Actors Shin Joo-hyup (L) and Kang Hye-in are seen as Oliver and Claire in this still from “My Favorite Love Story,” provided by Kino Film. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Before its sweeping triumph at the Tony Awards earlier this year — where it collected six prizes including Best Musical — Maybe Happy Ending had already cemented itself as a treasured original work in South Korea.
First developed through a local cultural foundation’s program in 2014, the production drew wide acclaim upon its 2016 Seoul premiere for its innovative setting, tender intimacy and understated emotional depth.
Now, the story is stepping onto a new stage — the cinema. Director Lee Won-hoi’s film adaptation, titled My Favorite Love Story in English, brings the quiet power of the original musical to the big screen, while striving to preserve its lyrical subtlety.
Set in near-future Seoul, the narrative follows Oliver (Shin Joo-hyup) and Claire (Kang Hye-in), two outdated helper robots abandoned by their human owners in favor of newer models. Living alone in adjacent apartments, they drift through existence — until a chance encounter begins when Claire knocks on Oliver’s door one evening to borrow his charger.
A poster for “My Favorite Love Story,” provided by Kino Film (Yonhap)
What follows is not a sweeping romance but a slow unfurling of companionship. Awkward small talk turns into shared music and city strolls; isolation gives way to tentative connection.
Their bond deepens on a road trip to Jeju Island, where they search for Oliver’s former owner, James (Yoo Jun-sang), who disappeared years earlier. Through the journey, the robots discover a love they were never programmed to feel — fragile, hesitant, yet undeniably real.
The film mirrors the musical’s intimate tone. Gentle ballad-like melodies arise naturally from dialogue, as if whispered confessions between the characters. Cinematography bathed in muted colors and soft lighting adds a dreamlike texture, as though viewers are watching a memory slowly unfold.
Actors Shin Joo-hyup (L) and Kang Hye-in are seen as Oliver and Claire in this still from “My Favorite Love Story,” provided by Kino Film. (Yonhap)
The performances of Shin and Kang, both veterans of the 2018 Korean stage production, are particularly striking. They capture the paradox of robotic restraint tinged with flickering humanity — stiff movements gradually giving way to fear, vulnerability and quiet affection.
Beneath the futuristic trappings lies a deeply human allegory. Oliver and Claire, rendered obsolete by society and grappling with their limitations, embody the anxieties of abandonment and irrelevance. Their yearning for connection reflects universal human fears: of being left behind, of not mattering, of seeking love despite the odds.
Notably, the creators of the original musical — writer Hue Park (Park Chun-hue) and composer Will Aronson — were not involved in the adaptation. Yet their vision endures.
After premiering at the Jeonju International Music and Film Festival in 2023, My Favorite Love Story will open in theaters nationwide this Thursday, inviting audiences to experience once more the tender, futuristic fable that began as a quiet stage production — and has since grown into a cultural phenomenon.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
