Tag Archives: South Korean Film

Not Out (2021) ☆1/2 (1.5/4): Out, please

Posted on June 6, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean film “Not Out” is the latest example of those drab and miserable movies about angry and disaffected South Korean lads. While there are some recent better cases including Lee Chang-dong’s rather overrated “Burning” (2018), this one is hopelessly … Continue reading →

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Introduction (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A usual exercise by Hong Sang-Soo

Posted on May 29, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo’s latest film “Introduction”, which received the Best Screenplay award when it was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival early in this year, is a usual exercise you can expect from Hong. Like many of … Continue reading →

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Aloners (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): She prefers to be alone…

Posted on May 23, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Aloners” revolves around the daily life of one young woman who simply prefers to be alone. While she is not exactly a likable person, the movie takes patience in observing not only her loneliness but also … Continue reading →

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Happy Children (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A mild but likable children drama

Posted on May 5, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean film “Happy Children” may not be as cheery as its very title suggets, but it is still a likable children drama to be admired for several good reasons. As often buoyed by the unadorned acting of its wonderful … Continue reading →

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Way Back Home (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): When a past returns to her

Posted on April 10, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Way Back Home” is a quiet and sensitive drama which speaks volume in many wordless moments. Calmly observing how its ordinary heroine’s daily life is shaken by the return of one terrible incident in her past, … Continue reading →

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Shades of the Heart (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): A series of ambiguous episodes around one writer

Posted on April 5, 2021 by kaist455

It is a bit difficult for me to describe to you on South Korean independent film “Shades of the Heart”. When I saw this little modest film for the first time a few days ago, I was not so sure … Continue reading →

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The Book of Fish (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): The Book of Bromance

Posted on April 4, 2021 by kaist455

Maybe I should have expected less before watching South Korean film “The Book of Fish”, which, to my dissatisfaction, turns out to be more about its two main characters’ relationship instead of how that old but famous real-life marine biology … Continue reading →

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Festival (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): He cannot afford to be sad…

Posted on March 23, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent drama “Festival” mainly revolves around one impossible situation which pressures its plain young hero a lot. While we are occasionally amused by how things keep going wrong for him, we also come to sense more of how … Continue reading →

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Fighter (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): You will cheer for this boxer girl

Posted on March 21, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Fighter” is atypical in its seemingly conventional sports drama. When it starts the story along with its struggling underdog heroine full of pluck and determination, it looks rather predictable on the surface, but then it deliberately … Continue reading →

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A Distant Place (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): All the woolly sheep

Posted on March 21, 2021 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “A Distant Place” is a quiet but intimate drama which slowly engages us as gradually revealing the emotional undercurrents below its calm surface. Although its slow narrative pacing surely requires some patience from us during the … Continue reading →

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