The Romance (2006): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2006, The Romance is a drama and romance film directed by Moon Seung-wook, running about 106 minutes.

What it’s about. Yoon-hee is so harassed by her husband's obsession and frantic love, that even breathing is painful to her. One day, her sudden suicide attempt is foiled when someone takes her in his arms and saves her. Hyeong-joon is a rough-looking detective. He asks nothing, but maybe he knows that for some people, just being alive is hard enough. Yoon-hee goes looking for Hyeong-joon, and from the moment she sees him, feels that he already loves her deeply. Because she knows it is totally impossible to be free from her prison of marriage, the peace and happiness she feels at Hyeong-joon's side is heartbreaking and frightening. Hyeong-joon, used to his life of loneliness and despair, loves Yoon-hee at first sight, but as he can't do anything for her, just lets her go. The only thing he can do is to offer her and himself some comfort.

Who’s in it. The Romance stars Cho Jae-hyun as Hyeong-jun, Kim Ji-soo as Yun-hee, Jang Hyun-sung and Ki Joo-bong as Squad leader Hwang, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.5/10, The Romance has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Romance page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Romance tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.