This black-and-white Korean drama traces a young woman’s slow erosion under precarious work, debt and social pressure. Poignantly angst-ridden yet ultimately uplifting and life-affirming, The Land of Seong-hye is not only an intimate, contemplative tale of one young woman’s struggles and life journey but also a powerful societal critique of her land, Korea. [Read More]
LKL articles by Hangul Celluloid (page 2)
Miss Baek (미쓰백, 2018) review: saving a child, saving a life
Based on a true story, Miss Baek is a harrowing yet essential exploration of domestic abuse and redemption. An exemplary film in every respect, it certainly isn’t an easy watch but it is nonetheless an absolute must-see, as grippingly important to Korean cinema as a whole as it is heartbreakingly powerful in its own right. [Read More]
The Negotiation (협상, 2018) review: a static game of cat and mouse
The Negotiation begins confidently but its early strength is somewhat marred by the later story requirement to have various seated, static characters talking repeatedly through video calls on immoveable desktop monitors, and though the film does largely succeeds in building tension, tension doesn’t always equate to exhilaration. [Read More]
The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale (기묘한가족, 2019) review – a warmly quirky zombie parody
The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale is inherently and deliberately silly but that fact in itself is a plus point in this case and any film fans (Korean or other) looking for a couple of horror/comedy hours of sheer tongue in cheek, genuinely funny zombie escapism could do a lot worse than check it out. [Read More]
Persona (페르소나, 2019) review: a versatile showcase of IU and four contemporary directors
An anthology consisting of four short films all starring K-pop star IU, Persona not only showcases her burgeoning acting prowess but also points to the sheer film-making talents of four critically acclaimed directors, in a wholly engaging and memorable manner throughout. [Read More]
Misbehaviour (여교사, 2017) review: a war of privilege and envy
Part character study of a broken individual; part twisted relationship drama; part visceral revenge thriller, Misbehaviour while not perfect ultimately succeeds in being at times provocatively gripping, at others thought provoking, all the while pointing to the lineage of depictions of overt female sexual pleasure, pain and resultant punishment in Korean cinema as a whole. [Read More]
After My Death (죄많은 소녀, 2017) review: Kim Ui-seok’s masterful, bleak indie debut
While After My Death is both bleak and melancholic from its very outset to its final frame it is grippingly so, its palpable emotional depth ensuring it at no point appears as the debut feature it actually is. A testament to the continuing superlative quality of independent Korean cinema. [Read More]
Door Lock (도어락, 2018) review: female vulnerability and resilience in urban Seoul
With Door Lock, director Lee Kwon presents a tense and creepy fictional horror focusing on the vulnerability of women in Korea at the hands of the opposite sex and though the story’s conclusion will be fairly familiar to fans of horror it nonetheless celebrates female resilience and strength in Korean cinema as a whole. [Read More]
Herstory (허스토리, 2018) review: the courtroom fight for historical justice
While Herstory’s ultimate conclusion may be known to many, with such an important subject that should never be forgotten the journey is equally important, for characters and viewers alike. As such, Herstory is an exemplary realisation of a deeply poignant true-life tale absolutely vital to public awareness of the comfort women’s plight. [Read More]
Innocent Witness (증인, 2019) review: learning to listen
Part courtroom thriller, part relationship drama, Innocent Witness is wholly engaging throughout but it is the palpable, uplifting warmth seen in the depiction of the growing trust between an autistic young girl and an able-bodied man (helped yet further by a superlative performance from actress Kim Hyang-gi) that is the film’s greatest strength. [Read More]
Young-ju (영주, 2018) review: a childhood cut short
Though Young-ju is her debut feature, Cha Sung-duk brings a directorial confidence to this hard-hitting yet gently poignant drama that ensures it wholly succeeds an emotive powerhouse from start to finish, helped yet further by a remarkable, stunningly nuanced performance from actress Kim Hyang-gi. [Read More]
Parasite (기생충, 2019) review: Bong Joon-ho’s masterful satire of class and capitalism
While one would routinely expect a film from a director as well thought of and respected as Bong Joon-ho to be exemplary, Parasite not only virtually redefines that description but also raises the bar for other films and directors to aspire to. In short, miss this wry, insightful and masterful social drama at your peril. [Read More]
Forgotten (기억의밤, 2017) review: psychological thriller marred by clunky exposition
If you were to watch only the first half of Forgotten, you’d likely assume you were mid-way through an intriguing, even gripping, psychological thriller-cum-horror. However, hugely protracted dialogue driven exposition, story contrivances and character arc predictability ultimately detract from this early success in the second half. [Read More]
The Phone (더폰, 2015) review: a tense but derivative time-slip thriller
While The Phone is engaging enough for the most part, its ‘love across time’ elements lack the originality to be seen as much more than derivative, and a glaring contrivance to enable the film’s conclusion to actually take place sadly stands as the narrative’s most memorable element. [Read More]
Sesang (세상, 2019) review: distance, change and unspoken separation
Thematically rich and with narrative subtleties galore, with Sesang director Jules Suo uses what looks set to become her almost trademark long single takes and balance of handheld and static camerawork to frame an accomplished dissection of lives, relationships, hopes and dreams, complete with political undertones. [Read More]
Svaha: The Sixth Finger (사바하, 2019) review: faith, evil and ambiguity in Korean religious horror
Overall, Svaha is an often nicely creepy horror/thriller which successfully raises intelligent, thought-provoking questions about religion as a whole. However, the hugely expositional nature of so much of the narrative doesn’t particularly do the film any favours even if it doesn’t prevent it from being enjoyable and entertaining as a whole… [Read More]