K-drama Lost: Jeon Do-yeon, Ryu Jun-yeol star in well-acted but morbid drama centred around depression and social alienation

Lost looks at themes such as depression and suicide, and the series brings a lot of film talent to the TV screen

It’s well shot and acted, although the sombre subject matter makes it hard to enjoy

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Published: 5:15pm, 15 Sep 2021

People look to entertainment for many things, but chief among them is escapism. TV drama in particular invites us to shake off the stresses of our day and lose ourselves in the vicarious pleasure of seeing the downtrodden triumph and the lovelorn embraced on our screens. But not every show seeks to lift us up.

JTBC’s Lost, a new series billed as a 10th anniversary special event for the cable channel responsible for hit shows such as SKY Castle and Itaewon Class, presents us with some very unhappy people who seem unable to improve their lot in life. Misery and self-pity commingle in this handsome and introspective, but at times lugubrious series that focuses on heavy themes such as depression.

Lee Boo-jung (Jeon Do-yeon) is a forty-something woman who used to work as an editor at a publishing house but is now a housecleaner for wealthy high-rise dwellers. Most of her family seem unaware of her current employment.

She is married to Jin Jung-soo (Park Byung-eun), a manager of a fancy supermarket, but whatever love brought them together seems like a distant memory by the time we meet them. Sure to complicate matters further down the road is Kyung-eun (Kim Hyo-jin), the old flame that appears before Jung-soo.

Similarly adrift is Lee Kang-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol), a suave 27-year-old man who works as a proxy for clients, either going on dates with older women looking for company or standing in for people at events such as weddings. Kang-jae lives down the hall from Boo-jung’s father, Chang-sook (Park In-hwan), who goes around collecting used cardboard for a pittance.