Debut: 'LoveSick' Captures the Anguish of Modern Love

Two phone calls. A devastating love that blooms only before it withers.

Writer and director Julien Birban Levy’s short LoveSick uses two phone calls, one which precedes a first date, and one which marks the end of an ill-fated last date, to tell the story of a complicated romance between two young lovers. Against the brooding cityscapes of Tokyo and Seoul, LoveSick weaves a tale of the blossoming and eventual demise of the protagonists’ romance.

The thematic exploration of love's evolution from comedy to tragedy resonates throughout the film – in a filmmakers statement, Levy speaks of his belief in the cyclical nature of love, which is demonstrated in the similarities between the promising first call and disastrous last call. 

The film features only these two phone calls, which provide details into what seems inconsequential, but leaves out the meat of the relationship. Viewers learn that the protagonist’s family called him “Pumpkin” because he was a chubby toddler; viewers learn about the protagonist’s effort to get dressed up in his best kimono. What is left unsaid is what these small details meant to the characters. Rather than walking viewers through its evolution, LoveSick uses its foundation and its downfall to allow the audience room to fill in the gaps. Much is left unsaid, but it is within these gaps that the story unfolds. 

“When hairstylists die, their lungs are full of hair. Just fucking full of it.”

“Are you okay?”

“The things we do when we are alive, they stay. They pile up. We are what we do, and what we do to others. When you die, your veins will be full of bad love.”

Within these two conversations, which bookend the relationship, LoveSick tells and implies a complete narrative that is both heartbreaking and relatable. The deliberate choice to convey the narrative through phone calls serves as a commentary on the curse of what Levy calls “techno-intimacy,” the incongruity that emerges from being hyper-communicative yet physically and emotionally absent. Julien skillfully critiques the illusion of connection created by hyperconnectivity, highlighting the hidden loneliness beneath the facade of constant communication. In the characters’ strained tone, viewers infer what is missing.

“I think the techno-intimacy that we all engage in is a curse. We communicate too much from a distance. It's not real, because we answer these calls or messages while doing something else, and in the end, it means nothing. Loneliness is sort of hidden under all the texting, calls, [and] social media presence.”

The film exposes the paradox of loneliness amid constant communication, of emotional distance despite physical proximity. Both visually stunning and emotionally challenging, LoveSick stands as a beautifully crafted exploration of love's complexities, skillfully avoiding didacticism. Levy’s dedication to portraying the nuances of relationships makes this short film a poignant and thought-provoking experience, capturing the hope of a nascent connection alongside the desperation and strain of maintaining the connection from physical, temporal, and emotional distance.