Among the many classic romantic dramas of Korean cinema which emerged in the late 1990s, The Contact holds a very special place, both as the film debut of future superstar Jeon Do-yeon and as a stylistically sophisticated work which felt more dynamic than many of its contemporary peers.

A radio producer, stoic and mysterious as played by Han Seok-kyu, and a telemarketer, played to genial perfection by Jeon, are both hurting from failed or unrequited love, and through an LP of Velvet Underground sent to the producer’s show station, they begin a series of online chats, growing close, sharing their woes, and eventually something more.
This classic tale of missed connections and the slow ebbs and flows of emotion comes to life under the sure hand of director Chang Younhyun, who guides a camera that is frequently on the move, compositions that highlight reflections and chasms between characters and subtly powerful sound effects, all under Lou Reed’s dulcet tones on Velvet Underground’s ‘Pale Blue Eyes’.