Our Sunhi (2013) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Our Sunhi is set in contemporary Seoul, South Korea. The story primarily takes place around a university campus and the surrounding urban environment, with key scenes set near the historic Changgyeonggung Palace grounds. The urban backdrop of Seoul amplifies the intimate, conversational nature of the film's drama.

• seoul
• campus
• changgyeonggung palace
• setting
• korea

The film is set in present-day Seoul during autumn. The autumn season provides a temporal frame for the evolving interactions among Sunhi and the three men, with the changing leaves creating a contemplative, reflective mood that mirrors the emotional undercurrents of the story.

• autumn
• present day
• seoul
• season
• time period

Our Sunhi follows Sunhi, a recent film school graduate who returns to her university seeking a recommendation letter from her former professor. She encounters two men from her past, her ex-boyfriend Munsu and filmmaker Jaehak, as she navigates her request. The three men around her each project their own desires and perceptions onto Sunhi, raising questions about identity, desire, and how others shape our sense of self.

• sunhi
• professor choi
• recommendation letter
• film school
• three men

Sunhi (played by Jung Yu-mi) is a recent film school graduate who returns to her alma mater to request a recommendation letter from her former professor, Donghyun. She uses flirtation and mystery to influence how others perceive her, and her true motives remain deliberately elusive throughout the film. She becomes the center of attention for three men, each convinced they understand who she is.

• sunhi
• jung yu-mi
• film graduate
• protagonist
• mystery

The three men are: Professor Donghyun (Kim Sang-joong), Sunhi's former professor who must assess her honestly for the recommendation letter; Munsu (Lee Sun-kyun), Sunhi's ex-boyfriend and aspiring filmmaker who remains emotionally attached and revisits their failed relationship through his work; and Jaehak (Jung Jae-young), a curmudgeonly filmmaker who becomes drawn to Sunhi when he encounters her.

• donghyun
• munsu
• jaehak
• professor
• ex-boyfriend
• filmmaker

The film explores three core themes: Love & Identity, as each character projects their own wishes onto Sunhi, blurring truth and complicating self-identity; Perception & Masks, showing how conversations and social rituals construct a performance where identity is crafted by others' gaze rather than self-determined; and Setting & Mood, where autumn in Seoul provides a lyrical backdrop that mirrors shifting affections among the characters.

• love
• identity
• perception
• masks
• autumn
• mood
• themes

The Seoul urban setting creates a contemporary, realistic backdrop that grounds the intimate conversations in everyday locations like cafés, campus spaces, and parks. The historic Changgyeonggung Palace grounds add a layer of reflective atmosphere with their autumn colors. The contrast between modern campus life and traditional palace architecture amplifies the film's themes of perception versus reality.

• seoul
• urban
• campus
• changgyeonggung palace
• setting
• urban backdrop

The film examines identity through Sunhi's enigmatic presence, three men pursue her, each convinced they understand who she is. The story shows how romantic pursuit, conversations, and social rituals shape how a person is perceived. Identity becomes something crafted by others' gaze rather than something Sunhi fully controls, leaving her true self deliberately ambiguous.

• identity
• perception
• self
• others
• gaze
• masks
• self-identity

Professor Donghyun is Sunhi's former professor from film school. She returns to solicit a recommendation letter from him, hoping to study in the U.S. Donghyun assesses her honestly and agrees to write the letter under the condition that it reflects Sunhi's true qualities, mirroring the tension between mentorship, truth, and personal bias.

• professor donghyun
• mentor
• recommendation letter
• film school
• relationship

Each man is drawn to Sunhi for different reasons: Munsu remains emotionally attached from their past relationship and is vulnerable to her charm; Jaehak is captivated by her allure and mystery when they encounter each other; Donghyun, while professionally assessing her, also becomes entangled in the dynamics of male perception. The men project their own desires onto her, making Sunhi a mirror for their wishes rather than a fully known person.

• attraction
• desire
• mystery
• men
• projection
• three men
• perception

Autumn in Seoul provides a lyrical, contemplative backdrop that mirrors the emotional landscape of the story. The changing leaves symbolize shifting affections and evolving dynamics among Sunhi and the men. The melancholic beauty of autumn reflects the film's quiet tone, blending humor with a touch of sadness, underscoring its reflective approach to themes of love, loss, and perception.

• autumn
• leaves
• season
• mood
• melancholy
• symbolism
• setting

Our Sunhi has a melancholic tone with quiet humor blended throughout. The drama unfolds through subtle, introspective conversations in mundane settings like cafés and parks, focusing on psychological nuance rather than high-stakes action. The mood captures a reflective, slightly sad quality due to Sunhi's ambiguous search for identity and the men's romanticized, often misguided projections onto her.

• tone
• mood
• melancholic
• quiet
• reflective
• atmospheric
• drama