The Last First: Winter K2 (2026) ☆☆☆(3/4): A deadly expedition at K2

Posted on October 10, 2026 by kaist455

Documentary film “The Last First: Winter K2”, which was released on Apple TV on last Friday, focuses on a bunch of mountaineers who attempted to make the first successful winter ascent of K2, the second-highest mountain on the Earth, in late 2020. Thanks to a heap of various high-definition photographs and video clips shot during that time, the documentary gives us a vivid and close glimpse into how things went quite wrong around the later stages of that very risky expedition, and that is more than enough for us to get chilled and alarmed during our viewing.

During the early part of the documentary, we get to know a bit about why the winter ascent of K2 has been quite dangerous and challenging for many years. Sure, many other high mountains in the Himalayas including Mountain Everest are very, very, very tough to climb in winter, but K2 was particularly notorious for its extremely risky aspects. In fact, this deadly mountain has more casualties than any other Himalayan mountains around its height, and the winter ascent of K2 seemed quite impossible as a series of daring attempts were disappointingly thwarted during last several decades.

In the end, the winter ascent of K2 became what can be regarded as the “Last First” for numerous ambitious mountaineers out there, and that was why an Icelander mountaineer named John Snorri went to K2 along with his two Pakistani companions, Muhammad Ali Sadpara and his son Sajid, in late 2020. Although he remains casual about this expedition of his, it is apparent to us that not only he but also his companions and wife are quite concerned to say the least. After all, anything can happen due to many tricky aspects of the mountain including its very unpredictable weather condition, and Snorri and his companions certainly knew that too well as experienced professionals.

However, things began to go wrong in a way quite unexpected even for them during next several weeks. When they set their base camp at the foot of the mountain, it seemed that they would be the only team to attempt the ascent during that time, and, what do you know, there came another expedition team to their surprise. This team was from Nepal and was incidentally led by Nirmal “Nims” Purja, a Nepali-British mountaineer who was the main subject of recent Netflix documentary film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” (2021). After making a record-breaking feat via climbing all 14 eight-thousanders within only six months and a few days in 2019 (This was later broken by in 2023 by Kristin Harila and Tenjen Sherpa, by the way), Purja was looking for another big goal to accomplish, and that was none other than the winter ascent of K2.

For a while, it just seemed to be a matter of competition between Snorri and Purja, but then the situation became a lot more complicated beyond their control. Not long after the arrival of Purja’s team, there also came several more teams including the one planned for a bunch of non-professional clients, and they were all eager to accomplish their common goal just like Snorri and Purja.

Needless to say, everyone at the base camp sensed the growing possibility of disaster, but none of them was not so willing to step forward first for pointing out how the situation could be much worse. After all, they were all very close to the chance of making a historical record to be remembered for a long time, and quitting was the last thing they wanted to do right now.

Things got indeed worse as time was running out for them day by day, and then there came what can be regarded as the violation of the mutual trust among them. Purja’s team decided to go further without notifying anyone else in advance, and this hurt Sadpara’s feelings a lot because he had regarded Purja as a close colleague and friend. In the end, Purja’s team succeeded in accomplishing the mission, but this certainly affected the overall mood among the other mountaineers at the spot.

Ironically, this actually made them all the more motivated about climbing onto the top of K2 as soon as possible, and it was probably one of many contributing factors in what inevitably occurred next. As too many people attempted to climb up along that very climbing route of K2, the chance for disaster got more increased, and this eventually led to the sudden unexpected death of one of the mountaineers. Unfortunately, this tragic incident did not deter many of them much, and it was consequently followed by several other equally devastating incidents later.   

There were actually several cameramen associated with some of those expedition teams as well as a number of smartphones belonging to the expedition team members, and what was recorded at that time is alternatively awe-inspiring and terrifying. While we surely get a closer look on the perilous beauty of K2, we also observe a lot of how cold, hostile, and dangerous the weather on the mountain can possibly be to human body, and this feels all the more palpable to us as we listen to several interviewees who were there at that time.

Overall, “The Last First: Winter K2”, directed by Amir Bar-Lev, is an effective documentary which did a good job of conveying to us the inherent risks and dangers of high-altitude mountaineering. Although it could delve more into its fascinating main subject, it still engaged me with its visceral qualities, and that is enough for recommendation in my trivial opinion.

Sidenote: As some of you know, Purja and nine other climbers died in an avalanche on the Pakistani side of Broad Peak in this July. All I can say is that, at least, he died while doing what he was so passionate about.

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Look Back (2026) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A collaboration between two talented girls

Posted on October 10, 2026 by kaist455

“Look Back”, another new film from Hirokazu Kore-eda in this year after “The Sheep in the Box” (2026), is a little but compelling story about friendship and artistic collaboration. Based on the 2021 one-shot manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto, which was already adapted into the 2024 animation film, the movie has its own mood and sensitivity to distinguish itself from the animation film version besides being a fairly faithful adaptation, and the result is quite engaging and touching on the whole.

The story begins with how its two main characters befriend each other during their elementary school years in some rural town in Japan. As a young girl who has been quite passionate about drawing manga, Fujino (Furi Nanase) is very proud of her little manga in the school newspaper, but then there comes an unexpected change for her on one day. On her classroom teacher’s suggestion, the school newspaper begins to put another student manga right next to Fujino’s, and, what do you know, this student manga instantly draws a lot of attention and praise from many other students due to its remarkable details and touches to be appreciated.

Needless to say, Fujino’s efforts are frequently compared to the works from the other student, and she naturally becomes more competitive. Sure, her manga is fairly good on the whole, but she cannot help but feel inferior whenever she and many of her schoolmates look at the latest work from Kyomoto (Rokka Okada), who has incidentally stopped coming to the school mainly due to being quite shy and introverted. No matter how much she tries during next several months, Fujino still feels like being way behind her competitor, and that eventually makes her quit drawing manga when her last elementary school year begins. 

When the graduation day eventually comes for her and her fellow schoolmates, Fujino is asked to deliver a diploma to Kyomoto’s residence despite her reluctance, and then she encounters Kyomoto at last via a little coincidence. To her big surprise, Kyomoto turns out to be a longtime admirer of that little manga created by Fujino, and that is the beginning of their very special relationship. As they stick together more via their shared passion on manga, they spend a lot of their spare time on several manga projects of theirs, and, of course, they come to help and support each other more and more during next several years.

Although it is not so different from the 2024 animation film version in terms of story and characters, the movie actually does its own stuffs at times. Because it is relatively longer than the 2024 animation version (The running time of the former is 100 minutes while the latter is less than 60 minutes), it often adds some extra details to observe, and it also vividly illustrates the collaboration process between its two main characters with considerable realistic touches to admire and appreciate.

As the camera of cinematographer Senzo Ueno closely and intimately observes these two girls’ painstaking artistic efforts, our eyes are often marveled by a series of interesting touches and techniques, and this will surely remind you of why artificial intelligence may never surpass human acts of art at least during next several centuries. Sure, those drawings from artificial intelligence may be perfect to the bone on the surface, but they seriously and inherently lack human elements to which we can respond in each own way, and that is why they are and will always be nothing but inconsequential digital products.

Under Kore-eada’s sensitive direction, two young performers Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada are constantly engaging in their adorned natural acting, and they are also flawlessly connected with their older counterparts later in the story, who are convincing as their characters come to have a sudden conflict around the middle act of the story. While surely and sincerely appreciating how much her friend has helped her in getting out of her small reclusive world, Kyomoto, who is now played by Aju Makita, wants to focus more on honing her drawing skill, and this unintentionally leads to her following breakup with Fujino, who is now played by Natsuki Deguchi. Deeply feeling hurt by her friend’s decision, Fujino eventually decides to go her own way without Kyomoto, and we soon see Fujino becoming a promising new manga creator several years later.  

However, the story subsequently takes an unexpected narrative turn during the last act. If you are familiar with Fujimoto’s original manga or the 2024 animation film version, you surely know this in advance, but it is still harrowing to see how Fujino becomes quite devastated as a consequence, and you will also be touched again by the genuine poignancy from a very moving example of the elevating emotional power of art.

In conclusion, “Look Back”, which won several collateral awards when it was premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in last month, works as well as the 2024 animation film version, and I am glad to see Kore-eda back in his element right after the mild disappointment in “The Sheep in the Box”, which let us down to some degrees despite its supposedly intriguing story premise coupled with the usual artistic touches expected from him.

Although I think “Look Back” is not one of his best works during last several years, you will enjoy Kore-eda’s thoughtfully sensitive handling of the story and characters, and you will also recognize and admire his artistic personality from a number of distinctive stuffs such as those tranquil shots of trains and landscapes. It may not aim that high from the beginning, but it does its supposedly modest job a lot better than expected, and I am impressed enough to give it a full recommendation.

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Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974) ☆☆☆(3/4): A long but delightful romp

Posted on October 5, 2026 by kaist455

Jacques Rivette’s 1974 film “Céline and Julie Go Boating”, which came to South Korean theaters a few days ago, is a long but delightful romp. I must confess that I scratched my head more than once during its long running time (192 minutes), but I often appreciated how the movie freely wanders here and there as being steadily buoyed by a lot of charm and spirit on the screen. Yes, I am still struggling to conclude on what it is about, but I must admit that I was also amused a lot during my viewing.

 The center of the movie is an accidental relationship between two different young ladies: Céline (Juliet Berto) and Julie (Dominique Labourier). When Céline hurriedly passes by Julie on one day, Julie sees Céline dropping several stuffs one by one without noticing that at all, so she instantly follows after Céline just like the heroine of Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” does after that white rabbit. Although Julie fails to catch up with Céline in the end, these two young ladies soon come across each other again, and something instantly clicks between them.

Is this simply the beginning of a friendship? Or, is it actually the starting point of a romance? The movie never clarifies anything except depicting that 1) these two young ladies just enjoy each other’s company and 2) their rather unspecified relationship changes both of them in one way or another. Becoming quite eager to have more fun and freedom, Julie later decides to quit her menial job at a local library. In case of Céline, who is a cabaret performer, she gets herself more involved into Julie’s personal life once she begins to stay in Julie’s little residence, and there is an amusing scene where she disguises as Juile in front of some old lover of Julie.

And then there comes an unexpected opportunity for them. There is an abandoned old house in their neighborhood, and Céline and Julie experience something very inexplicable during their respective visits to this rather spooky house. At first, they do not remember much of whatever happened to them inside the house, but they soon find a way to recall their supposedly supernatural experiences, and they come to visit the house more and more along the story.

Around that point, the movie, which is inspired to some degree by Henry James’ novel “The Other House” and short story “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes”, enters the vague realm of horror and fantasy. Gradually discovering a darkly melodramatic past associated with the house, our two young ladies are alternatively intrigued and excited by that past and several ghosts associated with that past. It seems that there were rather complicated relationships among some dude and three women surrounding him, and there was also a little adorable girl Céline and Julie come to care about more than expected.

Rather than hurrying its story and characters, the movie leisurely takes a lot of time, and that is what we can usually expect from Rivette, many of whose works are notable for their slow narrative pacing and long running time. To be frank with you, I have never seen any of his work before watching “Céline and Julie Go Boating” early in this morning, but I have heard a lot about how long and slow his movies usually are. For example, his 1971 film “Out 1” is almost 13 hours, and I doubt whether I can ever have a chance or will to watch that (in)famous work someday.

As getting a bit impatient during my viewing, I wondered whether “Céline and Julie Go Boating” can be improved to some degree by cutting what can be regarded as redundant scenes, but I also gradually sensed that Rivette simply has a lightweight carefree fun with his cast members here. Many key moments involved with those ghosts in the house are repeated more than once throughout the film, but this frequent repetition soon becomes an organic part of its wryly cheerful sense of humor, and then things become all the zanier when Julie and Céline subsequently decide to do more than being mere observers of the past inside the house. I will not go into detail here for spoiling any fun for you, but I can tell you instead that their spirited attitude makes a hilarious contrast with the ghosts in the house, who are more or less than robotic figures mechanically going through their perpetually repeated past. 

I have no idea on how much the improvisation from the main cast members actually contributed to the screenplay co-written by them and Rivette, but they are all effective in their comic performances. Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier, who were incidentally close friends at that time as reflected by their natural chemistry on the screen, are constantly engaging as their characters joyously bounce from one narrative point to each other, and Rivette generously allows them to have each own moment to shine along the story. Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier, Barbet Schroeder, who also served as the producer of the film, and Nathalie Asnar play absolutely straight as the ghost figures in the story, and that surely generates extra hilarity for us.

On the whole, “Céline and Julie Go Boating” is definitely challenging at times due to its slow and elusive storytelling as well as its long running time, but it is still an interesting work which has not lost any of its charm and spirit even after more than 50 years. In fact, this can be a good starting point for you if you are not so familiar with Rivette’s works such as “La Belle Noiseuse” (1991), and, folks, I am already quite willing to explore more of his works sooner or later.

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The Stranger (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Nothing matters to him…

Posted on October 5, 2026 by kaist455

François Ozon’s latest film “The Stranger”, which is based on Albert Camus’ 1942 classic existentialism novel of the same name, is a detached but interesting character study. Mainly revolving around its thoroughly disaffected young hero, the movie is faithful to the dry and distant tone of Camus’ novel, and the result is another solid work from Ozon.

The hero of the story is Meursault (Benjamin Voisin), a plain lad living alone in French Algeria around the early 20th century. Around the beginning of the story, he is notified that his mother dies, and he immediately goes to a facility where she spent her last years. As her only close family member, he is expected to shed some tears, but he remains so aloof and emotionless that others around him are rather baffled by that.

After that, the movie flaccidly observes how he goes through his mundane daily life day by day. He is not entirely lonely as there are several people “close” to him, but none of them seems to matter to him particularly. He often hangs around with one of his neighbors, but he does not care that much about whatever this despicable dude has been doing behind his back. When he happens to meet a young lady on a local beach, something seems to click between them, and then he gets more involved with her, but he remains distant and elusive to her bafflement and curiosity.

These and many other moments during the first half of the movie are presented under a phlegmatic but occasionally unnerving tone, which is further accentuated by the crisp black and white cinematography by Manu Dacosse. As gradually immersing us into its vivid period atmosphere and details, the movie lets us somehow sense what has been accumulating beneath its hero’s detached attitude, which eventually reaches to sort of breaking point when he later lets himself get more involved with a certain seedy matter of that unlikable neighbor. When that neighbor is stalked and then menaced by several young indigenous guys, Meursault does not seem to care as usual, but then he later comes across one of these indigenous lads. In the end, he kills that indigenous lad for a reason probably elusive even to himself.

Like Camus’ novel, the movie does not explain a lot – even though it relies on its hero’s narration during several key moments along the story. During the following trial on his impulsive act of killing, Meursault remains quite detached and disinterested while not showing any remorse or fear at all, and that certainly gives a bad impression on both the judges and the jury members in the trial. He surely knows well how that will make his circumstance all the worse, but, again, he does not care at all.

Dryly observing the absurd aspects of its hero’s situation, the movie sometimes shows a bit of care in contrast. While Meursault’s girlfriend continues to stand by him as much as possible, she only finds herself more frustrated with his adamant detachment. In case of a woman who is the sister of that unfortunate indigenous lad, the movie clearly sympathizes with her as reflected by a couple of brief but crucial moments, and that will make you reflect more on the colonial/racial background of the story.

Although it is apparent to us from the beginning that the story is rolling its hero toward the inevitable finale waiting for him, the movie takes its time as usual even during the last act. It has been more than 20 years since I read Camus’ novel, I still remember well the part where its hero finally and furiously lets out whatever has been inside himself for years, and I must say that the movie did a commendable job of presenting it with enough intensity and competence. While this part made me muse more on the undeniably futile aspects of our existence in the universe, I was also reminded of my inconsequentially contradictory personal conclusion from Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022): “Nothing matters – so everything does matter.”

The main cast members in the film tune their acting well to its overall tone. Benjamin Voisin, who previously collaborated with Ozon in “Summer of 85” (2020), is effective in his low-key embodiment of his character’s emotional emptiness, and he also functions as a good counterpoint to the more colorful performances from several other main cast members around him. While Pierre Lottin is suitably loathsome as required by his supporting role, Rebecca Marder brings a little but precious warmth to the story, and Swann Arlaud is solid as a priest who has to face the sheer anger and despair inside Meursault later in the story. In case of Denis Lavant, who looks shabbier and older than usual, he steals the show as usual as wonderfully illustrating his character’s pathetic existence.

Overall, “The Stranger” may require some patience from you at first because of its glacial narrative pacing and deliberately detached tone, but it will eventually come to you as a rewarding cinematic experience to linger on your mind for a while. Although I am still not so sure about whether I fully understand Camus’ novel or the movie itself, I admire its mood, storytelling, and performance nonetheless, and I may revisit it sooner or later for appreciating more of its admirable qualities. Nothing matters to him to the end, but the movie does matter to me, and that is a good thing in my humble opinion.

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Digger (2026) ☆☆(2/4): Another ambitious misfire from Iñárritu

Posted on October 3, 2026 by kaist455

Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest film “Digger” looks quite ambitious at first but then eventually ends up digging not so much on the whole. As I struggled to adjust myself its broadly and unevenly shrill tone during its first half, I came to have some ideas on what the director tries to convey to us, but I also found myself getting more distant to its story and characters without much care. In the end, we are only left with some grand artistic gestures from the director and the deliberately hammy efforts from his lead actor, and that is not enough for recommendation in my humble opinion.

By the way, when there were several previews right before when the movie was officially released in South Korean today, the audiences attending these previews were advised not to reveal any possible spoiler about the film. Although I watched the film early in this morning, I guess I also have to follow this instruction for any audience wanting to watch the movie without being exposed to any spoiler. Therefore, please do not read further if you are one of such audiences.

Okay, now let me describe what is unfolded during the early part of the screenplay by Iñárritu and his co-writers Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman, which is developed from the story by Berman, Iñárritu, and their co-writer Jex Butterworth. After the rather surreal opening scene, we are introduced to Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), a wealthy Texan oil tycoon who has been clearly cocooned inside his power and wealth for years. While there comes an alarming report from his big oil rig located somewhere in Greenland, all he cares about is 1) whether that will jeopardize his business and 2) whether his dying pet cat will survive another day of its increasingly miserable existence.

Needless to say, things soon begin to fall apart from Digger. Something quite catastrophic happens on that oil rig in Greenland, and that can be just the beginning of more catastrophes to come. The US President, played by John Goodman, and his cronies including the vice president played by Michael Stuhlbarg immediately come to Digger’s big residence for an emergency meeting, but, not so surprisingly, they are no better than those bumbling figures in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964) or Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” (2021).

Now it sounds like a potentially rich ground for satire, but the movie unfortunately bludgeons us with relentlessly broad touches here and there. Almost everyone in the film including Digger himself are extremely exaggerated caricatures (They mostly look as pale and cadaverous as the characters in Roy Andersson’s Living Trilogy, by the way), and they usually shout or scream a lot just for emphasizing how stupid or deluded or incompetent they really are. To make the matters worse, the score by Cosmo Sheldrake is so cacophonously intrusive here and there that you may often mistake it for some sloppy job by the sound department of the movie.

Maybe the main point of this abrasively warped satire of the movie is intended to reflect how chaotic and idiotic our world has become during these days, but then it only lets itself getting diffused as taking a sudden left turn for revealing the other main narrative beneath what has been unfolded during its first 40 minutes. Now, if you are still reading this review but really want to any spoiler nonetheless, I ask you again not to read further.

Okay, now I can tell you that what has been presented on the screen is actually the rehearsal process of a big theater production of a certain play about Digger. Around that point, you will be certainly reminded of Iñárritu’s previous Oscar-winning film “Birdman” (2014), but, sadly, the movie fails to fly as high as that amusing backstage comedy movie without bringing much depth or humor to its story and characters. Unlike the desperately struggling hero of “Birdman”, we never get to know or understand that much about the actor playing Digger on the stage, and everything around him remains as more or less than mere background details. At least, the movie tries to make some point on the meaning of art later in the story, and that feels too hollow and superficial besides being too late to save the film from digging down further without much substance.

In case of Tom Cruise, this probably looked like a good opportunity to go all the way with the certain parts of his acting ability which have been quite dormant during last 25 years. There are indeed several showy moments where he chews every line of his with unrestrained gusto, but he is still limited a lot by his utterly superficial character, and so are many other notable main cast members including Goodman and Stuhlbarg. While Sandra Hüller is totally wasted in her thankless supporting part, Riz Ahmed manages to bring a bit of intelligence to his character even though there is not much he can do from the beginning, and Jesse Plemons provides a little but thankful dose of calmness to the screen during his brief appearance later in the story.

In conclusion, “Digger” is another regrettably self-indulgent misfire from Iñárritu after “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (2022). As I think more about the ending of the film, I sense that he sincerely hopes that we will still be able to enjoy and appreciate those acts of art including cinema even when things fall apart a lot for all of us in the end, but his movie only scratches the surface without truly digging deep into its comic ideas and materials, and that is really a shame.

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The Assassin(s) (2026) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Against a cover-up

Posted on September 28, 2026 by kaist455

South Korean film “The Assassin(s)” is a well-made political thriller drama which does not go further than what I already know about its main subject and time period. Inspired by a lot of reasonable questions and doubts surrounding the attempted assassination of Korean President Park Chung-hee, the movie focuses on how its several fictional main characters’ desperate struggle against the following massive cover-up, and it did a fairly good job of bringing us back into that grim period. However, it does not distinguish itself enough from many other similar South Korean films out there, and I only came to observe its plot and characters without much care. 

The opening part is the best part of the film. On August 15th, 1974, President Park attended an Independence ceremony along with his wife at the Seoul National Theater of Korea, but then there came several shots which threw everyone at the spot into panic and terror during next few minutes. A Zainichi Korean named Mun Se-gwang, who is incidentally presented as Moon Tae-kwang (Park Jeong-min) here in this film, was quickly captured, and President Park was not shot at all, but, unfortunately, his wife and a young girl were shot and then died not long after they were taken to a hospital.

While shocked a lot by this sudden incident, which happened to be broadcast on live TV, just like many others around him, Kim Jae-hwan (Park Hae-il), an editor of the social affairs department of some big local newspaper instantly embarks on what should be done as soon as possible. A rookie reporter named Han Young-il (Lee Min-hoo), who happened to be at the spot, quickly follows the instructions from him, and it does not take much time for them to see how serious the situation really is.

Just like many other TV and newspaper reporters, they are certainly ready to report on why and how the incident could happen in detail, but the South Korean government is not so willing to tell everything to say the least. It quickly concludes on the case once a full confession from Moon came after a few days, and Jae-hwan begins to sense something fishy after receiving a tip from Park Cheol-gu (Yoo Hae-jin), a police superintendent who was also at the spot along with many of his colleagues.

As Jae-hwan and Cheol-gu delve more into the incident together with some help from Young-il, they come to see that there are many odd and suspicious things in the incident. For example, six bullets were shot during that time, but it is undeniable that Moon could not shoot the last one because it was shot right after he was captured. In addition, all those bullets at the spot were taken away by Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), and the one which supposedly killed President Park’s wife was somehow gone.

Needless to say, Jae-hwan and Cheol-gu are soon cornered by KCIA in one way or another – especially they investigate more on the assassin’s background. On the surface, Moon is supposed to be a North Korean sympathizer who acted alone by himself, but there is a lot of difference between the investigation report from the South Korean government and what the Japanese Police discovered. Above all, it also becomes quite possible that Moon actually had someone who accompanied him when he entered South Korea.

Although the possibility of conspiracy becomes more palpable to us, the movie thankfully does not go down into rabbit hole too much while showing and telling us how grim and volatile the South Korean society was under President Park’s dictatorship during the 1970s. For suppressing the growing demand toward democratization, he and his cronies were willing to do anything, and they were responsible for the kidnapping incident of congressman Kim Dae-jung in Japan, a prominent progressive South Korean politician who would become a South Korean president in 1998. This certainly put a lot of strain on the diplomatic relationship between the Japanese and South Korean government, and the movie presents a rather plausible theory on how this kidnapping incident might have led to the assassination incident one year later. 

However, the movie did not interest me enough in terms of story and characters. The main characters are more or less than flat archetypes from the start, and the main cast members are simply required to fill their respective spots as much as required. Yoo Hae-jin, who also appeared in “The King’s Warden” (2026) early in this year, is a wonderful character actor to watch, but this is not exactly one of his best works, considering how he has steadily provided a series of enjoyable performances for more than 20 years. While Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho are often limited by their thankless parts, the movie peppers the story with a heap of various notable performers including Bae Seong-woo, Park Ji-hwan, Jung Woo-sung, Shim Eun-kyung, Park Hae-joon, Oh Dal-soo, Shin Hyun-been, and Park Jung-min, and you may have some fun with watching them popping up here and there along the story.

On the whole, “The Assassin(s)” works to some degree with a number of competent moments including an effective chase sequence clearly influenced by that memorably rainy one in “Seven” (1995), but it is not one of better works from director Hur Jin-ho, who has diligently given us several good films such as “Christmas in August” (1998), “Happiness” (2007) and “A Normal Family” (2023). I was not bored at all during viewing, but I was not engaged or enlightened enough, and, in my humble opinion, it could do more than merely bringing us into its period background.

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Blanket Wearer (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Her penniless one-year nomad project

Posted on September 27, 2026 by kaist455

South Korean independent documentary film “Blanket Wearer” is a likable chronicle of one interesting personal quest. Yes, as shown from the documentary, its director/producer/cinematographer/co-editor Park Jeong-mi really attempted a penniless one-year nomad project after being so suffocated by her static and stressful status of life, and we are alternatively touched and tickled as she looks back at this unconventional journey of hers with witty and thoughtful reflection.

At the beginning, Park tells us how hard and difficult things were for her in London. When she moved to London for her new job, she hoped that she would feel much better than when she worked in Seoul, but, unfortunately, she still did not feel that good as her new job turned out to be no better than the previous one. In addition, she also struggled to pay a rather expensive rent for her tiny residence month by month, and this surely made her all the more frustrated at times.

And then there came one risky but seemingly feasible idea to Park. She decided to live without spending or earning any money at least for one year, and that actually turned out to be more feasible than expected. Thanks to some convenient online networking, she could usually find places where she could stay for days or weeks, and there is an amusing scene when she has to take care of a big river boat in exchange for taking care of it instead of its absent owner for a few weeks. We later see her staying in an empty building during several days thanks to her two “squatter” friends, and she attentively listens to them talking a lot about the problematic housing system in UK in front of her camera.

In case of getting food day by day, London turns out to have many different spots where Park could pick up a bunch of discarded food for free, and this instantly took me back to Agnès Varda’s wonderful documentary “The Gleaners and I”. Just like those gleaners in Varda’s documentary, Park freely acquired many different kinds of discarded food ranging from bread to vegetables, though her friends frankly recognize that they always have to cook and eat them as soon as possible for good reasons.

The documentary becomes more interesting when it shows Park staying and working at a couple of rural organic farms. In case of one of these two organic farms, its members try to live away from modern technology as much as possible, and there is an amusing moment when Park tries to handle her biological matter inside a very crude outhouse in the middle of one night.

While she initially intended to do her one-year survival quest within UK, the scale of Park’s ongoing quest eventually became quite wider when she subsequently decided to join a certain private festival to be held somewhere in Slovakia. Right from when she crossed the English Channel, she depended wholly on hitchhiking, and she was certainly quite willing to take the considerable risk from that (I am sure many of you heard about those numerous real-life horror stories involved hitchhiking).

Although her journey across the Europe continent via hitchhiking was not entirely without unpleasant moments, Park eventually arrived at the festival in time, and she came to reflect more on where her life had been going. She had yearned for freedom because of her stressful jobs, but she also often found herself in the need of any sense of control, and we are not so surprised to learn later that she once tried on military career in the past.

However, around the point where Park came across a group of hippies riding on a big camping vehicle, things became more unpredictable for her ongoing journey. She initially agreed to go to Turkey along with that for helping those unfortunate Syrian refugees there, but she eventually found herself entering Turkey alone by herself, and she got a series of small but precious surprises as she was often welcomed by those kind strangers she met along her journey. At one point, she was allowed to stay in a big empty hospital room, and she was certainly grateful to the generosity of the hospital staff.

As feeling more like a pilgrim in the search of the meaning of life, Park decided to visit a certain religious city in Iran. She had to make an exception due to paying for a tourist visa, but this did not matter that much to her, because one year had already passed even before she entered Turkey. Again, she was genuinely touched a lot by the hospitality of many different strangers on her way, but then there came a shocking incident which traumatized her so much that she came to have a lot of doubts on whether her journey project was really meaningful to her.

I wish the documentary allowed more time for this painful personal struggle of hers, but it thankfully maintains enough wit and spirit to engage us. While she is often behind her camera, Park’s presence and personality are palpable on the screen as she willingly shares her personal feelings and thoughts with us, and we come to cheer for her more as observing how she becomes wiser and more matured about her life after the eventual end of her quest.

In conclusion, “Blanket Wearer” is both funny and moving as an intimate presentation of one personal journey, and I was not surprised at all as observing how often the audiences around me actively responded to a number of key moments in the documentary. If you enjoyed not only “The Gleaners and I” but also Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” (2020), this solid documentary will certainly interest you from the beginning, and I assure you that it will bring you some smile in the end.

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The Dreamed Adventure (2026) ☆☆☆(3/4): An archaeologist back in her hometown

Posted on September 27, 2026 by kaist455

“The Dreamed Adventure”, which won the Jury Prize when it was premiered at the Cannes Films Festival early in this year and then was recently selected as the Bulgarian entry for Best International Film Oscar, engaged me more than expected, and I like that. Due to its rather slow narrative pacing and long running time (167 minutes), the movie certainly requires some patience from you from the very beginning, but it will gradually become a rewarding experience on the whole, and you will come to admire and appreciate its many good moments more after it is over.

 During its first act, the movie follows Said (Syuleyman Letifov), a middle-aged man who is driving his car to a rural border region of Bulgaria right next to Greece and Turkey for some business deal. Not long after his arrival in a small local city named Svilengrad, he unfortunately gets his car stolen, and then he comes across an old friend of his who is willing to help him a bit. That person in question is a middle-aged woman named Veska (Yana Radeva), and we come to learn that she recently returned to their hometown as an archaeologist supervising a little excavation project at an old historical spot outside the city.

 As they come to spend more time together than expected, Veska accompanies Said as he makes some big deal with one of the local criminals in the region, and it does not take much time for her to see that Said’s deal can cause some serious trouble. There is a powerful criminal boss controlling almost every criminal business and deal in the region, and he is not so pleased about Said dealing with his opponent.

When Said is suddenly gone for no apparent reason later, Veska is naturally perplexed, but she continues to focus on her excavation project as before, though there is a big problem to handle sooner or later. The condition of the road leading to their excavation site is not so good to say the least, and Veska cannot help but feel quite frustrated as the mayor of Svilengard keeps avoiding her phone call instead of helping her and her excavation team.

As she tries to get any information on Said’s whereabouts, Veska finds herself gradually involved with the criminal world of Svilengard and its surrounding area. Many men in the region have a long history of crime, and, as Veska frequently encounters some of them along the story, we get to know more about how much the region has been riddled with poverty and crime for many years since the end of the Cold War era. In fact, before eventually leaving her hometown for a better life, Veska was a part of this gloomy and shabby world, and we are not so surprised to learn later that she was once close to the aforementioned gang boss just like Said.

Around that narrative point, the movie comes to feel more like a mixture of western and crime noir drama, but the screenplay by director Valeska Grisebach and her co-writer Lisa Bierwirth does not hurry itself at all as patiently building up the story and characters more. The conflict between Veska and the gang boss becomes a bit more tense as she gets more involved in Said’s criminal deal later in the story, but the movie continues to focus on the interactions among its heroine and some other characters in the story, and we get more engaged as observing some interesting details from them. For example, when Veska joins a bunch of local women who were close to her and her family, their lively conversation reveals a lot about how much they had to endure and survive the prevalent misogyny in their world, and this makes an interesting contrast with a similar scene between Veska and a bunch of local dudes, who are often quite rude to her with their blatantly misogynistic behaviors and words.

 While she remains mostly reserved, Veska slowly and steadily embarks on doing what should be done in her viewpoint. Besides handling Said’s criminal deal for herself, she also helps several others around her here and there, and there is a tenderly amusing moment between her and a little plucky girl who is incidentally the daughter of the gang boss. Despite the conflict between her and the girl’s father, Veska is nice and gentle to the girl, and the girl’s father genuinely appreciates that even though he still regards Veska as a pesky problem to deal with sooner or later.  

  The main cast members of the film are solid in their natural acting. As her character gradually functions as the heart and soul of the movie, Yana Radeva’s earnest low-key performance comes to show more of her character’s inner will and strength, and she is especially wonderful when Veska confronts the gang boss for resolving their conflict once and for all. Although she does not raise her voice at all, we feel the considerable emotional weight behind what Veska flatly but sardonically points out to the gang boss, and that makes their private conversation quite intense. Around Radeva, a bunch of various performers hold each own place well as many different parts of the story, and Syuleyman Letifov and Stoicho Kostadinov make an effective contrast as the two different men in Veska’s past.     

Overall, “The Dreamed Adventure” is worthwhile to watch for its good mood, storytelling, and performances, and it certainly demonstrates well Grisebach’s considerable talent. Although I have not watched this German female filmmaker’s several previous films including “Western” (2017), she is another talented filmmaker to watch in my trivial opinion, and I will certainly have some expectation on whatever may come next from her.

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Late Fame (2025) ☆☆☆(3/4): Sudden attention to an old ex-poet in New York City

Posted on September 27, 2026 by kaist455

Kent Jones’ new film “Late Fame” is a somber but engaging character drama about an old ex-poet suddenly getting some little but unexpected attention. Although it is not entirely satisfying due to its several under-developed aspects, the movie works thanks to its low-key humor and realistic urban atmosphere, and it is also supported well by the presence and talent of one of the most interesting movie actors of our time.

Willem Dafoe, who effectively dials down himself here as he did in his Oscar-nominated supporting turn in “The Florida Project” (2017), plays Ed Saxberger, an old single man who has modestly earning his living via working in a local post office in New York City. Around 50 years ago, he was a young aspiring poet drawn to the bohemian art scene in the city, but he did not have any significant artistic success besides publishing one little poet collection book of his, and now he is just content with going through his mundane daily life day by day.

On one day, Saxberger is approached by someone when he returns to his little apartment in the city. He is a lad named Wilson Meyers (Edmund Donovan), and he is quite interested in getting to know Saxberger after coming across that obscure poet collection book of his. While he is not so interested at first, Saxberger eventually agrees to meet a group of aspiring young writers led by Meyers, and they are all eager to get to know and learn more from him, though he does not have much to tell because his brief artistic career is a distant old past to him now.

Nevertheless, Meyers remains willing to revive Saxberger’s artistic career. He encourages Saxberger to write any new poem, and he even introduces Saxberger to an acquaintance of his who may help Saxberger a bit in restarting his artistic career. As days go by, Saxberger gradually becomes a fixture in Meyers’ group, and he also happens to draw the attention of Gloria (Greta Lee), a young actress who often hangs around with Meyers and his colleagues just for fun.

However, it does not take much time for Saxberger to sense more of the distance between him and his sudden young admirers. Most of them are from wealthy families, and it goes without saying that they are not that serious or desperate about whatever they are trying to achieve someday. They often regard young online influencers with a lot of disgust and annoyance, but they still let some young online influencers stay around them in their little private place because, well, they also crave for any attention or recognition on whatever they are doing together.

Clearly discerning who they are, Saxberger did not expect much from these superficial young people from the beginning, but he also cannot help but be more delighted by their growing attention. He does not have any particularly good advice for their creative process, but he tries his best in helping them a bit anyway, while continuing to enjoy their company. 

And he finds himself more fascinated about Gloria, who seems to be actually interested in getting closer to Saxberger but still puts some distance between them as before. In contrast to Meyers and his colleagues, Gloria does not tell much about herself at all, and this surely makes Saxberger all the more curious about her, but she still prefers to be away from his reach even after they have a little intimate moment between them.

While it eventually takes a number of predictable narrative turns later, the screenplay by Samy Burch, which is based on the novella of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler, takes its time as before as serving us more character details to observe and reflect on. Things become a bit more humorous as Meyers and his colleagues try to prepare for a little promotional event, and we are often amused by their seriousness. As Saxberger struggles to write something new to present at that event, the mood becomes a bit pensive for a while, and we get a brief but wonderful moment as he tries to grasp any possible way to develop one small poetic idea.

Although it stumbles more than once around its last act (A subplot involved with Saxberger’s family issue feels rather artificial, for example), the movie did a fairly good job of presenting the story and characters with considerable realism. The urban mood and background surrounding Saxberger and the other characters in the film are vivid and palpable, and Dafoe and several other cast members in the film are believable in their respective roles. Dafoe’s understated acting steadily holds the center as required, and he is particularly good whenever his wrinkled but expressive face silently conveys to us his character’s inner thoughts and feelings. Greta Lee and Edmund Donovan have some juicy moments along the story, and Lee plays her flamboyantly theatrical character with enough charm and gusto to hold our attention.    

In conclusion, “Late Fame” is fairly enjoyable thanks to not only its talented cast members but also Kent’s thoughtful direction. While being mostly known for his film criticism career, he also directed documentary film “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (2015), and then there came his first feature film “Diane” (2018). Although it is not better than “Diane”, “Late Fame” still has enough stuffs to admire, so I recommend you to give it a chance someday.

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Possible Love (2026) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A sublime quartet drama by Lee Chang-dong

Posted on September 26, 2026 by kaist455

South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong’s latest film “Possible Love”, which was recently selected as the South Korean submission to Best International Film Oscar and will be shown in South Korean theaters during next several days before being released on Netflix in this November, is a sublime quartet drama subtly and powerfully engaging us with its deep emotional tension beneath the surface. Mainly revolving around two different couples at opposite social positions, the movie sensitively and thoughtfully explores its social and ethical themes via the complex human interactions among its main characters, and its many indelible moments will linger on your mind for a long time after it is over.

At first, we are introduced to Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) and her husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu). Several years ago, Ho-seok participated in a big strike at his workplace along with many of his fellow workers, but he and his comrades were cruelly and violently suppressed by the police in the end, and we gradually gather that he has been struggling with his consequent physical and psychological trauma since that painful time.

When Ho-seok is at the funeral of one of his fellow strikers along with his wife and their little son, he and Mi-ok happen to clash a bit with each other due to his drinking, and that draws the attention of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a female independent documentary filmmaker who happens to be at the spot for her ongoing project. She wants to make a documentary which focuses on labor rights via that strike incident, and she instinctively senses that Ho-seok can be an ideal human center for her documentary.

However, Ho-seok is not so willing to talk about the strike to anyone yet, so Ye-ji comes to shift her focus toward Mi-ok, who is much more willing to talk in front of Ye-ji’s camera. Although Mi-ok mostly talks about her life instead of her husband, Ye-ji finds Mi-ok as interesting as Ho-seok, and she and Mi-ok soon come to spend more time with each other like good friends. As Mi-ok talks more, Ye-ji comes to know more about her and her family, and it seems that this may help Ho-seok open himself a bit more than before.

At the same time, the movie does not overlook at all the considerable social gap between Ye-ji and the two human subjects for her documentary. Ye-ji’s husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) happens to be a considerably wealthy man, so we cannot help but have some doubt on her sincere attitude toward Mi-ok and Ho-seok. Sure, she does not depend on her husband’s money at all in her ongoing documentary project, and she also seems to be genuinely caring a lot about Mi-ok and Ho-seok, but it sometimes looks like there is also a vague degree of hypocrisy and condescension on her side. As a matter of fact, we often wonder whether she can really be a suitable storyteller for Mi-ok and Ho-seok from the start, and the movie points that out via a brief scene when some of her assistants become a little sarcastic about her documentary.

Meanwhile, the screenplay by Lee and his co-writer Oh Jung-mi steadily builds up its main characters as leisurely rolling them from one episodic moment to another. As we get to know more about Mi-ok along with Ye-ji, the movie sometimes cuts to flashback scenes showing her early years (Jo Yu-ri is solid as young Mi-ok, by the way), and these flashback scenes bring some more human details to her long relationship with her husband. The movie also continues to pay attention to Ho-seok’s struggle, and there is a somber but undeniably intense scene where he silently follows after a certain man recognized by him. The camera just simply observes him from the distance, but whatever is churning behind his stoic appearance is palpable to us to say the least, and we come to brace ourselves for what may happen next.

The last act of the film is unfolded at a big beach house belonging to Sang-woo, who lets his wife have Ho-seok and his family spend a weekend there along with them. We surely come to sense more tension around them, but, again, the movie takes its time as usual. I will not go into details on what occurs next among its main characters, but I can tell you instead that 1) you will be all the more engaged as the movie dexterously and delicately makes its points to us along with its developing narrative and 2) you will also appreciate how its main characters remain as complex human figures to observe.

As reflected by what is quoted at the very beginning of the story, the film was initially planned as a part of Polish producer Maciej Musiał’s project to remake all ten episodes of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Dekalog” (1989) as feature films. However, it was turned into something quite different as Lee took the helm and Netflix subsequently joined the production, and Lee already wrote the first draft of the screenplay, which was loosely inspired by the SsangYong Motor strike and the Yongsan Disaster in 2009. I have no idea on how much the screenplay is actually influenced by “Dekalog”, but its ethical questions on Ye-ji’s filmmaking process are certainly as serious and compelling as those ethical questions raised in “Dekalog” (The movie is dedicated to Kieślowski and his co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, by the way), and I admire how it deftly mixes them into its very engaging human drama without spelling them out to us at all.

The four main cast members of the film are simply superlative in their ensemble performance. Jeon Do-yeon, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for Lee’s previous work “Secret Sunshine” (2007), has many terrific moments as her expressive face conveys a lot to us, and Cho Yeo-jeong often complements Jeon well as giving her best performance since Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film “Parasite” (2019). On the opposite, Sul Kyung-gu, who previously collaborated with Lee in “Peppermint Candy” (1999) and “Oasis” (2002), is so convincing in his character’s quiet inner struggle that it is really devastating to see when his character eventually lets out what has been tormenting him so much, and Zo In-sung did a commendable job of holding his own place well around his three fellow main cast members.

On the whole, “Possible Love”, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI prize when it was premiered at the Venice International Film Festival early in this month, is one of the best films of this year besides being one of the main highlights from South Korean cinema during this year. During its rather long running time (164 minutes), I and many other audiences around me were totally engaged from the beginning to the end, and I found it more interesting and satisfying than Lee’s previous film “Burning” (2018), which is rather overrated in my humble opinion. In short, this is a masterwork you should not miss at any chance, and I sincerely recommend you to watch it at movie theater before it eventually goes to Netflix later.

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