Movies completed in 2025

"How can being yourself be your weakness?"
A story of two soulmate besties, misunderstood and misfit in society’s expectations and norms, while they explore life, friendship and love in contemporary Seoul.
This wouldn't have been such an endearing movie if not for the vibrant cinematography, the youthful pacing and, most of all, Kim Go Eun and Steve Noh's exceptional performances and impeccable chemistry.
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A heartfelt, bittersweet and deeply moving on a personal level for many watchers, this is a beautifully filmed, told and acted story of acceptance, love and family bonding.
Highly recommended.
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"May my travels never end".
A bilingual and bicultural journey to self-discovery, through a wonderful story of an adolescent first love.
Elegantly told through flashbacks and precious memories, beautifully filmed and exceptionally acted, this was an emotional, melancholic and full of nostalgia watching experience.
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Serpent’s Path is the 1st half of a two-part project on revenge that Kurosawa successfully managed to make with a low budget, in only a month's time.
Dark, unsettling, with excessive raw violence -both mental and physical- and full of vengeance, this film is an intense, not fully explained story but nonetheless an engaging watch.
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A unique story of an unconventional family with some unusual family dynamics, great bonding, a few subtle social commentaries and heartwarming life lessons.
Eguchi Noriko's eloquent and measured performance and her bickering with Nakajo Ayami were the film's highlights.
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A story about friendship, single-motherhood and coming-of-age told through the life of two best friends and roommates and their relationship's evolution and re-definition.
Visually pleasing, with a contemporary vibe, vivid coloring and a hazy lighting, the depiction of their transition from a breezy adolescent life to an obligatory maturity feels painfully real and introspective.
Miyoshi Ayaka and Abe Junko's performances and their chemistry are stunning, making this a solid watch.
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An action flick with a predictable story, superficial one-dimensional characters, full of punches and violence.
Not as entertaining and funny as its prequels, but still a real pleasure to watch badass Ma Dong Seok beating the hell out of the bad guys, throwing his signature punches here and there.
Perfect for a stress-relieving watch.
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Watching a remake of a Japanese story in a French setting was a really surrealistic experience!
Very close to the dark and violent original version, but definitely more polished, it had an interesting role genre switch that added more mystery and a psychological depth.
A story re-told twenty six years later that is still an uncomfortable as well as engaging watch.
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Youthful, optimistic and melodic, this is and interesting coming-of-age story full of music, dreams, friendship, support and aspirations.
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A thought-provoking urban fantasy set in near future Japan, with an ambitious story and lots of social commentaries, some subtle and some not so much.
The clever use of black and white versus colored filming, the intriguing time-bending storytelling (that may be confusing and not so original in some cases), as well as the brave performance of young and talented Ito Aoi made this unusual film an interesting watching experience.
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A fast-paced, intense action story with an intriguing premise and impressive cinematography, as well as underdeveloped and disjoint subplots, superficially portrayed characters and some unrealistic plot-twists, but still manages to be worth watching thanks to its cast.
Koo Kyo Hwan is definitely a talented chameleon! Without him this movie wouldn't be the same.
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A tragic story about one of the worst nightmares for a parent, with some piercing commentaries about the press manipulative coverage, the social media bullying and the family dynamics during the aftermath.
With a phenomenal, gut-wrenching performance from Ishihara Satomi, this is a difficult and demanding watch.
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A funny, easy watch with Jo Jung Suk  being an one-man-show in a cross-dressing comedy.
With some funny moments, a few plot-holes and a couple of social commentaries about gender stereotypes, this is an entertaining movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
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Adapted from a novel with autobiographical elements, this film is a slow-paced, melancholic story of an alcoholic, cheating, suicidal husband, and his devoted, forgiving and resilient wife who loves him unconditionally.
With a beautiful depiction of the post-war Japan and a nuanced, reserved performance from Matsu Takako, this is an interesting study of the peculiar dynamics of a marriage that balances between devotion and self-destruction.
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A story about past and present loves, emotional emptiness and fulfillment, loneliness and second chances.
With a great cast, poetic cinematography and a complimenting  soundtrack, this story could have been more satisfying if not for its slow-pace and confusing flashback storytelling.
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With a great cast and the distinguished, visually extravagant style of Nakashima Tetsuya, this is a peculiar horror film with many different sub-genres involved.
Too long for its own good, difficult to follow -especially during the second half- and with more questions than answers given, it's definitely not as good as Tetsuya's other works, but still is a challenging, dark, savage and haunting watching experience.
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Though a revenge noir story, it was boringly slow-paced and underwhelmingly uneventful, with a cast that would have made wonders if not for the weak and bland storytelling.
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Intriguing premise, confusing storytelling and a letdown conclusion in a film saved by the cast and their performances.
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With the typical Hong Sang Soo style, this is a study on arts, as well as a character study mixed with some existential quotes in a dual, hazy and laid-back narration.
Not his best work, but interesting enough.
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Bleak, mundane and too long for its own good, this is a confusing (and dare say superficial) study on love: 'pure', obsessive, one-sided, toxic, liberating, claustrophobic, compromising love.
Though Hashimoto Ai and Nakano Taiga did their best with what they were given, this was a wearisome, pretentiously artsy, inconsistent and forgettable watch.
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