October 20, 2025

 

Dear Hongrang (2025): A Tale of Love, Loss, and the Beauty of Letting Go

By [Your Name]
Date: October 2025

In 2025, Korean cinema returns with a masterpiece of quiet emotion and breathtaking beauty — Dear Hongrang, a historical romance that transcends time, identity, and sorrow. Starring Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, the film explores love not as a fleeting emotion, but as a force that heals, destroys, and ultimately frees.

Directed by Lee Joon-ik, known for his poetic and humanistic storytelling (The Book of Fish, Anarchist from Colony), Dear Hongrang is a deeply moving portrait of two souls trapped between duty and desire in the twilight of the Joseon dynasty.

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A Story Written in Silence and Longing

Set in the late 19th century Joseon, a time of social upheaval and cultural transition, Dear Hongrang follows Hongrang (Han So-hee), the secret daughter of a nobleman who disguises herself as a man to protect her family’s honor. Living under an assumed identity, she becomes a skilled calligrapher and poet — admired by men and women alike, yet imprisoned by her disguise.

Her quiet life changes forever when she meets Yi Hyeon (Park Seo-joon), a young scholar sent by the royal court to investigate a mysterious series of coded poems believed to incite rebellion. What begins as mutual suspicion soon blossoms into a tender, forbidden love that neither can fully embrace — for truth, once revealed, could destroy them both.

“In a world that silences the heart,” Hongrang whispers in one scene, “I wrote your name in ink that never fades.”

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A Love That Defies Convention

Unlike typical romantic dramas, Dear Hongrang unfolds with restraint and elegance. Its beauty lies not in grand gestures but in fleeting glances, lingering silences, and words left unsaid.

The relationship between Hongrang and Yi Hyeon is one of deep spiritual connection — two kindred souls who find in each other the courage to be seen and understood. Their love challenges the rigid gender roles and moral expectations of the time, making the story both timeless and relevant.

Han So-hee delivers a mesmerizing performance, capturing the fragility and strength of a woman torn between her identity and her heart. Park Seo-joon, meanwhile, brings quiet intensity and compassion to his role, embodying a man who chooses truth over reputation and love over conformity.

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Cinematic Beauty and Emotional Depth

Visually, Dear Hongrang is a triumph. The film’s cinematography, handled by Kim Woo-hyung (The Man Standing Next), paints every frame like a living painting. Lantern-lit nights, misty rivers, and ink-stained scrolls create an atmosphere of longing and melancholy.

The color palette — rich in gold, indigo, and faded rose — mirrors the emotional arc of the story: beauty fading into sorrow, and sorrow transforming into peace.

The musical score, composed by Jung Jae-il (Parasite, Squid Game), adds another layer of poignancy, blending traditional Korean instruments with modern orchestral swells. The main theme, “Letter Beneath the Moon,” echoes throughout the film like a soft heartbeat — haunting, nostalgic, unforgettable.

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Themes: Identity, Art, and Liberation

At its core, Dear Hongrang is a meditation on identity and freedom. It asks what it means to live truthfully in a world built on masks — and whether love can survive when built on deception.

The calligraphy motif becomes a symbol of emotional expression: where words cannot be spoken aloud, they are written in ink and silence. Each stroke of the brush becomes an act of defiance and self-acceptance.

Director Lee Joon-ik described the film as “a love letter to the unseen — those who lived, loved, and suffered quietly, yet left their mark in history.”

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Cast and Crew Highlights

• Han So-hee as Hongrang — graceful, haunting, and brave in her portrayal of hidden identity and suppressed emotion.

• Park Seo-joon as Yi Hyeon — the scholar who learns that love, not logic, is the truest form of wisdom.

• Jeon Yeo-been as Lady Seo, Hongrang’s childhood friend and confidante.

• Yoo Yeon-seok as Prince Jin-ho, a figure of power whose obsession with Hongrang threatens to unravel her secret.