Determination to Break Up
This year, Korean director Park Chan-wook won the Best Director Award at Cannes for "Determination to Break Up", and Korean national actor Song Kang-ho won the Best Actor!
This is also another victory for Korean filmmakers on the international stage after " Parasite " swept the Cannes Oscars in 2019.
Korean films have always found unique film aesthetics and styles from many genre films with their unique themes, mature narratives, and delicate characterizations, and Korean films have never stopped in film creation. The editor of
compiled the Top 20 Korean film works selected by the British " Guardian ". Among them, many works by Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Lee Chang-dong, Hong Sang-soo and other directors were selected, and some films are relatively unpopular. Films such as "Sowon" and "The Crucible" that are well-known to the audience did not appear on the list.
01 "Miss" Director: Park Chan-wook
Miss stills
 "Miss" tells the story of a noble lady who inherited a huge fortune during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea in 1930, a liar count who coveted her property, a maid who was hired by the count to get close to the lady, and the lady's relationship. A story about money and love between guardians.
For most movies, one plot twist is usually enough, but in "Miss" there are three, and each of them is amazing. Every time I feel I have a grasp of the general direction of the plot of "Señorita," the plot begins to change again, and the entire narrative is altered by new ripples.
Loyalty, context, and the motivations of each character will change. The mutual betrayal between the two becomes the intrigue of multiple people. Park Chan-wook manages these plot reversals with ease.
02 "Parasite" Director: Bong Joon-ho
Parasite stills
"Parasite" tells the story of Kim Ki-taek, a father of a family of four who are all homeless, doing nothing all day long until the positive eldest son Kim Ki-woo becomes a rich man with a forged diploma. President Park's family applies for a tutor, and two very different families are involved in a series of unexpected events.
"Parasite" is a family tragicomedy that combines comedy and thriller to create a unique rhythm. The director reflects the dark side of Korean society by filming the current situation of these little people. There is no absolute positive role in the film, nor is there a complete villain. Everyone has an unknown second side. This character setting exactly reflects this the reality of the film.
03
"Old Boy"
Director: Park Chan-wook
Old Boy Stills
The film tells the story of Wu Daxiu who was suddenly kidnapped on his way home drunk and was imprisoned for 15 years. After finally being able to see the light of day again, he desperately wanted to find out the reason for his kidnapping and launched a crazy revenge plan.
"Oldboy" makes the audience think they have guessed how the plot will turn. The villain sleeps with his sister, who committed suicide after being exposed by the protagonist many years ago.
However, the real plot twist came at this time. The protagonist was actually tricked. He was designed to have incest with his own daughter, and he recalled this experience.
04
"Poetry"
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong once again explores some difficult topics - mortality, corruption of the privileged class and the responsibility of young people.
"Poetry" tells the story of an elderly Korean woman named Meiko who, despite living in a lonely and dark world, still works hard to learn how to write poetry. Faced with her grandson's crime, she deeply felt the distress of a sinner deep in her heart.
05
" Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Another Spring "
Director: Kim Ki-duk
The plot of the story is set in different seasons, with sin and redemption taking place in spring, desire and indulgence in summer, and love and hate contained in autumn. , philosophy and reflection in winter, and then continue in spring.
06
" Right Now, Wrong Then "
Director: Hong Chang-soo
"Right Now, Wrong Then" tells the story of the film director Han Qianxiu who accidentally met the female painter Yoon Hee-jung one day and had dinner together.
The film offers a different perspective on a chance encounter and an insightful look at people's interactions.
07
"Miyang"
Director: Lee Chang-dong
In "Miyang", director Lee Chang-dong questions the existence of God, or rather faith, through the story of Faith and Love from believer to avenger.
At the beginning of the film, Shen Ae seems to be looking for reasons and answers, staring repeatedly at the beautiful blue sky. In sharp contrast, at the end of the film, director Lee Cangdong uses the ground and the sunlight on the ground as the lens to remind us of what is happening before us. , reminding us of the ground beneath our feet, reminding us of those things that have always been with us.
08
"Snowpiercer"
Director: Bong Joon-ho
"Snowpiercer" is a movie full of political implications, quite ambitious and extremely bold. It is directed by the famous Korean director Bong Joon-ho, and the famous Korean director Park Chan-wook serves as the producer.
The story tells the story of a sudden climate change that wiped out most of the human race on the earth. On a train that has no end and runs along the railway track, carrying the last surviving people on the earth, "Snowpiercer" became their last resort. The final destination, the last belief and the last cage are where the oppressed rebels in the last carriage fight against the powerful class on the train for survival and dignity.
09
"Love·Going Home"
Director: Li Tingxiang
The movie tells the story of a single mother who has no choice but to send her child to her grandmother's house in the countryside because she wants to find a job. The grandmother cannot read or speak. At first, the 7-year-old child was very arrogant and irritable and treated his grandmother very badly. But grandma tolerates the child with her silent love, and love makes the child grow.
10
"Ghost Stories of a High School Girl 1: Death Classroom"
Director: Park Ki-hyung
"Ghost Stories of a High School Girl 1: Death Classroom" is the first part of the "Ghost Stories of a High School Girl " series. It tells a horror story that happened in a boarding school. .
The main line of reality in the film is full of weird atmosphere, bloody murder, and Eun-young opens up memories in the process. An ambiguous and painful friendship is gradually evoked, and the obstruction and resentment in it are also revealed layer by layer. In the end, The intersection of the two clues triggers the climax of the film.
11
"Mother"
Director: Bong Joon-ho
"Mother" tells the story of an ordinary mother who fights alone to help her son get rid of the crime of murder. The film is both funny and flesh-and-blood, with Bong masterfully nailing the tone of the film and employing plenty of grotesque visuals to blend family drama, horror and comedy.
12
" Mint "
Director: Lee Chang-dong
"Mint" is the most prominent representative of Korean director Lee Chang-dong's "Green Trilogy". It is Lee Chang-dong's most desperate and angry work. The film shows the protagonist Kim Yong-ho's social transformation and transformation. The existential dilemma faced by the dual oppression of capital violence.
The film uses images such as mirrors, mints, and trains to show the confusion and disillusionment of the individual spiritual world in the process of modernization.
13
" The Drunken Painter "
Director: Lim Kwon-taek
"The Drunken Painter" tells the story of the dissolute life of Jang Seung-yeop, a famous landscape painter in the 19th century of Joseon.
As a biopic about a talented painter, director Lim Kwon-taek presents his extraordinary creative career in an unusual and compelling way.
14
"Paju"
Director: Park Chan-ok
The film tells the story of Choi Eun-mo, who fell in love with her brother-in-law Kim Joong-sik, and went away to suppress her unrequited love. When she came back, she learned that there was an inside story behind her sister's death, and she pursued the truth.
Regarding the title of the film "Paju", director Park Chan-ok explained that Paju left an impression on him as "a city where anything can happen. Paju is a city with a sense of heterogeneity." Paju is a place where love and secrets coexist. , which coincides with the unknown plot and emotional direction of the characters in the film.
15
"Memories of Murder"
Director: Bong Joon-ho
"Memories of Murder" is adapted from three unsolved mysterious cases in South Korea. It tells the story of a murderer who appeared in a small town in South Korea under the military dictatorship in 1986. A series of serial murder cases, the story of the small town police and the Su police transferred from Seoul jointly handled the case. The success of the film
is that the memory of the era of the Korean military dictatorship is hidden behind a story of chain murders. All the sin and anger are actually about that era.
16
"Rose, Red Lotus"
Director: Kim Ji-woon
"Rose, Red Lotus" was directed and filmed by Korean director Kim Ji-woon. Although the reversal technique in this movie is very common, it is handled extremely delicately.
Only one of the titular "two sisters" is actually left, and the other died before the film's story began. The plot then reversed. The other sister and the cold-blooded stepmother that the audience saw were actually alive, but the sister imagined it.
17 "The Day a Pig Fell into a Well" Director: Hong Sang-soo
"The Day a Pig Fell into a Well" is director Hong Sang-soo's debut film. It is adapted from Qiu Xiaorui's novel "Strange Summer", with major changes in many places. The original emphasis on chance encounters and romantic love in the novel takes on a cold, realistic side under Hong Sang-soo's lens, and the characters' contradictions and despicableness are treated in a life-like manner.
18
" Hummingbird "
Director: Kim Bora
Kim Bora's feature film debut "Hummingbird" is a remake of her own short film "Recorder Exam" and won the 2019 Berlin Film Festival's New Generation Youth Jury Award.
The film is set against the backdrop of the 1988 Seoul (formerly known as "Seoul") Olympics and features Eun-hee, who was still a primary school student at the time, as the protagonist. While the whole country is cheering for the Olympic Games, an international event, and looking forward to being recognized by Western society, a child named Enxi is facing the biggest test in his life - the recorder exam.
There is no complete villain in the film. The director uses the characters in "Hummingbird" to reflect the fact that "people are all multi-faceted". The director did not portray Eun-hee, who suffered from "patriarchalism", as a victim, nor did he completely portray his father and brother, who have vested interests, as perpetrators. On the contrary, the brother and father are made more multi-faceted to reflect the truth that "there are no winners under patriarchy". And Eun-hee is not just a kind and cute high school girl.
19
"Cat-like Girl"
Director: Jung Jae-eun
The protagonist of "Cat-like Girl" is a 20-year-old woman who has just graduated from high school and entered the society. It tells the daily life of five ordinary friends who are like free cats. Starring Bae Doo Na , Lee So Won, Ok Ji Young , etc. Director Jung Jae-eun, who was born in the first class of the School of Imaging at the Korean Comprehensive Art School, received high praise for his energetic and emotional performance.
20
"Drinking in the Day"
Director: Noh Ying-seok
"Drinking in the Day" is the debut film of director Noh Ying-seok. It is a small-cost independent film with a production fee of only 10 million won (52,000 yuan) and only There were two weeks of filming, and most of the 10 million won production fee was spent on wine.
The film tells the story of Hyuk-jin who broke up with his girlfriend and decided to go traveling the next day while drinking with his friends. But what I didn't expect was that his friend couldn't get up because he was hungover, so he had to go on a 6-day and 5-night trip to a strange place alone.
The inspiration for the video comes from independent travel.Traveling alone is exciting, but at the same time, there are dangers, boredom, and other factors that prevent people from traveling alone. The protagonist embarks on this uncertain journey, meets all kinds of people, and all kinds of things happen. Moreover, the film incorporates "day drinking" with Korean characteristics-you must never refuse the first drink, and the old man must drink up all the wine he offers.
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