We’ve almost finished clearing the London Korean Film Festival backlog, the only major review outstanding now being Park Chan-kyong’s fascinating documentary Manshin. While I’m polishing that, here are a few brief reviews of the films I didn’t feel moved to write dedicated articles about. Han Gong-ju A heavy and depressing story redeemed by the sensitive … [Read More]
Category: Film reviews and comment (page 14)
Festival Film Review: This Road Called Life
Following on from the success of their feature-length animation Green Days, Studio MWP worked with Korean TV broadcaster EBS to produce a trio of short films which adapt three familiar short stories which are studied by most Koreans in high school: Yi Hyo-seok’s Buckwheat Season, Kim Yu-jeong’s Spring, Spring, and A Lucky Day by Hyun … [Read More]
LKFF 2014: the conversations
The London Korean Film Festival is not just about getting acquainted with the latest in Korean movies. It is also an opportunity to meet some of the people behind those movies – actors, directors and producers. Opportunities for engaging with these film professionals vary: for an ever-growing group of aficionados there is the offer of round-table … [Read More]
Obsessed (인간중독, 2014) review: shattered duty and forbidden desires
‘Obsessed’ for the most part succeeds in being a sensual, brooding and beautifully slow-burning tale of forbidden love, but while director Kim Dae-woo’s expertise in depicting palpably erotically-charged narratives serves as one of the film’s many strong points his decision to pile ‘final’ melodramatic moment on top of final melodramatic moment is easily its weakest. [Read More]
Festival Film Review: Hwajang / Revivre
Well, I was right. Ahn Sung-ki confessed in the Q+A which followed the screening of Hwajang that one of his most difficult tasks in portraying Oh Sang-moo, a senior executive in a cosmetics company, was to project certain aspects of being old – of being blocked inside because of the swollen prostate, of being more … [Read More]
Festival film review: Bitter, Sweet, Seoul
Bitter, Sweet, Seoul is an ambitious crowd-sourced project in which people from around the world were invited by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to submit videos which would be made into feature length film. Directors (and brothers) Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong (collectively PARKing CHANce) were commissioned to organise the submissions, attracted to the project by … [Read More]
Seven ways in which Hill of Freedom is different from other Hong Sang-soo films
… and some ways in which it isn’t. Hill of Freedom (자유의 언덕) is Hong Sang-soo’s 16th feature, and could not have been made by anyother director. The awkwardness of human interaction and conversation, the bonding over alcohol, the fragmentation of the narrative, the aim to rekindle lost love – all are common features of … [Read More]
K-Drama week: Yang Yun-ho, IRIS, and the current state of Korean drama
The KCCUK’s K-Drama week included the opportunity to meet the director of one of Korea’s most successful TV dramas of recent years, IRIS, which has been screened in 26 countries and brings film-like tension to the small screen. Director Yang Yun-ho gave a talk on the current state of Hallyu at SOAS, and participated in … [Read More]
Cho Young-wuk on waltzes, playgrounds and working with Park Chan-wook
An in-depth look at film composer Cho Young-wuk, his creative process and long-standing collaboration with Park Chan-wook. From the iconic Oldboy score to live performances and audience Q&A in London, the article explores how music shapes mood, character and cinematic identity. [Read More]
Fashion icon Nora Noh honoured in art and film
LKL looks at two works devoted the life and work of Nora Noh: A documentary by Kim Sung-hee (Nora Noh, 2013, South Korea, colour, DCP, 93′) and An installation by Cho Duck-hyun (The Nora Collection, 2008, Graphite and charcoal on canvases, frames, wall papers, dimensions variable) To the current generation of Koreans, two names that … [Read More]
Im Kwon-taek: In search of perfection
Drawing on interviews and Q&As, this piece reflects on Im Kwon-taek’s vast career, from early genre films to Seopyeonje and beyond, examining tradition, literature, Buddhism, and his lifelong pursuit of cinematic perfection. [Read More]
My Dear Girl, Jin-young (사랑해! 진영아, 2013) review: late blooming, shifting desires
My Dear Girl, Jin-young deftly stands as one of the latest cinematic examples to show just how far the Korean Romantic Comedy genre has come over the years in its depictions of relationships, social issues and sexuality; the film’s intelligently realised themes beautifully wrapped up in a warm and genuinely funny, zombie filled tale. [Read More]
Brief film review: The Contact (Jang Yoon-hyeon, 1997)
Synopsis: Dong-hyun (Han Suk-gyu), a radio DJ, has recently been dumped by his girlfriend. Lovelorn and scorned his mood is lifted when he receives a copy of a vinyl Velvet Underground LP thinking that it is a gift from his ex. Since it holds a special meaning for his demised relationship, he plays Pale Blue … [Read More]
An Atrocity (잔학기, 2013) review: blue pills and female revenge
Despite its short running time, ‘An Atrocity’ not only easily stands alongside the majority of feature length Korean thrillers detailing female revenge but also by means of its female directed perspective serves as a much needed antithesis to recent male-created (and some would say misogynistic) cinematic offerings, while being portrayed in an equally brutal fashion. [Read More]
Dear Dictator (친애하는 지도자동지께, 2014) review: subverting the spy genre to expose South Korea’s invisible poverty
Even for those familiar with director Lee Sang-woo’s earlier work, ‘Dear Dictator’ is bleak to a level that is never an easy watch. However, this is a deeply thought provoking narrative that needs to be told; being a highly original take on the spy/espionage genre, in the process. [Read More]
Doctor (닥터, 2013) review: beautiful bodies, shame about the characters
With ‘Missing’ having appeared to point to Kim Seong-hong as a director with a talent for realising visceral narratives in almost shocking but nonetheless gripping form, I was hopeful that ‘Doctor’ would further build his reputation within the horror genre. Sadly, ‘Doctor’ is indeed notable but for largely the wrong reasons. [Read More]