April 29, 2009 04:25PM EDT

Q&A: My Dear Enemy

One of the most delightful films of the Festival, My Dear Enemy is a story of two lost thirtysomethings, a former couple—one (the girl) uptight and without a job, the other (the boy) willfully childish and wandering—who run into each other at the racetracks after a year apart. The boy, Byung-woon, owes Hee-su money, and she wants him to repay his debt; so they spend the day driving around Seoul and borrowing money from a variety of friends. It is an absolutely refreshing romantic comedy, the likes of which are rarely seen in America.

Set to a jazzy original score, the film is subtle and smart, the comedy coming from sharp writing and dead-on acting. Ha Jung-woo has a role that could be (simplified) as a "Manic Pixie Dream Guy," but instead of that condescending archetype (embodied by the female roles in Elizabethtown and Garden State), his childish behavior is given layers and realism; he's not necessarily going to change her life, he's allowed to be annoying, and his optimism is both admirable and pathetic. Ha Jung-woo and actress Jeon Do-youn (who won Best Actress at Cannes in 2007 for Secret Sunshine) have fantastic chemistry, and according to director Lee Yoon-ki, (speaking through an interpreter) "They were able to do more than I ever wanted them to do. Maybe it's because I paid them a little less than the industry standard."

Youn-ki, the very picture of a cool director in all black, said that he "watches a lot of film. From garbage to Woody Allen's classics. I didn't have any formal education in film." It was fitting that he specifically mentioned Allen; the elegance, jazz, and loose feeling all hit an Allen-esque key of romantic comedy. That said, the next film for Youn-ki? "Something with a lot of blood."

(This film would make a fine American remake. Put Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, or—if you want to be awesome—Parks and Recreation's Paul Schneider in the lead, and have them play off Reese Witherspoon, Emily Blunt, or Amy Adams. Perfect!)
 

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My Dear Enemy screens Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Rush tickets are available. Go see it!

Read more Festival Q&As.