Tag Archives: South Korean Film

Ash Flower (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A tale of two girls

South Korean film “Ash Flower”, which is the last chapter of the Flower trilogy by director/co-writer Park Seok-yeong, is a simple but intimate character drama to admire for its sensitive and thoughtful storytelling. While it is mainly about two young … Continue reading

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The Day After (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A slight minor work from Hong Sang-soo

Besides being one of the most prominent filmmakers working in South Korea, Hong Sang-soo is one of the most prolific ones. Like Woody Allen, he has usually made one or two works every year, and watching his new film has … Continue reading

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Anarchist from Colony (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): An anarchist couple who stood by each other

Based on a dramatic real-life story from the Japanese Occupation era, South Korean film “Anarchist from Colony” is more amusing and entertaining than I expected. While being as serious as required by its historical subject, the movie is also quite … Continue reading

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Yongsoon (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A country girl’s hot, problematic summer

While it is uncomfortable to watch at times for good reasons, South Korean film “Yongsoon” comes to us as an engaging coming-of-age drama about its adolescent heroine’s hot, problematic summer. Although it is inarguable that she clings to a very … Continue reading

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I Am a Cat (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): Aren’t they cute?

South Korean documentary film “I Am a Cat” is full of cats, and I enjoyed that as a longtime cat lover. Since I began to photograph those stray cats living in the campus of Korean Advanced Institute of Science and … Continue reading

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Jane (2016) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Elusive happiness in her harsh, despairing world

South Korean film “Jane” begins with one story and then proceeds with another story to tell. While these two stories feel different from each other, they are gradually connected with each other as the movie observes the harsh, despairing world … Continue reading

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Our President (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): We miss you, President Roh

South Korean documentary film “Our President” comes to its main audiences at a point which cannot possibly be more appropriate. As the country went through two lousy presidents during last 9 years and then managed to get some possibility of … Continue reading

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Come, Together (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): A South Korean family in social/personal crisis

I experienced growing uncomfortable feelings as watching South Korean film “Come, Together”. This is another gloomy drama about the harsh reality of the South Korean society, and it is often difficult to watch its main characters struggling with each own … Continue reading

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On the Beach at Night Alone (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): As she wanders (and drinks)

Alternatively playful and melancholic, South Korean film “On the Beach at Night Alone”, the latest work from Hong Sang-soo, gives us a somber character study which amusingly resonates with what happened in its auteur’s personal life. To be frank with … Continue reading

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A Stray Goat (2016) ☆☆☆(3/4): A melancholic wintry tale of two troubled teenagers

I once wondered whether sad, cold independent movies about desperate people were becoming a genre of their own. Usually filled with somber wintry ambience, such movies tend to serve us with the bleak sense of harsh reality via their gloomy … Continue reading

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