Movie Digest
Ha Neul, a job seeker, breaks up with his long-term boyfriend Jung Min, a middle-aged office worker. After splitting up with his lover, Ha Neul moves in with his best friend Bong Shik, who lives in a little rooftop room. Bong Shik, is a BJ with a high standard of living. He has a one-man show on SNS through which he catches the eye of a certain someone. Min Ho, a handsome young man approaches Bong Shik with the intention of courting him. Unlike Ha Neul, Bong Shik has a frivolous approach to love and dating, so when a straightforward guy like Min Ho comes to him, he is unsure what to do. While Bong Shik is trying to figure out his new love life, Ha Neul is trying to get his old one back! “Made on the Rooftop” is a story of two parallel yet inter-connected love stories filled with the romance of summer.
The Feel-Good Part
Described as a “High Tension Summer Teen Movie”, “Made on the Rooftop” comes to you with many expectations. It is a simple movie with several cute and adorable moments. In true BL (Boys Love) spirit, this movie teases you with the snippets of unmistakable chemistry. Both the actors have done a fantastic job and the whole movie comes together because of their effort. “Made on the Rooftop” is one of the most positive South Asian gay-themed films to date. It portrays a generation that expects to receive the same respect as they give to others. This provides some context to the film’s underlying humorous value. Ha Neul and Bong Sik are far from calm, they are still finding a myriad of other things to be uncomfortable and self-conscious about. Nonetheless, these traits make them easier for audiences to empathise with regardless of sexuality. Director Kim-Jho Gwang-soo has set out to normalise the LGBTQ+ community and their lives in a country where prejudice still exists, but he’s wise enough to not do it by presenting us with saints. The characters are flawed and still navigating through life to the best of their abilities, making them so relatable.
The Disappointing Factor
The film is likeable to some extent due to the compelling performances by its main cast members. As two gay protagonists with completely different personalities, Lee Hong Nae and Jung Hwi complement each other nicely. But the film should have explored more of the comedy component of their accidental cohabitation. Instead, the film focused more on the melodramatic struggles of their relationships. The film eventually falls short because it resolves the story’s two parallel conflicts too neatly and sentimentally. The story’s flow is not very seamless, and as a result, there is a sense of ambiguity surrounding the film. It’s also disappointing to see that the film’s central characters are more or less superficial caricatures of a sitcom. Furthermore, several significant scenes in the film are kind of stupid, detracting from the objective of the scene.
In-Depth Analysis
Overall, “Made in Rooftop” is a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided work since it is too broad and superficial as a drama and not sharp and humorous enough as a comedy. If it had come out, say, 20 years ago, it would have seemed more remarkable and essential to me and many other local sexual minority audiences, but there are many more accomplished South Korean queer films out there. Yet, I will not deny that there are several moments in the movie that really shone through. The friendship shared between Ha Neul and Bong Shik is just adorable, helping each other out and being there for each other. A pure and innocent bromance is the saving grace of this movie.
Star Power
The main leads did an amazing job in portraying their characters. Lee Hong Nae who played Ha Neul is known for this role antagonistic role in Uncanny Encounter. He is a natural actor and we can see his range of acting in this movie. Ha Neul’s character is clumsy and moody but there is a certain charm that Lee Hong Nae brought to the role that prevented it from becoming annoying. The same goes for his counterpart Bong Shik, played by Jung Hwi, a well-known musical theatre and stage actor. Bong Shik is a slightly eccentric and dramatic character who likes to live life with a flair. This is precisely what Jung Hwi brought to the table and in fact, even more, making his character more endearing.
Overall Opinion
Despite their constant search for a glamorous existence, Ha Neul and Bong Sik are simple people at heart. They are both pretty traditional in terms of what they genuinely want out of life in terms of love and happiness. They are just like you and me! There’s a warmth and sympathy between them that makes the film a joy to watch. And if you are a BL fan then you should definitely watch “Made on the Rooftop”.
