SUMMARY: A group of film industry professional20s grapple with envy, failure, and emotional exhaustion as they search for meaning in their unraveling lives. When an aspiring director at rock bottom meets an overwhelmed producer, their intertwined struggles expose the quiet battles everyone is fighting beneath the surface.
“We Are All Trying Here” explores the emotional exhaustion, envy, and quiet desperation simmering beneath the surface of people who work in the film industry.
The main character is Hwang Dong-Man, a man who has spent 20 years trying, and failing, to make his directorial debut. Among the elite film circle known as “The Eight,” he is the only one who never launched a career. His peers have become award-winning directors and producers. But he’s STUCK! Clinging to a dream that has long since devolved into self-loathing.
His life takes a turn for the better when he meets Byeon Eun-A. She’s a sharp-tongued producer nicknamed “The Axe”. Her screenplay critiques are brutal. People would never guess that Byeon Eun-A is privately overwhelmed, emotionally overloaded, burnt out, and quietly unraveling under the weight of her own trauma. Their meeting between Hwang Dong-Man and Byeon Eun-A is like a collision of two exhausted souls. They see themselves in each other. Both have the same gnawing, nagging sense of worthlessness.
Parallel to their story is Park Gyeong-Se, a successful director and member of The Eight. He should be happy with what he’s achieved. But for some reason, he feels insecure and unaccomplished. Also, he hates Hwang Dong-Man. It’s a childish rivalry he harbors, fueled by envy and an inferiority complex he cannot shake. But WHY? It makes no sense.
His wife, Ko Hye-Jin, is a former journalist who left the industry after becoming disillusioned with exploiting tragedy for stories. She is patient, grounded, and painfully aware of the emotional rot within her husband and their social circle.
Park Gyeong-Se’s latest film bombs at the box office, and it sends him into a spiral that mirrors Hwang Dong-Man’s long-term stagnation. It gets worse. His wife, Ko Hye-Jin, delivers devastating news that further destabilizes their marriage.
Meanwhile, Byeon Eun-A seeks counseling as her emotional walls begin to crack, and Hwang Dong-Man hits rock bottom. It’s been 20 years, and financially, professionally, and psychologically, he can’t possibly get any lower. But he does! And yet, he continues to show up, clinging to the faint hope that someone will finally hear his voice.
Each character is fighting a private battle. As time passes, their emotional wounds become more visible. Their interactions with each other are sometimes tender, sometimes explosive. But the bottom line is that the pressure to succeed, combined with envy and self-doubt, can warp relationships, careers, and most importantly, your self-worth. The effect on their lives is corrosive, even tragic. But will they overcome? Will they become successful?
My personal rating is the same as MDL.
“We Are All Trying Here” is not so much about achieving success as it is about surviving the emotional fallout of not achieving success. This Korean drama is painfully relatable. Don’t most of us live in a world where it seems like everyone else is winning?
“Perfect Crown” Breaks Into Double-Digit Ratings As “We Are All Trying Here” Premieres | Soompi
Netflix Philippines. “We Are All Trying Here.” YouTube, 29 Mar. 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrmfSaYij8I.
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