Meitjin haru (My Dear Enemy)

2009. South Korea. Directed and cowritten by Lee Yoon-ki. With Jeon Do-yeon, Ha Jeong-woo. A woman shows up unexpectedly at her ex-boyfriend’s favorite betting haunt and demands that he repay a $2,600 debt. In a fascinating pas de deux, Lee’s beautifully crafted film teases out the intricacies of modern relationships as it follows the ex-lovers on an unlikely road trip to gather the money. The natural chemistry between the two leads renders the characters’ prickly, inscrutable, and surprisingly tender partnership utterly believable. In Korean; English subtitles. 123 min.