"The Trunk" (Review)

A large trunk washes ashore, and along with it, a dead body. The trunk serves as a MacGuffin, a device that serves merely to move the plot. Thus, the trunk tasks the audience to ask the following questions: who is the owner of the trunk? Are there contents inside? Yet, most importantly, whose body is that?

The plot goes back five months prior, where we're introduced to the principal characters. Han Jeong-won is divorced from Lee Seo-yeon. As punishment, Seo-yeon decides to enter Jeong-won into a contract marriage to In-Ji, an employee of NM, who has just completed her 4th contracted marriage. To save his marriage to Seo-yeon, Jeong-won reluctantly agrees. Initially, Jeong-won wants nothing to do with In-ji, yet over time, the couple get to know one another and develop genuine feelings for each other.

After finishing Mr. Sunshine, I searched for my next K-drama. I decided to watch The Trunk because I wanted to watch a show starring Gong-yoo. For those unfamiliar with his work, he starred in Train to Busan and is known for his scene-stealing role in Squid Game as The Recruiter. Gong-yoo is mesmerizing as Jeong-won, capturing his character's loneliness, sadness, and vulnerability. Seo Hyun-jin plays In-ji, and she plays the character so beautifully. She's a character known for her stoicism, appearing indifferent and avoiding vulnerability. This makes her a perfect match with Jeong-won. In the early stages of their contracted marriage, In-ji helps Jeong-won effectively address his insomnia by providing a toy doll filled with baby powder. This moment shifts their dynamic, causing Jeong-won and In-ji to grow closer and deepen their connection.

In turn, In-ji gradually opens up to Jeong-won and addresses her vulnerabilities.

In contrast, Jeong-won's first wife Seo-yeon is depicted as controlling and a bully. She's an interesting character worthy of analysis. She's a character who loves to be in control and unravels as she starts to lose that power. It's her idea to hire someone from the NM, yet this decision jeopardizes her plans for reunification with Jeong-won. In a pivotal moment, Jeong-won entrusts In-ji with the hidden meaning behind the chandelier that hangs in the foyer. In-ji understands that the chandelier shares meaning for Jeong-won, yet Seo-yeon mirrors her actions after Jeong-won's father.

The awkward marital arrangement allows the characters to address their flaws and, essentially, become better versions of themselves. For Jeong-won and Seo-yeon, their marriage to their contracted spouses reveals that their marriage was already in trouble. It took their separation to finally address the cracks. As I was watching the series, I was reminded of Prime Video's Mr. and Mrs. Smith, another series that relies on marriage to explore issues of intimacy, commitment, and trust. There's also been a growing trend in movies and shows depicting relationships and all their complexities (Celine Song's Materialists and Lena Dunham's Too Much), so it would be interesting to dive deeper to analyze the meaning behind it. For now, please consider watching The Trunk and let me know what you think.