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How to Live in This World

How to Live in This World

Representation Score

3.4/10

Limited

2019

Director

Shin Yang-joong

Runtime

99 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

How to Live in This World is a domestic drama that critiques the sustainability of long-term marriage. It avoids idealized family clichés, offering a cynical view of human ability to act in marital breakdowns. The film's strength lies in its refusal to depict a perfect domestic unit, instead exploring the complexities of modern companionship and situational ethics. However, the narrative is limited by its narrow focus, lacking representation for LGBTQ+ identities and disability.

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Category Breakdown

Does How to Live in This World have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on heterosexual marriages and does not include any LGBTQ+ identities or narratives.

How does How to Live in This World portray gender?

Fair

Both male and female characters play significant roles in driving the story, challenging traditional gender stereotypes by showing women seeking autonomy and men facing moral ambiguity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is How to Live in This World?

Fair

As a South Korean production, the film centers on a non-Western social structure and reflects a specific domestic cultural context without highlighting multi-ethnic casting.

How does How to Live in This World represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative questions traditional marital ideals by prioritizing individual emotional satisfaction over the sanctity of marriage, scrutinizing rather than upholding the institution.

Does How to Live in This World include disability representation?

Minimal

The story does not address any characters dealing with physical, neurodivergent, or mental health challenges.

Present on Screen

  • Gives both male and female characters significant roles in driving the story, challenging traditional gender stereotypes.
  • Presents a realistic, if cynical, view of domestic life by avoiding idealized family clichés.
  • Explores complex themes of moral relativism and individual emotional fulfillment.

Limited or Absent

  • Does not include any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer narrative arcs.
  • Provides no visibility for characters with physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities.
  • Remains confined to a specific heterosexual and able-bodied framework.

Official Synopsis

Young-wook and Yeon-kyung have been married for 10 years and are slightly worried about their estranged relationship. With their love life decreasing, the two begin to seek attraction elsewhere. Yeon-kyung meets Min-sik, a gallery customer, and falls in love with his charm. Meanwhile, Young-wook meets a debtor's ex-wife in search of a dormant debtor and cannot resist the temptation to sleep with her. In the end, they both find themselves examining love and will the two recover their happiness as when they were first married?

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