Actor Ahn Eun-jin firmly anchored the center of A Love Other Than Yours from the first broadcast, deftly moving between laughter, tension and deep emotion.
Ahn Eun-jin won public affection as Chu Min-ha in Hospital Playlist on tvN and then completed a heartrending melodrama that cuts through the tragedy of the times as Yoo Gil-chae in MBC's Lovers. In SBS's Dynamite Kiss she showed another charm with lovable romantic-comedy acting, proving her ability to handle genres and characters without hesitation. Her power, which has created career-defining characters in each work with her own color, shone again this time.
Ahn Eun-jin appeared as Lee Mi-do in episode 1 of KBS 2TV's weekend mini series A Love Other Than Yours, which aired on the 12th (directed by Hwang Seung-ki and Lee Ga-ram, written by Yoo Soo-ji), leaving a strong first impression. In the drama Lee Mi-do is a rookie film director who once swept the world short film festival circuit but now finds each project she prepares repeatedly canceled and is pushed to the edge. On top of that, she gradually loses confidence in her relationship with Namgung-ho (Seo Kang-jun) after 10 years of dating and harbors complex emotions.
From episode 1 Ahn Eun-jin raised the drama's immersion by switching between Lee Mi-do in front of her lover and Lee Mi-do as a director. In ordinary daily life with Namgung-ho she naturally conveyed the comfort and familiarity only a couple of 10 years into a relationship can have through her distinctive slice-of-life acting. By contrast, on set she revealed a completely different face, showing the charisma of a director who confronts actors head-on and seizes control of the scene.
Ahn Eun-jin's acting, which naturally blended Lee Mi-do's contrasting images into a single character, was enough to heighten curiosity about the character. She convincingly completed Lee Mi-do's arc by delicately building the weight of reality hidden behind the capable director's image and the woman's gradual shrinking within a long relationship.
But the reality surrounding Lee Mi-do was unforgiving. After standing up directly to a lead actor's abusive behavior on a hard-won film, she was instead told to leave the production, and to raise funds for litigation she even had to appear on an adult film set she did not want. Lee Mi-do, who had hidden all these situations from Namgung-ho, ultimately clashed with him and, compounded by overhearing his inner thoughts through a home cam, decided to put a direct end to their 10-year relationship.
Especially, Ahn Eun-jin's true worth exploded in the breakup scene. Rather than pouring out all her emotions at once, she began speaking calmly and then expressed Lee Mi-do's pride and self-reproach simultaneously with a gradually wavering voice and eyes. She drew viewers' empathy by sensitively portraying Lee Mi-do's feeling of diminishing self-worth in a relationship left with responsibility and obligation more than love.
From the moment the door closed and she sank to the floor weeping bitterly to the scene of her straining to remove a ring that would not easily come off, Ahn Eun-jin conveyed the weight of 10 years through facial expressions and eyes more than through lines. Though she outwardly chose a calm breakup, Lee Mi-do's complex feelings, carrying deeper wounds than anyone, were delivered intact and left a strong aftertaste.
Added to this, Ahn Eun-jin's narration in a calm tone deepened the emotion even more. Her voice over the scene reflecting the two as lovers under the first snow in 2017 allowed the beginning and end of the love to intersect in one frame, and viewers also began to view Lee Mi-do's past relationship through the lens of their own experiences.
Above all, in just one episode Ahn Eun-jin made it understandable why Lee Mi-do had no choice but to choose a breakup after being with a loving partner for 10 years. She once again proved the merits of a 'seasoned actor' by bringing out diverse emotions in a single character — from laughter-inducing slice-of-life acting to chilling charisma and tears that squeeze the chest.
What unfamiliar emotions will Lee Mi-do face from now on? And with what face will Ahn Eun-jin shake viewers' hearts next? Ahn Eun-jin's performance, which was funny, chilling and ultimately moving from the first broadcast, has heightened expectations for A Love Other Than Yours.
[Photo] KBS 2TV broadcast capture of A Love Other Than Yours
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