Actress Jeon Mi-seon (who played Song Kang-ho's girlfriend in Memories of Murder, and Han Suk-kyu's old flame in Christmas in August) will take on her first lead role after 16 years in the movies, playing a housewife working part-time in a "phone room" who discovers a new hope for life after entering into an affair.

When people in Korea talk about so-called 3D jobs ("dirty, dangerous, difficult") they are usually referring to factory work, but surely the sex industry qualifies too. After accepting her new job, Yun-jeong comes into contact with angry men, violent men, and men with uncomfortable demands. She is expected to consume tremendous amounts of alcohol on a nightly basis, and also risks social alienation. Yet as the story continues, it develops along interesting, parallel lines. The work itself may be oppressive, but the money it provides opens up new possibilities for Yun-jeong. She finds herself coming face-to-face with new possibilities... a potential freedom from the incessent strain of worrying about money, even freedom from her husband. (In a nice twist, the camera never shows us the face of the husband -- we only ever see him from behind) She also meets a man who, compared to her other customers, is unusually considerate.

Grounded in a realist aesthetic, Love is a Crazy Thing (with its misleadingly cheerful English title) is hardly the first Korean film to tackle this subject. For the past four decades Korean cinema has displayed a somewhat morbid fascination with stories about nice girls who end up as prostitutes. But this film by veteran director Oh Seok-geun (The 101st Proposal) -- his first feature in twelve years -- is refreshingly clear-headed and thoughtful, and avoids the predictable trajectories of movies like Im Kwon-taek's Downfallen (1997). Its open-minded approach, combined with a great cast of actors and a strong sense of place, make this largely overlooked effort worth seeking out.

This film is also special in that it represents the first opportunity for talented actress Jeon Mi-seon to take on a leading role. In the past she has largely appeared as "the hero's girlfriend" -- for example, Song Kang-ho's companion in Memories of Murder or Han Suk-kyu's ex-girlfriend in Christmas in August. Put into the spotlight, she turns in a restrained but engaging performance that draws us in, but also keeps us guessing as to her deepest, innermost feelings.