13 Korean Success Films You Need To Discover
South Korean cinema has gained more and more space than the West. The quality of the productions, as well as diversity and cultural exchange are some of the two factors that contribute to this recognition and interest.
Likewise, we selected for you the best productions of South Korea, from romantic films, suspenses, dramas and action films.
1. Century Girl 20 (2022)
Trailer:
Directed by Woo-ri Bang, this South Korean romance film takes place in 1999. We accompany the life of the adolescent Bo-ra. She has a great friend at school, Yeon-Du, who is in love with Hyun-Jin.
Yeon-Du will need to travel to perform surgery and hope that Bo-ra finds out what he can do about the child. Likewise, Bo-ra goes to monitor Hyun-Jin while her friend is in the US. As expected, a paixão emerges among them.
Where to attend: Netflix.
2. Kill Boksoon (2023)
Trailer:
Assassinated by Byun Sung-hyun, this is a film that is wrapped in suspense, action and adventure and tells the story of Gil Boksoon, a child assassin whose biggest challenge is to be the mother of a teenager.
Recognized as an excellent professional, Gil decides to settle down and get closer to the daughter. But when she is on her last mission, the assassin discovers secrets that place her and the file on the risk.
The film was well received by the public and by critics, being an excellent option for a Korean film to watch at home.
Where to attend: Netflix.
3. Minari: In Search of Happiness (2020)
Trailer:
This is a longa of Lee Isaac Chung who accompanies the trajectory of a South Korean family that has been living in California for some years and decides to move to Arkansas, not inside two USA.
The story goes back to the 80s and focuses on the married son, David, a girl of about seven years. David does not sit in the new place and more changes arise with the mother's mistake, the South Korean wind.
This is a single film, but much more about the difficulties of being a stranger in another country.
Where to attend: Google Play
4. Love with Fetish (2022)
Trailer:
Very humorous, this romantic comedy is a Netflix production that deals with sexual fetishes in a spontaneous and light way.
Assigned to direct is Hyeon-jin Park. The story tells about Jung Ji Hoo and Ji Woo, work colleagues who get involved in a relationship that involves loving games, where Ji Woo takes the position of "master" and Jung Ji as "slave".
It remains to be seen how they will be able to reconcile a love relationship with work.
Where to attend: Netflix.
5. Broker: Uma Nova Chance (2022)
Trailer:
This long-length film by Hirokazu Kore-eda is a suspenseful story that guaranteed the best award for Song Kang-Ho at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
In the plot, we accompany two men who earn a living selling babies. They are dedicated to developing strategies to bypass the South Korean bureaucracy and sell orphans to wealthy families.
One day, one of the more than abandoned their child returns to ensure that the baby is on the way to a home.
6. Or Taxi Driver (2017)
Trailer:
A drama and action film by Hun Jang that dates back to the 80s. It tells about a taxi driver who is hired to take a daily laborer to the city of Gwangju.
Going to the local, the motorist discovers a reality unknown at the time. He comes across several students and other citizens demanding freedom, fighting against the military regime.
The film is based on real events that took place in the country in May 1980.
Where to attend: Google Play.
7. To Maid (2016)
Trailer:
Originally titled as The Handmaiden, this is a suspense film full of eroticism that dates back to the 30s.
It is directed by Park Chan-Wook and the story is about Sookee, a young man who is going to work for Hideko, a rich woman without much social life who lives with her uncle.
In truth, Sookee infiltrates Hideko's house with the plan to rob the girl's fortune, but she did not imagine what surprising feelings would arise from living with that mysterious woman.
Where to attend: Globoplay.
8. Parasite (2019)
Trailer:
A two great successes of cinema of 2019 were parasite. With a well-constructed narrative that involves suspense and drama, it has long conquered the public and critics, becoming the highest Oscar winner of 2020.
Here we see the clash between two South Korean families of opposite social classes in a forceful criticism of inequality and lack of opportunities that plague humanity in our current times.
One day young Ki-taek had a chance to work as an English teacher for a rich girl. Likewise, the few Ki-taek places his entire family, still homeless, inside the house with two owners, working in various functions.
Things seem to run smoothly, but gradually the climate of tension is taking hold and, when it is perceived, the plot gains absurd and frightening contours.
Where to attend: HBO Max.
9. Decision to Leave (2022)
Trailer:
Two highlights of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Decision to leave It unites romance and suspense in a well humorous plot. Killed by Park Chan-wook, or breeder of oldboy and to maid, or longa shows a young police officer who lives with his wife and decides to work during the night, making rounds as a lookout.
One day his life is transformed, to find the body of a mountaineer at the bottom of a mountain. The investigation follows a controversial line, where the main suspect is the wife of the deceased.
Where to attend: Google Play
10. Zumbi Invasion (2016)
Trailer:
Invasion Zumbi It is a horror film in which an entire population is terrified by being hit by a powerful virus that transforms people into buzzards.
Struggling for survival, a group of people part in a trek in the direction of a city where the epidemic has not yet settled, but upon arrival the passers-by live moments of pure horror.
Where to attend: Netflix.
11. In Chamas (2018)
Trailer:
in chamas It's a thriller from director Lee Chang-Dong that garnered critical attention. It is about the story of a young man who rediscovers an old friend and vizinha and receives from her the mission to take care of her cat while she is on a trip.
During her stay in Africa, the girl meets a guy, also Korean, who returns with her to her house. Thus, the three characters develop a friendship, which will be praised with a disconcerting confession from the stranger.
12. Mãe - Looking for the Truth (2009)
The force and fight of a mother to prove the innocence of her son is exposed has an incredible long run directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Do-joon is an innocent and naive 27-year-old boy who still needs two mother's care. When the young man is imprisoned, accused of murdering a girl, his mother becomes desperate and decides herself to investigate the case and try to find the real criminal.
13. Old Boy (2003)
Two of the most acclaimed films in South Korean cinema are oldboy, assassinated by Park Chan-Wook.
The film is part of a revenge trilogy inspired by a Japanese manga of the same name. Combining suspense and action, the narrative tells or drama of a man who lives an apparently normal life, more than one day he agrees to be imprisoned in a prison where he suffers terrible treatment.
Likewise, he will need to fight for survival and think of a way to get out of it.
The film was awarded many awards and ten years after its release, it won a North American version directed by Spike Lee.
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