yoo shines brilliantly in the dark

A melodramatic thriller centred on 2 leads and the collision of the utter snakepits each of their lives have become individually. Psychologically claustrophobic plot. Gong Yoo (as Han Jeong Won) and Seo Hyun Jin (as Noh In Ji) work brilliantly together as 2 anti-heroes who yearn for happiness but are trapped not just by manipulative and abusive friends and family, but by their own numbed and stilled psyches.

Gong Yoo, suffocated and angry, as always emotes with every careful move of his body and gaze. Seo Hyun Jin's character uses her beautiful closed face to survive so the actress clearly indicates her thought processes by her timing and her movements. When Inji loses control and starts in on the usual FL idiocy (taking all the blame on herself etc.) it doesn't last long. The strengths of the performances of Jung Yun Ha (as Lee Seo Yeon the ex-wife) and Cho I Geon (as her own temporary husband, Yun Ji Oh) are central to the plot and to the success of the show overall.

The main set, the home of Jeong Won's dead parents is one of those architectural excesses symbolically perfect for the hermit-crab existence of JW in the grandiose ruins of his horrible family history. The central element is a modern chandelier of grotesque Versailles proportions hanging over a two story central space off which open all the living areas.

In Ji is inserted into this cave-like structure by a semi-sinister version of a matchmaking bureau which specializes in discreet temporary contract-marriages for transactional reasons. JW's ex, a malevolent architect herself, also fits into this set as an absent presence, since she herself actually engineered the whole premise of the show, the dual contract-marriages.

This is a good watch for fans of kdrama for whom plot doesn't matter as much as camerawork, soundtrack and the play of formulaic expectations. A great watch for Gong Yoo fans who always knew he would be smoking hot in bed. But it is a show which bends the rules for the OTP so far that it will be up to you to decide whether or not you have been emotionally deceived and how cynically this was done.

At 8 episodes of 1hr ea. we are looking at one of the new lengths for a kdrama. At this point writers and directors have to decide which standard elements to keep, how much time to allot to them etc. In my timid opinion (timid bec the extremely distinguished director, Kim Kyu Tae is obviously fully intentional in his choices) this type of story needed a 10 ep. structure in order to more firmly establish a key anchor for kdrama, the relationships of family and friends over time as context. At 8 eps, the show was way intense, and the standard time-jump later on in the show felt more jarring than usual. I didnt feel ready for it.

My advice for getting around this is not to binge the whole show at once and go to sleep unhappy, as I did. I woke up the next day with a completely different perspective and decided I loved the Trunk. The next day I disliked it, and the next day etc.

I needed time to appreciate it, and in a classic 16 ep form that appreciation would have been done in tandem with the usual chorus of observers (families, friends and village idiots) within the drama itself. Although those characters were in the story, afterwards I literally felt they needed their own small corners (time, musical themes etc) to thrive in. Without them, the development of discussion and perspective has to be internal to the spectator, as in a movie....

Addendum 31/12/24
The symbolic frame of the Trunk was obscure to me on the first watch but one interpretation bobbed up (!) from the subconscious today, just as the two trunks did in the show’s really distracting anticlimax.

Two trunks, large enough to contain lives, pertain primarily to previous events in the lives of the ex-wife and the hired live-in wife. One loses a child and the other is abandoned at the altar. The trunks are submerged amidst confusing events. The overt issues between the psychologically imprisoned pair have already been somewhat resolved before the trunks actually show up again.

The dramatic action of the Trunk moves from the light of reason in the public lives of the two protagonists down into a dark psychological space for most of the show, only to emerge again as public at the very end. The trunks follow this trajectory. For me the status of the trunks as luxury items was somehow offensively distracting, although practical from the point of the plot (luxury items are easier to trace).

The twinning of the trunks makes little sense because it confuses the simple parallels between the pairs of lovers which is the main story structure. The trunks emphasize the ML as the antagonist in his wife’s story as a parallel to the FL’s stalker. As a weird result, the hired live-in husband of the ex-wife is unjustly sidelined. It is not a pleasant surprise when poor Jun Ji Oh suddenly appears in the trunk narratives. He wasn’t given a proper role in the showscript, so this looks like random improvisation, which is impossible in a pre-produced show?

The fundamental traumatic events in the women’s lives are not clearly acknowledged by their men, although we are to infer this, I think; JW understands that IJ is from a background of privilege similar to his own and that she is stuck in a posture of abandonment and Ji Oh intuitively, I think, understands that Seo Yeon is acting out an extreme need for control of her life because she is still grieving her loss.

All due respect to the director, but if a woman had directed the show I think that emphasizing the experiences of both of the two main female characters would have helped the balance between the main ML and the 2ML, and developing the men’s responses would have deepened their own emotional performances as well.

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This show is like experiencing all 4 seasons

It started as a little bud that bloomed beautifully. You’ll experience all 4 seasons of emotions throughout the entire show. The coldness, the rain (tears), the spring (the closeness and warmth) and summer (the blooming of affection). Just going to list a bunch of stuff I loved about this show:
- Portraying the depth of each person’s affliction and imperfection.
- The role of boundaries in relationships and things you just can’t cross.
- Self worth in relationships and knowing when to let go of people that don’t deserve you.
- The obsession in relationships and how some ppl just don’t see you the way you see them.
- Mental health awareness and escapism through drugs when in reality you need others to help you and you can’t do it alone.
- relationships that help to heal wounds
- NM serving as a metaphor for modern day marriages and how easily disposable marriages can be with money and paper
- assigning gender roles in women that need to be stay at home moms and wives aren’t for everyone
- many different aspects of marriage and children from multiple views

Overall, it was a very thought out show I really enjoyed the depth of the themes it was like peeling back layers of onions the more I watched. Great acting I actually liked her stone cold character it created a contrast of when she bloomed beautifully at the end you know she healed and is in a much better time in her life.

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THE DARK ALLURE OF "THE TRUNK" OR "THE CHANDELIER" LIKE SOMEONE SAID IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NAMED. ?

After watching The Trunk, I went online to read a post/article on it. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but the first half of the comments were about how boring and terrible the drama was and how they were all waiting for “When the Phone Rings.” (I genuinely don't know why people compare two unrelated dramas with completely different vibes. If you don't like a drama, then you don't. Period. I'm still going to watch When the Phone Rings, though. I hear it's really good. 😂) The second half were people who appreciated the beauty of the drama just like I did. I get it. It's not for everyone, just like every other drama out there. But me? I was hooked from start to finish. So, here's what I liked and didn't like about it (nothing major on this part).

What I Liked:

Character Development: The transformation of both Noh In Ji and Han Jeong Won was incredible. In Ji’s resilience and Jeong Won’s evolution from a damaged man to the man he grew to become. Their chemistry was palpable too.

The Themes: The drama delves into some serious themes like emotional trauma, toxic relationships, manipulation, healing, identity, and love. It tackled how people can be scarred by their pasts and how these scars affect their present.

Suspense and Pacing: The twists, especially surrounding the trunk and Eom Tae Seong, were good suspense. The tension between In Ji and Seo Yeon was great too.

Soundtrack: I have to give a shout-out to the soundtrack. They were great, and I’m already adding some tracks to my playlist.

What I Didn’t Like:

I wanted more surprises in how Seo Yeon’s character developed. Tbh, I don't think she really changed 🤷🏽‍♀️.

That accident that happened when Seo Yeon walked into traffic. I don't know. When is the kdrama industry going to get their accident scenes right?

So, yeah. That's it. I talked too much. LOL. But I highly recommend The Trunk for anyone who enjoys a mix of suspense, romance, and psychological drama.

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A TOUR DE FORCE ... NOT TO BE MISSED !!

Mysterious, Intriguing ... Gong Yoo's Finest Acting To Date 🌟Psychological thrillers are not for everyone, especially when paced slow to draw out the clues like a fine silk web. Gong Yoo displays heartbreaking vulnerability as a shell of a broken man, beyond mid life crisis and seemingly incapable of living a normal life. Also pleasing to see his natural ageing, which adds realism to his mental wounds. It's particularly satisfying to see realistic faces over 40 in mainstream viewing. Apparently in interviews Gong Yoo has noted that his face is changing in middle age, but this is actually a useful attribute that will lend substantial depth to future roles.
The set designer and music director have gone all out with interiors and score that absolutely invigorate the senses and alert viewers to subtle clues amid all the love voodoo. (Yes, that's a Duran Duran reference for the old folks).
Almost every actor is perfectly selected and the series is a delight to savour. The only criticism one might make is that the ending could have been 10 minutes shorter or open ended.
Give this powerful series a chance - watch at least 2 or 3 episodes, before you decide. And btw, this show is not written for "second screen viewing" ... leave your phone out of reach, or you'll miss a vital clue ... ! Enjoy!

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Y’all crazy. This show was soooo good tf

I don’t understand why ppl are talking so much trash about the show. I will admit it started slow but I’m a person who likes watching a slow burn show. The build was soooo good. The ML was so damaged and his ex wife keeping him drugged up just to need him is some nasty work.ML not liking the FL at the beginning made the story so much better as you watch both of them win damage(in different ways ) slowly start to comfort each other and start to like each other was really amazing to watch. The FL was so detached from the world and was basically on autopilot all the time even with the stalker she barely flinch and then you slowly started to watch her come alive. The first fight scene between FL and the ex wife had me shook and that was the real first time you saw FL start to care and I felt myself become excited ….. and then second fight scene between FL and ex wife had me shocked because she was really pissed .

The ending was my least fav part because it is such a Korean drama thing to do and I was hoping for something more original and fresh/new but I’m not mad at them finding each other again after everything and I was even rooting for the ex wife and her fake husband because they both crazy and deserved each other .

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A Good drama made like a film

Characters:
In Ji, a woman hurt by the concept of marriage decides to take revenge by joining a company New Marriage, which provides an ideal marriage service for people.
Jeong Won is a music producer and son of a wealthy man who gave him tons of trauma in his childhood.
Lee Seo Yeon is the b*tch and Jeong Won's ex-wife.
Yun Ji O, Lee Seo Yeon's husband and a nice party in the square-ship of all four characters.

What I like:
The premise of the plot is something new. Specifically the concept of how In Ji distances herself as identity from the marriage but does everything in the manual to provide an ideal marriage like holding hands for comfort.
All four characters, especially In Ji, are interesting on their own.
The movie-like production with specific silence-filled moments. The director is good.
How the plot shows marriage, dealing with toxic marriage/behaviour, the kind of down-hole a bad marriage can pull you into.

What I don't like:
It is somewhat predictable after 3 episodes. I could guess the next lines of the character.

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