Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Our Movie, which aired on SBS earlier this year and delivered one of 2025’s most poignant explorations of love, mortality, and the power of storytelling to heal broken hearts.
Our Movie aired on SBS from June 13 to July 19, 2025, broadcasting every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 KST. The 12-episode melodrama runs approximately one hour per episode and is available for international streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Directed by Lee Jung-heum and written by Han Ga-eun and Kang Kyung-min, this series stars powerhouse actors Namkoong Min and Jeon Yeo-been in a deeply emotional story about finding love when time is running out.
Our Movie follows Lee Je-ha, a film director experiencing a sophomore slump after his successful debut, who meets Lee Da-eum, a terminally ill aspiring actress who finally decides to live as the main character in her own life’s final act. The series combines meta-narrative elements with profound emotional storytelling, offering viewers both a love story and a meditation on art, mortality, and the courage to embrace life fully even when facing death. What makes this show particularly compelling is its exploration of how creating art together can become a form of healing for both the artist and the subject.
The Casting Decision: When Life Imitates Art
Our Movie centers on Je-ha’s decision to cast Da-eum, a terminally ill woman, in his second film about someone facing terminal illness, creating layers of reality and fiction that blur as their professional relationship deepens into something more profound. The central premise revolves around how making this film becomes a journey of mutual healing and discovery for both characters who are dealing with different forms of creative and personal crisis. The series doesn’t shy away from exploring how art can become both refuge and revelation when creators pour their authentic experiences into their work.
Each episode builds the complexity of their relationship while showing how the filmmaking process becomes a metaphor for living fully in the present moment. The show expertly balances the meta-narrative elements with genuine emotional stakes, creating a story that feels both cinematically sophisticated and deeply human.
Lee Je-ha: Namkoong Min’s Vulnerable Director
Namkoong Min stars as Lee Je-ha, following in his father’s footsteps as a filmmaker but struggling with the pressure of living up to his debut success. Namkoong Min brings his legendary acting range to this role, creating a character who must confront his own fears about failure and mortality while learning to see beyond his artistic ambitions. His performance captures both the creative anxiety of a director under pressure and the growing emotional awakening of someone falling in love with someone whose time is limited.
Je-ha’s journey throughout the series demonstrates how genuine human connection can reignite creative passion while forcing him to confront what really matters in both art and life. Namkoong Min’s performance anchors the show’s exploration of how love can transform both our art and ourselves.
Lee Da-eum: Jeon Yeo-been’s Courageous Actress
Jeon Yeo-been plays Lee Da-eum, the terminally ill aspiring actress who decides to fully embrace her dreams and desires in whatever time she has remaining. Jeon Yeo-been delivers what many consider a career-defining performance, bringing both vulnerability and fierce determination to a character who refuses to let her diagnosis define her limitations. Her portrayal captures the complexity of someone who is simultaneously facing death and choosing to live more fully than ever before.
Da-eum’s character arc explores how terminal illness can paradoxically liberate someone to pursue authenticity and take emotional risks they might never have considered when they assumed they had unlimited time. Jeon Yeo-been’s performance makes this transformation feel both heartbreaking and inspiring.
Supporting Cast: Lee Seol and Seo Hyun-woo’s Film World
Lee Seol and Seo Hyun-woo round out the main cast as members of the film production team, adding authenticity to the movie-making backdrop while providing different perspectives on the central love story. Their performances create a believable film industry environment where personal and professional relationships intersect in complex ways.
The Final Act: When Love Transcends Time
The series builds toward its conclusion knowing from the beginning that Da-eum’s illness will ultimately determine the story’s trajectory, but the final episodes focus on how love and artistic creation can create meaning that transcends mortality. Without spoiling specific details, the climactic episodes successfully explore how the film they create together becomes both a love letter and a lasting legacy that honors their connection.
These pivotal moments demonstrate how Our Movie uses its terminal illness premise not just for emotional manipulation but as a genuine exploration of how we choose to spend our precious time and what we leave behind through our relationships and creative work.
Success on SBS and Streaming Platforms
Our Movie holds an impressive 8.5 rating on IMDb despite relatively modest television ratings during its initial SBS broadcast. The series has been praised as a masterpiece by viewers and critics who appreciate its sophisticated storytelling, exceptional cinematography, and powerful performances. The show’s availability on Disney+ and Hulu has allowed it to find international audiences who value emotionally complex melodramas with artistic ambitions.
The Perfect Emotional Journey
If you love melodramas with artistic depth, exceptional acting, and profound themes about love and mortality, Our Movie is the perfect series to experience on SBS, Disney+, or Hulu. The show successfully combines meta-narrative sophistication with genuine emotional impact while delivering some of the year’s most memorable performances.
Why This Drama Achieves Cinematic Greatness
Our Movie represents everything powerful about Korean melodrama television by refusing to shy away from difficult emotions while finding genuine beauty in the face of loss. This isn’t just another terminal illness romance, it’s a profound meditation on how love, art, and human connection can create meaning that transcends our finite existence.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 12 episodes (complete series)
Platform: SBS (Korea), Disney+ and Hulu (international)
Release Year: 2025
Current IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Melodrama, Romance, Meta-Fiction
Status: Complete series (aired June 13 – July 19, 2025)
Protagonists: Lee Je-ha (Namkoong Min), Lee Da-eum (Jeon Yeo-been), supporting cast (Lee Seol, Seo Hyun-woo)
Antagonist: Terminal illness and the limited time available for love and artistic creation