# Boy (2025 film)

In the fictional Pogu City, two brothers run a Texas hot spring at the edge of a lawless neighborhood, working under a local kingpin called the hat seller. When a woman named Jane moves in, she upsets the fragile balance between the brothers, their criminal boss, and whatever hope they had of a better life. Boy is a 2025 South Korean romantic crime drama directed by Lee Sang-deok, starring [Seo In-guk](https://www.edgepedia.org/seo-in-guk), Yoo In-soo, Jo Byeong-kyu, and Jini.

| Key fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Director | Lee Sang-deok |
| Writer | Lee Sang-deok |
| Stars | Seo In-guk, Yoo In-soo, Jo Byeong-kyu, Jini |
| Composer | B.I |
| Country and language | South Korea, Korean |
| Release | November 16, 2025 (festival); January 14, 2026 (cinemas, South Korea) |
| Runtime | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Box office | $61,102 worldwide |

## Spoilers

### Plot

Ro-han (Seo In-guk) and his older brother Kyo-han (Yoo In-soo) keep a Texas hot spring running in Pogu City, a dystopian no-man's-land where the usual rules have rotted away. The neighborhood is controlled by the hat seller (Jo Byeong-kyu), the local boss who takes his cut and keeps order with his own kind of law. The brothers bicker, protect each other, and measure themselves against each other in a place that offers neither of them much of a future.

Jane (Jini) moves into the hot spring. Her arrival gives the brothers something to want besides survival, and the film plays as a picaresque noir: small crimes, small victories, and the sense that everyone in Pogu City is running a con just to get through the week. Ro-han and Jane are drawn to each other, but any tenderness has to survive the hat seller's demands and the brothers' own debts to each other.

**As the brothers' situation with the hat seller tightens, Ro-han has to choose between loyalty to Kyo-han and the possibility of a different life with Jane.** The ending lands on that choice rather than on the criminal machinery around it. The characters say little out loud; reviewers noted that they communicate their feelings obliquely, in glances and gestures rather than declarations, which suits a world where saying what you want is dangerous.

### Characters

Ro-han (Seo In-guk) is the younger brother who runs the hot spring day to day, quick and watchful, and the one whose life Jane's arrival most disturbs. Kyo-han (Yoo In-soo) is the older brother, carrying more of the weight of their situation and more of the resentment that comes with it. The hat seller (Jo Byeong-kyu) is the neighborhood boss, the kingpin whose whims set the limits of what anyone in Pogu City can attempt. Jane (Jini) is the newcomer whose presence becomes a catalyst for everything the brothers have been avoiding.

## Reception

Boy earned $61,102 worldwide, all from international markets, opening in South Korea on January 14, 2026 with $24,971.<sup>[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt36109526/)</sup> It premiered at a festival on November 16, 2025 before its cinema release.<sup>[2](https://mydramalist.com/784946-boy)</sup> A user review on MyDramaList scored it 7.5 out of 10, praising its visual style and subtle emotional communication while criticizing weak dialogue and underdeveloped world-building.<sup>[2](https://mydramalist.com/784946-boy)</sup> Another review compared it to [Project Y](https://www.edgepedia.org/project-y), released a week apart, calling both films metaphors for the hopelessness of today's Korean youth, with Boy the male-centric half of the pair.<sup>[2](https://mydramalist.com/784946-boy)</sup>

## Production

Lee Sang-deok wrote and directed the film, and it was scored by B.I, the rapper and producer.<sup>[2](https://mydramalist.com/784946-boy)</sup> The film was shot as a contained noir in the fictional Pogu City, with a 15+ content rating and a compact 90-minute running time.<sup>[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt36109526/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://mydramalist.com/784946-boy)</sup>

## References

1. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt36109526/
2. https://mydramalist.com/784946-boy

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2025 › Romantic drama films*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026 · Last review: Oct 3, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license