Love and Leashes is too much on a leash

Love and Leashes was my movie Friday watch, so I thought I’d get a review in before I forget. The synopsis from Netflix is as follows: Love never hurt so good for two co-workers who enter a contractual relationship as partners in consensual play, pleasure and pain.

I didn’t have any expectations going into the movie. At the very least, I was expecting to be entertained. Unfortunately, however, this movie didn’t deliver for me. The story felt slow, and I found the BDSM moments a bit cringy. Or, maybe it’s just not my cup of tea.

The story begins when Jiwoo, the female lead, discovers that Jihoo, the male lead, has a BDSM kink after accidentally picking up his parcel at the company. If I really want to nitpick, my question is why Jihoo would send something that personal to the company instead of his house? Not a very smart move.

Eventually, we see Jiwoo’s transition to enjoying the BDSM play. And while that was okay, it took up so much screen time that the climax and conclusion seemed rushed at the end.

I also thought that there was a lack of chemistry. It wasn’t horrible, but I didn’t feel a spark between the leads. It felt bland. However, I surprisingly enjoyed the jealous scenes and the conversation they had regarding Jihoo’s BDSM kink. The latter felt like a bridge to understanding each other better.

I also enjoyed the overall theme of accepting and loving someone for who they are. For example, Jihoo’s ex-girlfriend broke up with him because he enjoyed BDSM, which made him reject Jihoo initially.

Overall, I wished there was more development between the characters and less mild BDSM scenes. Those scenes, despite cringy, felt like they were giving you bread crumbs which didn’t leave much of an impression. They’re easily forgettable and boggled down the story. If they replaced some of the scenes with ones with more impact and meaningful character relationship development, I think that would’ve left a better impression on me.