Based on Korea’s economic near-implosion in the late 90s during the East Asian financial crisis, Default deftly uses specific character perspectives to make what is in essence a tale of national finance feel wholly personal and utterly gripping in a human sense as well as historically interesting, as a result. [Read More]
LKL articles by Hangul Celluloid (page 3)
Beautiful Vampire (뷰티풀 뱀파이어, 2018) review: visually dreamy urban fantasy needing more weight
Beautiful Vampire initially appears as quirky, warm-hearted and gently funny fantastical entertainment but while the narrative as it stands would likely work well for a short film experiment/pre-feature, there simply isn’t enough story here to adequately hold a full-duration film, even at just 73 minutes. [Read More]
Park Ki-yong interview: implication, independence and time in Korean cinema
The veteran director discusses restrained portrayals of sexuality, lessons in economical filmmaking, the pressures facing independent Korean cinema, education and animation at KAFA, improvisation versus scripting, and how Old Love links personal memory with contemporary politics, generational reflection, and Korea’s recent historical moments. [Read More]
Lee Myung-se interview: love, action and creative freedom in filmmaking
Le Myung-se reflects on his 1990s love stories, the shift to action in Nowhere to Hide, and his dedication to creative autonomy. He discusses remakes, music choices, visual storytelling, and concerns over data-driven filmmaking, emphasizing the interplay of narrative, visuals, and emotional expression as central to his films. [Read More]
Kim Yang-hee and Yang Ik-june: a softer way of seeing
Director Kim Yang-hee and actor Yang Ik-june discuss The Poet and the Boy as a gentle portrayal of same-sex affection, shifting social attitudes toward homosexuality in Korea, and resisting fixed labels. They address casting risks, performance choices, poetry as emotional structure, and the role of film in reflecting gradual human-rights change. [Read More]
Jeon Go-woon interview: fragility, freedom and refusing norms
Director Jeon Go-woon discusses Microhabitat as a story about choosing personal values over stability. She explains Miso’s refusal of conventional comfort, the symbolism of ex-musicians and youth, male vulnerability, collaborative character-building with actors, and the realities of making independent films within tight economic and emotional constraints. [Read More]
Seven Years of Night (7년의밤, 2018) review: guilt, inherited sin and uneasy revenge
As a hard-hitting, brutal revenge thriller balanced with emotion and pathos detailing guilt and regret, Seven Years of Night stands up well to scrutiny. However director Choo Chang-min’s decision to repeatedly leave supposedly supernatural elements open to question brings with it a feeling of missed opportunities. [Read More]
The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion (마녀, 2018) review: slow-burn tension and explosive payoff
The first part of a proposed trilogy of films, The Witch succeeds as not only a character driven drama but also a sci-fi infused high octane action thriller to the extent that viewers can be pretty much guaranteed to await the next instalment in anticipation, in spite of its overuse of dialogue-centred exposition [Read More]
Psychokinesis (염력, 2018) review: superpowers, family and the shadow of Yongsan
While Psychokinesis initially appears to be a whimsical entry into the superhero genre, director Yeon Sang-ho is equally interested in telling a dramatic tale about family and the struggle of powerless individuals against corporate Korea. However, the film being inspired by the real-life Yongsan tragedy raises the question of where the balance between humour and drama should really lie [Read More]
The DMZ (데스트랩, 2018) review: how to create a gripping action thriller without moving…
With The DMZ, director Oh In-chun has created a highly engaging, even gripping action thriller, but it is his success in bringing ‘cat and mouse’ elements to a narrative wholly centred on one character forced to stand stationary for the vast majority of the running time that is truly deserving of accolades. [Read More]
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (곤지암, 2018) review: a chilling found footage horror
“I shouldn’t have written my name on the wall. I’m cursed now… Did you see? The words under my name changed from ‘Let’s live’ to ‘Let’s die’. Am I going to die?…” Synopsis After two youths go missing while breaking and entering into Gonjiam asylum – a mental institution that closed more than 20 years … [Read More]
Be With You (지금 만나러 갑니다, 2018) review: a beautiful, classic, archetypal Son Ye-jin melodrama
Heartbreaking, uplifting and life-affirming at once, Be With You positively screams of classic Korean melodrama, in spite of being based on a Japanese novel… and that’s before we even consider the fact that the star of the film is New Korean Cinema’s ‘Queen of Melodrama’, Son Ye-jin. [Read More]
Heart Blackened (침묵, 2017) review: wealth, blood and deception
Heart Blackened is a visually sumptuous, multi-layered and beautifully involved tale of love, hate, sacrifice and murder. While based on a 2013 Chinese film it never feels like simply a rehash. In fact, Heart Blackened could almost be considered as a modern day re-telling of a Pansori-type tale, and as such it ultimately feels utterly Korean through and through. [Read More]
House of the Disappeared (시간위의 집, 2017) review: a haunted house, a mother’s love, and time’s dark secrets
Though based on a 2013 Venezuelan horror film, House of the Disappeared feels Korean through and through, and while the use of numerous familiar horror tropes could easily have resulted in predictable horror fare, the originality of the ultimate ‘reveal’ leaves House of the Disappeared deserving of at least a second viewing. [Read More]
Little Forest (리틀 포레스트, 2018) review: hungry for home
In a beautiful film that encapsulates a rural downshifting trend, Little Forest is a visual gourmet feast for the eyes and sumptuous cinematic food for the modern-day soul too. Yim Soon-rye takes what was originally a Japanese manga and transplants it to Korea, speaking directly to Korean cinema audiences in the process. [Read More]
The Mimic (장산범, 2017) review: Korean horror makes a welcome comeback
The Mimic is at times genuinely scary, at others deeply creepy, but it is the phenomenal performances of veteran actress Yum Jung-ah and eight-year-old newcomer Shin Rin-ah – and indeed the sheer, palpable chemistry within their interactions – that will ultimately stay with viewers long after the credits roll. [Read More]