Reference
The movie My Girlfriend is a Secret Agent was on my watch list because I am a big fan of spy movies like James Bond, XXX and Jason Bourne. This movie, while action packed, held a softer side as well exploring the emotions of the major characters. The imagery was not graphic. Very little blood and guts or close-up to violence, however it did include mild sexuality. Ahn Soo-ji is undercover as a cleaning lady in the men's bathroom. While cleaning and looking at the floor she glances up at a man's penis region (the penis is not shown). From the look on her face, she recognizes the penis as belonging to her ex-boyfriend, Lee Jae-joon who disappeared right after leaving a break-up message on her phone a few years ago. She starts to hit him with her mop. There is another mild love scene later on in the movie with again mild sexuality. Nothing can be seen, however I don't believe it would be appropriate to show in school unless you fast forward through the brief love scenes.
This movie does present a different view of woman than what I have seen in Korean films in the past. Typically the man is the one who rescues the woman and helps her to become a better person as a strong guidance. In this film, the female lead Ahn Soo-ji is the expert spy and helps her in-ept boyfriend get out of trouble. This strong view of the power and ability of a woman is a message that is important to show.
Other cultural values that are shown in this movie include the importance of the eldest son. Lee Jah-joon frequently talks about his importance because he is the eldest son. The rooms are also properly feng shuied with plants and fish frequently in the indoor scenes. Also a difference in American and Korean culture, the head nodding to show you are paying attention (in America it is eye contact) is shown in this movie as well.
