[Oh My News]
Published June 4, 2007
By Jun Lee
Infidelity is truly a theme we've often seen in dramas and films. It's depicted so frequently that it makes one wonder if affairs really happen that often in real life. Whether true or fictional, these stories have resonated with our emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—and gained widespread popularity. Of course, with popularity comes intense criticism, and some viewers react with fatigue, saying, “Another affair story?” That’s why clever creators often add a twist to the conventional affair narrative, drawing attention and turning harsh critiques into high praise.
There is such a film — Never Forever stands at the center of that shift. It’s an American film starring Korean actor Ha Jung-woo, directed by a Korean-American filmmaker, and received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. Yet, as the title suggests, the film romanticizes infidelity as love. As such, it may face no small amount of criticism.
Even so, Never Forever convincingly portrays infidelity and transforms into a rather commendable film. And rightly so—the film boldly begins with an affair and shows how it evolves into love, distinguishing itself from conventional films about infidelity.
From Affair to Love
In conventional films about affairs, the usual pattern shows two people, already married to others, falling in love at first sight or being portrayed as fated to meet—soulmates who were meant to be all along. This serves to transform the "sin" of infidelity into a beautiful love story, thereby captivating the audience. But that’s an old tale now. Once this formula became predictable, audiences began to grow weary of it. Never Forever avoids that formula entirely and presents a different kind of narrative. So what path does Never Forever take? It chooses directness—honesty—as its weapon. It doesn’t try to romanticize the affair or frame it as fate. The film begins with Jiha (Ha Jung-woo) and Sophie (Vera Farmiga) engaging in sex devoid of love. Sophie, frustrated by an unsatisfying sex life with her successful husband, seeks an outlet and begins a sexual relationship with Jiha. In other words, the film doesn’t portray them as destined for love—instead, it openly acknowledges: “This is an affair.” The film breaks the mold and refreshes the narrative with this straightforward storytelling and structure. Rather than showing her marital sex life with her successful lawyer husband Andrew (David McInnis), the film implies its dysfunction through scenes of Sophie’s sexual encounters with Jiha. By blatantly presenting the affair from the start, the audience can immediately sense that this is not a typical infidelity film. Although viewers may suspect the relationship will evolve into love, the film maintains narrative tension throughout.
Overcoming Cliché Through Female Agency
In addition, this film attempts to rework a tired theme into something fresh, even aiming for a new kind of ending. Most films that deal with infidelity end with the characters returning to their families. The affair, while packaged as fated love, ultimately gets dismissed as a temporary detour, and the story settles back into the comfort of domesticity. As a result, viewers often find themselves emotionally invested in this "fated" love, only to feel bitter when the characters return home. After all, if they were going to return anyway, why hurt each other in the process? However, Never Forever, true to its title, tries to end with a second love. This may seem like a bold choice—especially since the person choosing that second love is the female protagonist, Sophie. When her husband learns of the affair, he tells her he can forgive everything if she aborts the child. But Sophie refuses.
By clearly stating she won’t abort the child and showing she no longer wants to continue her marriage, Sophie leads the film to a different kind of conclusion. As a result, the movie gains strength in its latter half by reinterpreting the familiar theme of infidelity in a new light. But if the film were praised only for its fresh take on infidelity, that would be a disservice. What truly stands out is that director Gina Kim doesn’t focus solely on the provocative subject matter. Instead, she calmly portrays the fragility of married life and the quiet transformation of an affair into a second love.
Alongside that, the film also touches meaningfully on issues of class and racial discrimination, clearly making an effort not to remain just a provocative story. In fact, it captures the racial tensions within the vast social structure of America, refusing to end as just another affair film. So while the subject matter may be heavy, this is a film worth seeing at least once. In particular, Ha Jung-woo’s chameleon-like transformation in his performance is outstanding, making it something to look forward to when it’s released.