50 Films of Ale: three Koreas
The complex last century of history on the Korean peninsula has resulted in a complex set of cinemas, though like most western fans (I suspect), I've seen little from the first Korea - the Japanese-occupied country that existed until 1945 - or from the current North Korea. So this is mostly a South Korean list at the moment, and most of these films date from the past 30 years, when the industry started to emerge as one of East Asia's most popular and interesting national cinemas. I expect this list to change a lot in the future as there are still many reputedly great films that I haven't seen - and I'm sure there will be undiscovered gems as well. The first 20 films are ranked in order of preference, with the rest listed chronoligically.
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- DirectorJae-eun JeongStarsBae DoonaLee Yo-wonOk Ji-youngIn the port city of Icheon, five female friends struggle to stay close while forging a life for themselves after high school. When one of the group, upwardly-mobile Hae-ju, moves to Seoul, the other girls deal with the loss in different ways. Feeling most rejected, shy Ji-yeong finds comfort in her new friendship with rebel Tae-hee.
- DirectorHur Jin-hoStarsHan Suk-kyuShim Eun-haShin GooHahn Suk-Kyu suffers from a fatal disease. He meets Shim Eun-Ha and falls in love with her. Will their love story have a tragic ending?
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsCha Tae-hyunJun Ji-hyunIn-mun KimA young man sees a drunk, cute woman standing too close to the tracks at a metro station in Seoul and pulls her back. She ends up getting him into trouble repeatedly after that, starting on the train.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsHyo-jeong LeeCho Seung-wooSeong-nyeo KimA governor's son falls in love and marries a beautiful girl, the daughter of a courtesan. Their marriage is kept a secret from the governor who would immediately disown him if he found that his son married beneath him.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYoo Ah-inSteven YeunJeon Jong-seoJong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
- DirectorLee Hae-junStarsJeong Jae-yeongJung Ryeo-wonYeong-seo ParkA failed suicide attempt leads a heartbroken man to live a life in the wilderness.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYun Jeong-hieLee Da-witKim Hee-raA sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsKim Myung-gonJung-hae OhKim Kyu-chulDespite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guMoon So-riAhn Nae-sangAn irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.
- DirectorYong-Kyun BaeStarsYi Pan-YongSin Won-SopHae-Jin HuangAbout three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.
- DirectorHae-sung SongStarsChoi Min-sikCecilia CheungSon Byung-hoA marriage of convenience between a petty gangster and an illegal immigrant he has never met has unforeseen consequences for them both.
- DirectorJeong-hyang LeeStarsShim Eun-haLee Sung-jaeAhn Sung-kiTwo strangers with very little in common, find themselves forced to live together.
- DirectorPark Kwang-suPark Kwang SooStarsKim Bo-KyeongKim Bo-kyungYoo Byeong-SeokThe film intercuts two stories, one in black and white, one in color. From 1965 to 1970.
- DirectorYong-ki JeongStarsKim Ju-hyukLee Yoon-jiLee Si-youngYoo-Suk (Ju-hyuk Kim) looks for a girlfriend who disappeared. Ae-Yeon (Yun-ji Lee) has a fake diamond which her ex-boyfriend gave to her. Ae-Yeon was dumped by her ex boyfriend. Byung-Chan (Kong Hyung-Jin) does not believe in love. Bok-Nam (Oh Jung-Se) is in love with a friend of a friend.
- DirectorYu Hyun-mokStarsMu-ryong ChoiKim Jin-kyuJeong-suk MoonA pressured accountant, his war veteran brother and their dysfunctional family struggle with integrating into post-War Korean society.
- DirectorHur Jin-hoStarsLee Yeong-aeYoo Ji-taeSang-hui BaekA sound engineer falls in love with a radio show host after they work together on a project capturing natural sounds.
- DirectorJong-kwan KwonStarsJung Woo-sungLim Soo-jungCha Tae-hyunThis film follows the lives of four very different couples as they deal with love, loss and life in these romantic, loosely interconnected tales.
- DirectorJuly JungStarsBae DoonaKim Sae-ronSong Sae-byeokA young police officer is sent to work in a small village and takes in a teenager to protect her from her abusive stepfather.
- DirectorHyuk ByunStarsLee Jung-jaeShim Eun-haCho Jae-hyunA documentary filmmaker falls for one of his subjects while interviewing her about her relationship with her boyfriend.
- DirectorYoung Nam KoStarsYeong-su LeeYun-suk JoShin-jae KimCountry boy Suk-ie learns the meaning of love and loss when he meets city girl Yeon-ie.
- DirectorYong-Gyu YoonStarsKi-jong ByeonHeon-yong OhSeung-min NamDo-seong is a child monk who lives at a small mountain temple with the head monk, learning the teachings of Buddha. He becomes attached to a young widow who comes to pray at the temple, and the childless widow entreats the head monk to let her raise Do-seong as her own son.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsKim Jin-kyuJeung-nyeo JuEun-shim LeeA composer and his wife are thrown into turmoil when a housemaid becomes more than they bargained for.
- DirectorSang-ho ParkStarsMi-lyeong JoWon NamkungBin-a JuThe film exposes the atrocities of war through the eyes of two children who are stranded in the DMZ after the end of the Korean War. The DMZ, strewn with abandoned tanks, dead bodies, land mines, and unexploded shells, is an exceedingly dangerous place for children. But what most endangers them in the end are not weapons but people.
- DirectorPark Kwang-suStarsSo-yeong AhnKim Bo-kyungHyung-in ChoiMoon Chae-Ku and his friend Kim Chul try to bring the body of Moon's father back to his native Kwisong Island for burial. Their ferry is intercepted by resentful islanders who will not let the boat dock, because of the father's political activities in the 1950's, informing on Communist sympathizers.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsPark Choong-seonKim Eui-sungJo Eun SookAbout desires and lives of four characters in diverse circumstances. A poor novelist, a cheating wife, a mysophobic husband and a ticket girl.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-riFollowing a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
- DirectorLee Myung-seStarsPark Joong-hoonAhn Sung-kiJang Dong-gunDetective Woo is on the trail of the mysterious gangster Sungmin, a master of disguise who always manages to elude his pursuers. Eventually, the cop tracks down and confronts the master-criminal in the suburbs of a coal-mining town.
- DirectorJeong-kwon KimStarsYoo Ji-taeKim Ha-neulHa Ji-WonTwo students, separated in time, are somehow able to talk to each other using amateur radio, one in 1979 and the other in 2000.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsBae DoonaLee Sung-jaeKim Ho-jungAn idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.
- DirectorHyun-seung LeeStarsLee Jung-jaeJun Ji-hyunMu-saeng KimIn 1999, a voice actor moves from Il Mare, a seaside house, and leaves a Christmas card in its (magical) mailbox. An architecture student receives it in 1997, and a friendship separated by 2 years begins.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsLim Soo-jungYum Jung-ahKim Kap-suAfter being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
- DirectorJoon-Hwan JangStarsShin Ha-kyunBaek Yun-shikHwang Jung-minByeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee Seung-yunJae HeeHyuk-ho KwonA transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsNam-mi KangJeong-nam ChoiHye-Sook GoAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
- DirectorJae-eun JeongStarsLee Cheon-heeCheon Jeong-myeongChoi Jin-hoSoyo, a quiet teenager who was abandoned by his parents, sees his humdrum life change when he discovers the thrill of in-line skating.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLim Soo-jungRainPark Byeong-eunA girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsShin Min-aOn Joo-WanJeong Ho-binA beautiful martial arts prodigy becomes a ruthless warrior to guard the world against the evil spell.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookChan-kyong ParkStarsOh Gwang-RokLee Jung-hyunA fisherman becomes entangled in his line when he catches something unexpected.
- DirectorNicholas BonnerAnja DaelemansGwang Hun KimStarsJong-sim HanChung-guk PakRi Yong HoA female coal miner in communist Korea aspires to be an acrobat in a circus.
- DirectorLee Yong-juStarsUhm Tae-woongHan Ga-inLee Je-HoonA 20-year-old architecture student, falls in love with a music student. However, he fails to confess his feelings to her, and they grow apart. 15 years later, she reappears before him and asks him to design her house.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsYoon KyesangAhn Nae-sangSu-jin ParkWoon-Cheol has bad luck with dating. One day, an ideal woman appears in from of him.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsKim Ju-hyukLee Yoo-youngKwon Hae-hyoA foray into the uncanny with a spin on Luis Buñuel's "That Obscure Object of Desire".
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongA woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.
- DirectorYeon Sang-hoStarsGong YooJung Yu-miMa Dong-seokWhile a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
- DirectorJae-eun JeongStarsAnna IshibashiKim Jae-WookMasanobu KatsumuraA writer of romance novels falls in love with a much younger guy. Their romance is doomed, though, because she has Alzheimer.
- DirectorSeung-jun YiDocuments the sinking of a South Korean Ferry. As a result of the ineptitude of the first response to the emerging situation, hundreds of people, mostly children lost their lives.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.