3/5 stars Where Fifty Shades of Grey failed its target audience because of its portrayal of illicit, taboo-breaking sadomasochism as ultimately rather bland and pedestrian, Park Hyun-jin’s Love and Leashes is guilty of swinging too far in the opposite direction. In its efforts to normalise BDSM and erase its stigma, the romantic comedy portrays the relationship between an overeager “male-sub” and his inexperienced yet willing “fem-dom” in a manner equally devoid of titillation. What emerges is a relatively sweet and well-meaning workplace romance between a pair of wholesome, fresh-faced leads that delivers some chaste fuzzy feels, but does so almost in spite of its supposedly salacious subject matter. Seohyun, the veteran of K-pop group Girls’ Generation veteran and star of Private Lives , is effortlessly endearing as Jung Ji-woo, a single twenty-something office worker who has become frustrated by a society that dictates she must be passive and demure in her search for love. She is instantly smitten by new colleague Jung Ji-hoo (Lee Jun-young), who is charming and popular but also seems atypically shy. Because of their similar names, Ji-woo mistakenly opens a package meant for Ji-hoo, and discovers a studded collar and leash, ordered from an online BDSM store. Ji-hoo doubles down on this revelation by requesting that Ji-woo become his “master”. Rather than be embarrassed or disgusted, the open-minded Ji-woo accepts, and the pair enters into a secret contractual, though non-sexual relationship of dominance and submission. While the set-up is played mostly for laughs, Love and Leashes , based on Gyeoul’s webtoon Moral Sense , sets out to demystify the BDSM subculture. Ji-hoo is part of a sympathetic online forum of like-minded souls, who provide support but also words of caution about revealing his secret. He is also still reeling from being rejected by his former girlfriend (Kim Bo-ra) after he confided in her. Simultaneously, Ji-woo embarks on her own journey of enlightenment as she researches the myriad ways she can please her new sub, both in sexual and more platonic ways suitable for the workplace. The film’s climax almost fumbles the ball, equating the central relationship with other, far more egregious forms of inappropriate behaviour, and threatens to undo much of the positive work accomplished in the film. For the most part, however, Love and Leashes is a commendable effort to lift the blindfold on a stigmatised subculture, albeit without the reward of any lasting gratification. Love and Leashes is streaming on Netflix. Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook