andjel

Contemporary Fairy-tale

Straightforward yet magical. This last segment of the "Love: Track" series contemplates the creation of love between two people who don't even know each other, but whom Love decides to bring together. It is always a bit magical when love appears, and in this drama it happens subtly but strongly, starting with a book, a song, an email… almost as if destiny had something to do with it.

This is a gentle story with kind people and positive, almost fairy-tale-like emotions. In some scenes it was a little exaggerated, for example when a guy plays basketball (in street wear, nonetheless) and they need one more minute of the game, but he leaves everything because he received a text message… strange. Also, I don't get why they chose to sing in English if they speak Korean. I am sure the songs would be better if done in the Korean language. But all in all, it is a nice end to the series, and after the ending there is a special epilogue with all the stories from the series joined together for another lovely look at the mystery and beauty of Love.

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Decision to Divorce

Melancholic and real. All the stories in the "Love: Track" series are just 30 minutes long, and they usually finish sooner than expected. Watching this story was the first time in the series that it didn’t finish in the blink of an eye. There isn’t much plot, but the director uses the time not for action but to let us take in the emotions of the main characters. There are many moments of silence and slow-paced scenes that intensify the melancholic atmosphere of two people who have decided that they don’t love each other anymore and plan to divorce, yet still live together.

But can you really just decide not to love someone? Love must be free, and in the end it is also a decision. If it is only a feeling, then it won’t last long. So this drama felt quite serious and real for many couples going through a marriage crisis. It is encouraging in advising people to show their feelings, even if it means crying it all out and admitting defeat. Still, I must say I hoped for a slightly different ending.

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Minji is in Love

Ordinary but cute. A very lovely friend of mine is called Min-ji, and after watching this short high school drama comedy, I now know three more people with the same name. When you share a name with someone else, you need something other than your name to distinguish yourself from others. There are nicknames, and there are also different personalities that help people recognize us.

Similar to other episodes of the great "Love: Track" series, this one explores the topic of love, but also of one’s identity. Even more than the story of finding and expressing love, what touched me here is the main character’s search for identity. The valuable lesson is that we develop our identity in relationship with others, and it was refreshing to see a positive depiction of high school life (in comparison to the many heavy topics often shown in Korean cinema). Well worth the watch.

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1/5 Love

Simple and quick. I didn’t even finish the pizza I ordered to eat while watching. I gave the pizza and the delivery 5 stars. Today we are really putting stars on everything, so I’ll also put 8.5 out of 10 stars on this cute drama. In it, we have a romantic relationship based on 1 out of 5 stars. How could someone enjoy a 1-star pizza or a 1-star movie, and how could one develop a relationship with a 1-star person? But the point is that it is not always about stars. That is what the title suggests: there is more than stars, and the two main characters, provoked by a 1-star rating, begin their romance. Simple as that.

This is not a comedy, but the light, relaxed tone will put a smile on your face while you watch it. The actors are quite good and match each other well, even though the stars on their profiles suggest otherwise. My only complaint is that it ended too quickly, but the point about the relativity of star ratings is well presented.

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Moms burdens

Love: Track series continues to bring emotional and diverse stories about love. Kimchi is used as a metaphor for tradition, and the drama begins when that tradition is broken. As a person of tradition myself, I usually wouldn't like this kind of story, but here it is done well, with respect and understanding.

The main character is the mother, and she carries the weight of many issues, both her own and her son's. She is played by Kim Sun-young, who is certainly one of the best supporting actresses in Korean cinema. She is always a breath of fresh air, and here she takes on the main role, delivering a strong performance as a troubled mom, portraying both seriousness and fragility. I think I liked this drama mostly because of her, as she successfully conveys the emotions of so many mothers around the world.

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Ghost in the Army

Well-made army movie with a delicate topic (and a disclaimer that it does not reference any real event or characters). There is no actual war or combat operations in this film. It is a story about soldiers on duty who are confronted by the ghost of a past sin that haunts their actions a year later. I was surprised by the story, which at first appears to be a standard exploration of an army cover-up, but it goes deeper, even touching on theological and moral issues. It does so by portraying the friendship between the soldiers and their superiors in contrast to Jesus and His apostles at the Last Supper, and also with His cross dominating one particular scene.

The movie was a little too long and had somewhat confusing transitions between past and present events, with several repeated flashbacks. Nevertheless, it remained thrilling and intriguing. There are no literal ghosts, but there is a ghost-like perspective hovering above the soldiers during their “fatal” mission, which makes a lot of sense and is a detail I appreciated very much. The actors were solid and made the dramatic moments convincing for me. I must say, i didn't expect much but this movie left an impact.

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Dreams

Short but still complete. There are parts of the story that I wish had been included, but in only 30 minutes, this film manages to present a multi-layered and complete narrative. The main story takes place in the past, but we also see the characters in the present. The central theme is first romance, but there is also a subplot about high school life. The driving force of the story is music and art, but the most important message concerns our life dreams. So, on one level, this is a reminder of our first love, but it is elevated to deliver an important message about life dreams. The act of dreaming is sometimes even more important than the achievement itself.

The actors and the production are very good. Better then in some feature movies. This is, all in all, a nice story — something we have seen before — but it is still refreshing and pure, and I can recommend it to everyone.

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The Heart remembers

The title of the movie (Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight) was intriguing enough for me to pick it randomly without knowing anything about the plot. The story has an unusual premise, but the execution is somewhat clumsy and the progression very simple. The pacing felt a bit off; the big moments didn’t happen naturally but were either forced or occurred off-screen. I also didn’t like the childish acting, which might be funny to a younger audience, but to me it felt unrealistic.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie for its main story, its message, and the emotions it evokes. As stated in the synopsis, this is truly a pure and touching love story that seems impossible yet still becomes real. I really appreciate Korean cinema for giving us clean and simple romances that inspire rather than provoke.

The movie teaches us that memories might fade, but they are not lost. Everything we experience stays somewhere deep inside the heart. It may appear hidden, but it is still there. That is a theological truth: even the things we have forgotten or lost remain for all eternity. Nothing good disappears in vain.

My compliments also go to the production team, who made an effort to ensure every scene looks beautiful. So despite having some issues with the story’s progression, I am thankful to have been blessed with this warm and noble love story.

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How to train a Zombie

At first glance, this movie makes no sense, but in the end it was worth watching. Since it is based on a webtoon, I can understand the flow of the story, which changes its story arc every ten minutes—just like episodes in a comic book. The story is therefore straightforward, with many different elements and characters appearing and disappearing, each adding a bit of flavor.

I didn’t especially like the first 20 minutes, with the strange depiction of what we might call a zombie apocalypse, but then the real story begins: a father secretly raising his zombie daughter. Zombies are expected to behave in a certain way, and the young actress (Choi Yu-ri), who plays the teenage zombie, had a really challenging role. She did better than I expected, but I would still have preferred her to commit a bit more to the weirdness of zombie behavior.

It is also obvious that being a zombie here can be seen as a metaphor for puberty, but beyond that, it also symbolizes raising a child with some form of disability. When viewed this way, the movie raises awareness and conveys a very positive moral lesson about the importance of parenting and the value of every human life. I also appreciated the connection to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the social commentary on government rules that seek the common good, sometimes at the expense of personal rights. All in all, this is a well-made, funny, touching, and morally grounded movie.

PS. What's with the cat?

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In the confessional

What you say in the confessional stays there because we believe that God forgives and erases sin. I liked that the makers of this movie used the confessional to deepen the story, showing how much remains hidden and how, ultimately, only God knows everything and can therefore be the final judge. The premise of a priest carrying an unresolved burden was very interesting, but I think the story could have done more to reveal the motives of the other characters. They did quite well in using Catholic elements and setting them against beliefs in the occult.

I appreciate the movie’s attempt to create an unsettling atmosphere through both sound and visuals, and it succeeds most of the time, but it does not reach the level of Exhuma, even though they share the same genre. The acting is decent, but it is not the movie’s strongest asset. Still, I took away many interesting ideas from the film, and I can recommend it for its reflection on mercy, justice, and the limits of human knowledge.

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Love 1+1

It can happen that when you fall in love with someone and start dating, that person reveals a different personality you never expected. This movie takes that premise to the extreme: when a guy named Gil-gu meets a girl he likes, he has to deal with a daytime Seon-ji, who is kind and humble, and a nighttime Seon-ji, who is literally a demon—aggressive and unpredictable. As the movie progresses, this modern take on a romantic story starts to feel more and more like a classic fairy-tale love story.

This is actually a minimalistic movie, with basically just two roles taking up about 90% of the screen time. The rest of the characters appear only in small supporting roles, mostly for comedic moments. And I must say, the movie starts strong as a comedy. I laughed out loud a few times at the beginning. Too bad they stopped investing in comedy later in the movie (how could they miss such a golden opportunity at the finale?) and focused almost entirely on the romance.

This is a very good movie for a romantic comedy and features some great scenery. It has a few loopholes, but it will be enjoyable for most viewers.

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Jazz of the City

This documentary has the quality of a feature film, with many artistic details added to enrich the viewing experience. The movie tells the story of the city of Gunsan, a port city located on the western coast of South Korea. We hear a little bit about its history, but only as much as needed to serve as background for life there today. The main part of the film consists of short interviews with people about their experience living in this city. There is also a bit of music, well integrated into the film.

Everything contributes to the movie except, in my opinion, the foreign body artist who wants to touch and spiritually connect with the city through her movements. She appeared to me as a foreign presence, but now when I think about it, she actually represents the influence of foreign culture on Gunsan. And like her, I would now like to visit and explore the city myself, hoping to find a hidden/forgotten pearl somewhere.

At the end, the movie lacks a bit of clear messaging. It feels like we are missing a conclusion about the city’s future. I still don’t know: is Gunsan reviving, or is it sinking deeper into slumber?

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Real life drama

Every mother–child relationship has its profound drama: from the wonder of birth, to the intimacy of growing up, to the breaking apart when children start living independently—while mothers remain present with their children invisibly, from behind. This is the main theme of this movie: the daughter who begins an independent life, and the mother who is always there, one way or another. This is also suggested by the literal translation of the Korean title: Gyung Ah's Daughter.

The focus of the story is on the struggles of the daughter, Yeon Soo. Her problems change her life dramatically, and we sympathize with her, cheering for her well-being. The mother, Gyung Ah, is in the background, but her role is crucial, and the relationship between mother and daughter is what makes this drama so realistic and relatable. The actors all deliver strong performances, coming across as real people. Especially Ha Yoon-kyung—her subtle expressions reveal deep emotions. The strength of this movie lies in its realistic drama and believable acting. But beware: the film is slow and requires emotional immersion.

We all have certain issues with our mums, but I believe that the motherly connection is always a force for good, even when we don’t see it.

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Lucky seat

Every student knows how stressful it is to prepare for a difficult exam. I used prayer a lot :) In this movie, we have two grown-ups who need to pass the civil service exam because so much in their lives depends on it. But instead of just focusing on studying hard, they discover a “lucky seat” and waste their precious energy trying to steal it from each other.

I was quite disappointed in this movie, especially since the legendary Kim In-kwon is in it. As a comedy, the film didn’t make me laugh at all, and there weren’t many original ideas with the lucky seat or the overall plot. This is just a generic B-movie that is only barely watchable thanks to its short runtime. But hey, I added another Korean movie to my “watched” list.

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Become like God

Surprisingly fun superhero movie with a strong focus on action, comedy, and some science fiction. The science fiction part is the one I probably liked the most, although it wasn’t developed as much as I would have wanted. The main story follows a group of people who suddenly receive different superpowers and become superheroes. The powers are reminiscent of earthly elements like wind, water, and fire, but here they are connected to human organs. I wish that had been explained a little better.

This is the first real superhero movie in Korean cinema, and I appreciate that. I mean, we’ve had movies where people have superpowers, like Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009), Haunters (2010), Psychokinesis (2018), The Witch: Part 1 and 2 (2018, 2022), and oh, there’s also Lightning Man (2016). But this is the first time I felt a true superhero vibe, similar to Marvel or DC, in a Korean movie.

The name of the movie and the superhero group is Hi-Five. The name sounds catchy, but the way it was introduced in the movie felt a bit cringy, I must say. Picking the superhero names for each character, though, was done comically well. One scene in particular showed how superheroes might appear to other people as gods. So imagine becoming a god that others look up to—how would you use your godly status and treat other people?

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