Koo Kyo-hwan, Moon Ga-young explore love and farewell in If Us

Dec 19, 2025, 09:58 am

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Actors Koo Kyo-hwan (left) and Moon Ga-young attend a press screening of the film If Us in Seoul. / Source: Showbox

Director Kim Do-young’s film If Us traces the emotional residue left by two former lovers who drift apart between dreams and reality, capturing the delicate feelings that remain after love has passed.

A press screening of If Us was held on December 18 at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul, attended by director Kim and lead actors Koo Kyo-hwan and Moon Ga-young.

The film is a Korean adaptation of the 2018 Chinese movie Us and Them. It follows a man and a woman who meet by chance while seated next to each other on an intercity bus heading to their hometown. They fall in love, make different choices when confronted with reality, and reunite years later. While retaining the original narrative structure that moves through meeting, separation and reunion, the Korean version repositions the characters’ professions and life circumstances within a local social context.

Kim emphasized what he described as “a melodrama completed together with the actors.” “I felt this story came to me because it speaks to people who have already passed through a stage of life that resonates across generations,” he said. “The power that brings audiences back to the theater even when they know the ending ultimately comes from the actors.” He added that the process of working with the actors was the most important element of the film.

The casting of Koo and Moon stemmed from that approach. Kim praised both actors for being open and receptive to one another, saying there were many moments on set when he was left in awe watching the scenes unfold.

Koo said Kim’s direction was the decisive factor in choosing the project. “Inside the frame, I was creating a romance with Moon Ga-young, and outside the frame, it felt like I was having a romance with the director,” he said, describing the direction as exceptionally detailed. He added that Kim precisely captured the idea that romance is rarely about being 100 percent certain of each other’s feelings. He also noted that “secret directions” given only to the actor or the director helped bring scenes vividly to life.

Moon described working with Koo as a valuable learning experience. “He was a senior actor I had long wanted to work with, and I learned so much on set that I even told him afterward I would make good use of what I learned,” she said. On the film’s use of black-and-white and color to distinguish time periods, Moon said the device made her feel that moments gradually accumulate and flow into the future, allowing her to focus more deeply on the emotional rhythm of each scene.

Balance was a key concern in the film’s direction. Kim said that in a structure where two people meet again after 10 years to talk about their past, it was crucial that neither side overshadow the other. While the past shapes the present, he said, the film also examines how present choices bring closure. He retained the black-and-white device from the original film, hoping it would transition at the moment when emotions peak.

A major point of differentiation from the original, Kim said, was the emphasis on “dreams.” He expressed hope that the character Jeong-won would also achieve her dreams, adding that the story of lovers who meet while exhausted and frustrated from chasing their aspirations could resonate with younger audiences today. Koo echoed the sentiment, saying that changing dreams along the way is never something to be ashamed of.

The three filmmakers also shared messages for audiences. Koo said he believes the experience of a film continues after leaving the theater, when viewers recall scenes on their way home and talk about them with someone else. “I hope the film brings someone to mind,” he said.

Moon said she would be grateful if the film helps viewers think of unfinished relationships or connections from the past, even beyond romantic ones.

Kim concluded by calling If Us “a story about learning how to part well.” “We were all someone’s Eun-ho and someone’s Jeong-won,” he said, expressing hope that the film would allow audiences to rediscover the soft emotions in their hearts.

If Us opens in theaters on December 31.

#If Us #Koo Kyo-hwan #Moon Ga-young