Repechage

Two friends - Min-gyu, a wild-animal vet, and Eun-hae, a fashion photographer - commiserate with each other when each realizes that the person they love is no longer in love with them. In anger, Eun-hae smashes up her boyfriend's car; in frustration, Min-gyu breaks glasses and carves up a spider. Min-gyu and Eun-hae each urge the other to be calm, to move on, to forget about it. Good advice, if only they could take it. "Why do humans need love?," these friends ask each other. Can jealousy, anger, and desire for revenge lead two jilted lovers to embrace what they have? Will someone dream of a giraffe?

Directed by Lee Kwang-hoon, Repechage leans on a strong ensemble — Kim Hee-seon, Jang Dong-gun, Lee Jin-woo — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about romance titles of 1997.