Tony-winning 'Maybe Happy Ending' gets tender big-screen adaptation

Before its major success at the Tony Awards earlier this year, where it won six awards including Best Musical, the South Korean original musical "Maybe Happy Ending" had been a beloved show in its home country for years.

Initially conceived through a local cultural foundation's program in 2014, the musical was lauded for its innovative setting, fresh concept and subtle emotional depth upon its 2016 release in Seoul.

Now a film adaptation, directed by Lee Won-hoi, with the same Korean title but known in English as "My Favorite Love Story," is ready to meet audiences on the big screen.

While it is never easy to adapt a stage musical for the screen, "My Favorite Love Story" managed to preserve the delicate charm of the original's quiet and thoughtful storytelling.

Set in the near-future Seoul, the story follows the story of Oliver (Shin Joo-hyup) and Claire (Kang Hye-in), two obsolete helper robots living in separate apartments. Discarded by their human owners in favor or more advanced models, they live isolated lives, longing to be useful again and rediscover their purpose.

Their unexpected connection begins when Claire knocks on Oliver's apartment one day to use his charger. While the two robots are never programmed to feel love or deep emotions, their awkward small talk becomes more comfortable as they spend time together, simply in each other's company, exploring the city and listening to music together.

Their budding feelings for each other become obvious as they embark on a road trip to Jeju to find James (Yoo Jun-sang), Oliver's former beloved owner who left him behind and suddenly vanished from his life. Soon, what starts as companionship becomes love that neither of them fully understand.

The original musical's intimate and quiet mood is smoothly translated into the big screen, inviting viewers to accompany the lyrical journey of the human-like companion robots. The soft and gentle pop ballad-like scores that come naturally out of their conversations feel like whispered confessions, moving the story forward without overwhelming listeners.

The film's muted colors and soft lighting deepen its dreamlike quality, making viewers feel as though they are watching a memory unfold.

The two lead actors, who both starred in the 2018 Korean production of the musical, were brilliant at balancing their robotic nature with a growing depth of emotion. Their performances overcame the initial challenge of appearing stiff, gradually revealing a restrained yet moving mix of emotions, including hesitation and fear.

Through their shared experience of being deemed obsolete and discarded by society, Oliver and Claire can be seen as representing a socially shunned minority. Replaced by newer models and grappling with their programmed limitations and burgeoning feelings, their bond highlights a universal human need for connection in the face of isolation and the fear of being rendered redundant.

The creators of the original musical -- writer Park Chun-hue, also known as Hue Park, and composer Will Aronson -- have previously said they were not involved with the film's production.

"My Favorite Love Story" premiered at the Jeonju International Music and Film Festival in 2023, and its wider local release is set for Thursday.

By Woo Jae-yeon