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Music powers all of us in some way – even for those who work in space. Although a subplot, I believe this is one way to look at the 2025 South Korean animated film Lost in Starlight. Yet, it is because of music that a connection is forged between an astronaut and a musician who’d rather stay away from the spotlight, as much as possible.

In the later part of the story, the power of music is once again evident through an old video that Jay got access through a QR code in which he encountered the scenes before Nan-young’s mother’s death, which of course made him feel at a loss for words. As it turns out,  even Nan-young’s mum, honoured for being the first woman to go on a mission to Mars, used a song close to her heart to deepen the mother-daughter bond. 

This is perhaps the parts where it differs from a typical rom-com, even as the Koreans are famous for acting, directing and producing popular and crowd-pleasing ones.

Music is indeed the binding element that adds weight to the characters’ emotions and indirectly determines the tone and pace of the entire film. You’ll see this through Jay’s (former) bandmates and of course, throughout Jay’s and Nan-young’s relationship, as well as when both Jay and Nan-young are in a different space and time, chasing their own dreams.

Even if Nan-young has her cosmic dreams, she understands that Jay has his own and encourages him to use his voice/vocals.

So, if you didn’t quite like the other elements, like the much-raved about science fiction trope of being in a futuristic, forward-looking and sophisticated world, it would suffice to enjoy this portion on music. After all, music is a universal language and has the capacity to transcend boundaries.

But A+ for the ideas on the mentions of cloud and also how Jay’s music got removed after launch because he did not like all the attention he was getting. I think these are all relatable and very much in line with the times.

And who can deny the power of South Korean music being a global phenomenon, when even a small portion of Jay’s song lyrics are in English, yet, it is just the right amount to get you to be on a search for it and also to listen to it repeatedly.

All in all, it is a watchable film, and I’d still shed tears at the exact same scene – even after rewatching it a second time. Whether or not it is an excellent film, that's a matter of your tastes and preferences.

Lost in Starlight is Netflix’s first South Korean animated film, under the direction of Han Ji-won, who is also responsible for the animations and illustrations in this highly visual film, which has a runtime of 96 minutes.