reccomended by me (films)

"this romantic melodrama follows the love story of the optimistic hyun woo and hard-working mi soo, whose chance encounters are never quite in sync with the timing of their feelings."

favorite elements: story, cinematography, acting

wow i love jung hae in. masterpiece of a film

"in 1999, a teen with a heart of gold begins keeping close tabs on a popular classmate as a favor to her smitten best friend."

favorite elements: story, cast, aesthetics

my byeon woo seok introduction. and the rest of the cast was seriously amazing as well. my heart aches everytime i see a reference to this movie, it really broke my heart

"takabayashi matsuri learns that she only has 10 years to live due to an incurable disease. she decides to not dwell on her life and not to fall in love, but then she meets manabe kazuto at a school reunion."

favorite elements: story, cinematography, soundtrack

this was on my watchlist for so long because i knew it was tragic and i had to be mentally prepared. fell in love with both of the leads acting in this. nana komatsu u are everything

"a woman dies, leaving her husband and young son, but during the rain season, she comes back to life and has no memories."

favorite elements: story, acting, aesthetics

idk why i do this to myself, this was devastating 

"a bullied high school student and a small-time criminal become the prime suspects in the murder of a teenage girl."

favorite elements: message, story, acting, cinematography 

a beautiful, psychological film about modern school bullying. another tearjerker aaaaa

"a man receives a wedding invitation from his first love, whom he met in high school."

favorite elements: story, aesthetics

i luckily don't think i cried for this one. it's a sad, realistic film about growing up and first love, and how life doesn't always turn out how you wanted it to

"after defecting from north korea, loh kiwan struggles to obtain refugee status in belgium, where he encounters a dejected woman who has lost all hope."

favorite elements: story, acting

this was a really informing and interesting watch and also the main characters bond that was formed was really wholesome. loved this honestly. was super hard to take the gangsters seriously lolol

"summoned by an unexpected phone call, an elderly woman visits a cottage she used to live in as a child. she begins to recall her memories of a boy she knew 50 years ago."

favorite elements: story, cast

i had a hard time taking this seriously at times, but this film started off genuinely wholesome. and then it all went downhill and had me sobbing. but what did i expect when it starts as her as an elderly woman?

"a coming-of-age story of two friends that first meet at age 11 and experience love, friendship and life."

favorite elements: story, acting, aesthetics

beautiful film about growing up with your best friend. the bond they had was so special. andddd ruined by a man what'd we expect

"a taiwanese man comes to japan to fulfill his promise to his first love, whom he met 18 years ago."

favorite elements: story, characters

why. does. almost. every. romance. film. i decide. to watch. end. with. death.

"destiny binds a friendless mysophobic guy and a miserable scopophobic girl."

favorite elements: symbolism, aesthetics, characters, soundtrack

an excellent approach to making a film about phobias. lots of symbolism and confusion, but it leaves you thinking about the movie a lot. after reading about it, it's kinda genius. omg and the way the film visualized the phobias and made those scenes so uncomfortable to watch really simulates how it feels irl. so good. another great role by nana. though i don't have the exact phobias, i have a similar one to nana and one other one, and i felt so heard

"hye won gets tired of her difficult life in the city and moves back to her hometown in the countryside. there, she heals her emotional wounds with the help of her long-time friends, nature and food."

favorite elements: aesthetic, soundtrack

literally a live action ghibli movie istg!!

"greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy park family and the destitute kim clan."

favorite element: message, symbolism, acting

i watched this solely because donald trump said he hated it and i can confirm he has terrible taste

"two students form a club together to change the world; when one disappears, the other throws himself into bringing the club back to its idealistic roots."

favorite elements: story, cinematography

it's been like 3 years since i watched this and i'm still going crazy about the twist

"when a white lie leads to unexpected results, chen chen and zheng yuxing forge a deep friendship and must face the harsh realities of growing up."

favorite elements: story

sighing and frowning :(

"a transfer student sets out to expose the truth after a sex video subjects her friend to mockery and bullying, and campus secrets come to light."

favorite elements: cinematography, story

an overly hated film, sure it could've been better, but it was still good. redemption arcs are nice to see, and girls being there for each other 

"in 1994 seoul when the seongsu Bridge collapses, 14-year-old eunhee wanders the city and searches for love."

favorite element: aesthetics, realisticness, soundtrack

me and the main character are actually the same person at 14. such a good film about growing up, loss, sexuality, family issues, and tragedy.

"a former prostitute, chihiro, is rebuilding her life in a small seaside town. she now works in a bento shop, where she imperceptibly changes the lives of her new customers."

favorite elements: cinematography, story

a beautiful slice of life film surrounding loneliness. not much happens, but it was a relaxing watch. i liked the main side character a lot

"seventeen-year-old akito has only a year to live and finds meaning in life by making a terminally ill girl, who has only six months to live, happy."

favorite elements: aesthetics, story, characters

i fully went into this knowing that they were both going to die, so thats my fault