Sweet & Sour : It’s hard to make a living, but is it harder to stay in a relationship? Temporary positions, rotating shifts and other relatable realities facing young people

Sweet & Sour is a far cry from a rosy romantic fantasy tale. Viewers can relate to this film because it presents not only the essence of love but also reality in the way that they experience it in their own environment. Director Lee Kae-byeok states, “Today’s young people face too many obstacles in
finding love and keeping that love alive. I think that these are hard times to love. I wanted that reality reflected in the situations the characters face, and I focused on expressing those aspects in the story.”

To highlight these elements, he chose the characters to be a nurse working rotating shifts and a temporary employee dreaming of working full-time at a large corporation. Jang Hyeok is a young man who values his career as much as love. He seizes a corporate job appointment opportunity and
dreams of a future with Da-eun, but the demands of his job on his time and energy take a toll on the relationship. When he tries to make amends by nurturing the relationship, his work suffers; there is no way out of this catch-22. Da-eun, too, faces the same tiring situation. She’s exhausted from working rotating shifts and feels empty, sensing her boyfriend’s heart slowly shift allegiance. For her, love has become a burden. Bo-yeong, who shares a similar situation at work as Jang Hyeok, emerges as a source of tension in the couple’s relationship.

This story of young adults is far more relatable than any idealistic romantic tale. “The film depicts the anxiety and exhaustion faced by today’s workers,” said Jang Ki-yong who plays Jang Hyeok. He said he strove to portray the reality of “not being acknowledged no matter how hard you work and not knowing what you’re striving so hard for.” The main characters learn lessons about true love and real life through the repetitive daily grind and romances that do not go as intended.

They take the viewers on the rollercoaster ride of love, up and down gripping stories that mirror real life rather than delusional romance filled with fantasy.