Pavane weaves young love over classical melody

Feb 19, 2026, 09:06 am

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Scenes from the Netflix film Pavane. /Netflix

The Netflix film Pavane, directed by Lee Jong-pil, opens and closes with the line, “All love is a misunderstanding,” tracing the hesitant, fragile moments of first love rather than grand, dramatic beginnings. The film premieres on Feb. 20.

Based on the novel Pavane for a Dead Princess by Park Min-gyu, the story follows three young people standing at the edge of their own emotional voids.

Mi-jung (Ko Asung), who works in a department store basement warehouse; Kyung-rok (Moon Sang-min), a parking lot attendant; and Yo-han (Byun Yo-han), who lingers around them, form not a simple love triangle but a subtle crossing of loneliness and longing.

Kyung-rok helps Mi-jung by taking down items from high shelves and offering her an umbrella on rainy days — gestures that speak louder than words. Mi-jung, who says it is easier to deal with rain than with people, feels both comforted and unsettled by his kindness. In between them stands Yo-han, who warns, “If there is no love, don’t approach carelessly. All that remains are wounds.” His words linger like a question directed at all three.

Light and shadow as emotional language

Lee Jong-pil rearranges the novel’s emotional undercurrents through contrasts of light and shadow. The darkness of the basement warehouse, the glittering lights of the store floor, and a space called “Kentucky HOPE,” where the three pause to catch their breath, function as mirrors of their inner worlds.

An aurora appearing in the film becomes a symbol of light that does not fully erase the night yet clearly exists within it. Likewise, the three characters cannot completely rescue one another, but they momentarily illuminate each other’s darkness.

Ko Asung holds Mi-jung’s suppressed emotions with restrained expressions and measured breathing. Moon Sang-min portrays Kyung-rok’s gentle sincerity with understated warmth. Byun Yo-han balances playfulness and solitude, bringing depth to Yo-han’s layered personality. The equilibrium among the three prevents the story from tilting into a single character’s melodrama; instead, it presents parallel portraits of youth in quiet turbulence.

Pavane does not promise perfect love. It assumes misunderstanding and incompleteness from the outset. Yet the film leaves a lingering warmth because, however briefly, the three shared light in each other’s darkness — even if the misunderstandings eventually fade. Rated 15 and older.

#Pavane #Lee Jong-pil #Byun Yo-han #Ko Asung #Moon Sang-min