Top 5 Korean Movies

I don't believe I've done this before. Movies are not so much my forte as dramas are - I don't tend to find a lot of movies that are praise-worthy. I watch manga adaptations, and awful romantic comedies  that are neither romantic nor funny most of the time. I think I've finally seen enough Korean movies to have some favourites - surprisingly, none are strictly romance, even though it's the bread and butter of drama! I have something for everyone here. Thus, without further a do, here are some of my favourite films (in no particular order, because that's less of a strain on my conscience).

Hyung

Hyung, the title poorly translated to My Annoying Brother, is about a conman who successfully gets out of jail on parole to 'take care' of his estranged younger brother, blind from a judo accident that froze his career. 

  Watching Hyung almost killed me, because of course the film contained a misleading comedic bait-and-switch if you know what I mean (people have got to start advertising their films for what they are). Although I don't think I could ever watch it again for fear of complete dehydration, I recommend this movie and remember it fondly on the basis of the spectacular performances by Jo Jung-suk and Tearjerker King Do Kyung-soo. It's a story about family, specifically about how necessary familial support is to make you want to pick yourself up and try again, and it'll break your heart. Enjoy!

Vanishing Time

Four children go into the forest. Only one comes out. It sounds like a classic tag line, right? Wrong. This film is so much more than what meets the eye.

  There are never enough words to describe the beauty I found in Vanishing Time. Even without the breath-taking cinematography that made this fantasy world feel alive and breathing, the film would have carried its story effortlessly on performance alone. The whole cast was solid, but all the charm fell on the leads - the rather massive age gap is irrelevant, Shin Eun-soo could emote just as deftly as Kang Dong-won. This film is brutal, but the meaning runs so deep you won't care. 

Little Forest

A girl returns to her rural hometown after failing to make something of herself in Seoul, and after reuniting with old friends she strives to find her path.

  I only watched this a few days ago, and I had to talk about it - since I couldn't find enough words for a full-length review, that thought took the shape of this post. After all, the movie is itself is simplistic, ridden with metaphor and subtlety that slowly revealed its meaning. The care put into every shot is noticeable; Little Forest is a movie that would have fallen flat on its face without a patient and capable director - it relies on beautiful scenery and little moments. Of course, with wonderful young actors at the helm, who made their struggles feel so close to home that I was shocked. Little Forest is a film for the lost, the hungry, and the people who need healing. I actually can't promote it enough. 

Midnight Runners

Two bumbling police academy students, there out of convenience more than compulsion, stumble upon a mystery they can't turn down, even if it costs them their futures.

  Maybe I made that sound too dramatic? Despite the dark gritty story that pins it down, Midnight Runners manages to be almost consistently a fun and clumsy buddy cop movie. It runs on a charismatic high, and would have felt like a very different film if Kang Ha-neul and Park Seo-joon hadn't convinced me of their bromance in such a firm manner. The moral of the film doesn't feel shoehorned or preached, it's incorporated in through the experiences of the characters. Watch for a little too much violence and some hysterical laughs.

A Werewolf Boy

A family moves to the countryside to help the eldest daughter with her asthma. What they stumble upon there changes their lives: a feral wolf boy.

  If I think about this one too long, I'm going to burst into tears, so I'll make this quick: this isn't a love story that works out. I wish it is, but it isn't. Watch it anyway. If you think emotions were high in any of the last entries, you should know I haven't even tipped the iceberg yet. Forget Descendants of the Sun - this is where Song Joong-ki established himself  at the pinnacle of his career in the romance genre. Even Park Bo-young, who could never be called 'bad' of even 'mediocre' as an actress, didn't match up. I'll stop there for fear of spoilers. Just understand that A Werewolf Boy is a film you must watch.