Florence’s iconic Giunti Odeon bookshop-cinema has made its debut on Netflix, serving as the backdrop for a key scene in the newly released Korean TV series Can This Love Be Translated?
The 12-episode series blends romance, humour, and linguistic and cultural disorientation. At its centre is Joo Ho-jin, a professional interpreter with a reserved nature who is assigned to work alongside Cha Mu-hee, an internationally renowned actress, during the filming of a dating reality show. As the production takes them across Japan, Canada, Italy and other locations around the world, the two are forced to share time, experiences and misunderstandings. Their enforced closeness gradually gives rise to a more complex dynamic, a mutual attraction that neither the languages they speak nor the environments they inhabit seem capable of managing. Further complicating matters is the arrival of Hiro Kurosawa, a charismatic Japanese actor whose presence unsettles the already fragile emotional balance.
Giunti Odeon appears in the sixth episode of the series, providing the setting for a classic romantic-comedy misunderstanding between the two protagonists. The scene revolves around Cha Mu-hee’s bout of jealousy toward Joo Ho-jin and his attempt to regain the trust of the woman he is falling in love with. Viewers are treated to a full visual tour of the venue: the spacious main hall lined with bookshelves, the upper gallery with its tables and chairs, the LED wall on the stage illuminated during the day, and finally the cinema’s plush seats and large screen by night, with lighting that highlights the architectural beauty and artistic richness of Giunti Odeon. Filming for the series took place inside the venue on December 10, 2024.
Written by the celebrated Hong Sisters (Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran), directed by Yoo Young-eun and starring two rising Korean stars, Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung, Can This Love Be Translated? offers a contemporary reflection on how people can—or cannot—truly understand one another when they fall in love. The series also stands as yet another international success for K-dramas, the broad narrative genre driving the global popularity of Korean television. This phenomenon has already produced worldwide hits such as Squid Game, as well as acclaimed films including Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, winner of four Academy Awards in 2020, and the more recent No Other Choice by Park Chan-wook.
