Kim Hye-su, Korea’s “Big Sis”

In the vast expanse of South Korean cinema, few actresses have left an indelible mark quite like Kim Hye-soo. Captivating audiences with her magnetic presence and versatile acting skills, she has become a quintessential figure in the realm of Korean film with a career spanning three decades. From her early breakthroughs to her recent triumphs, Kim Hye-soo's journey through the cinematic landscape is a captivating one, filled with strong-willed, sophisticated women characters as “femme fatales” or independent women running successful businesses in the underworld. Here are some of her films that you should watch to witness the versatility of this Korean icon many call “Korea’s big sister”. 

Ose-am Temple (1990) by Park Chul-soo

This film stands as a testament to Kim Hye-soo's penchant for taking on diverse and unconventional roles. Inspired by a Buddhist folk tale, which has been faithfully retold in the 2003 animated feature adaption of the same name, this film also incorporated Catholicism in the form of an orphanage run by nuns, from which two siblings run away to go back to their hometown. Kim was only 20, and this was just four years after her unlikely debut as the star of a commercial which required a female taekwondo artist. In this film, she portrays Sister Angela, a nun with a unique perspective on life. Through her compelling performance, Kim depth and authenticity to the character, leaving an enduring impact on the audience. 

First Lover (1993) by Lee Myung-se

Breaking away from the conventional romantic tropes, First Love catapulted Kim Hye-soo into the limelight, earning her the youngest ever Best Actress award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, at the age of 23. Directed by formalist director Lee Myung-se, the film redefines the romance genre, infusing it with a distinct visual style as well as providing a fresh new take on the romcom genre. Kim Hye-soo's portrayal of a cheerful college student caught in a one-sided love with a shy photographer is a masterclass in emotional nuance.

Tazza: The High Rollers (2006) by Choi Dong-hoon

Kim Hye-soo's road to become a cinematic powerhouse was indelibly defined by her outstanding performance in Tazza: The High Rollers, an exciting and elegant adaptation of a famous comic series and the first installment of a lucrative series. Her portrayal as Madame Jeong, a powerful and charming woman who runs her own illicit gambling parlor, demonstrated her ability to dominate the screen with authority. This would come to characterize most of her subsequent performances, but it also cemented her status as a compelling leading woman, as evidenced by the Blue Dragon Award for Best Actress she collected as a result.

The Thieves (2012) by Choi Dong-hoon

When Kim rejoined with Tazza director Choi Dong-hoon, it was to work with an even greater star-studded ensemble cast in The Thieves. Kim's performance as Pepsee, an experienced thief known for her expertise in safe-cracking who has recently been released from prison only to join a team aiming to steal a diamond in Macau, adds a layer of intrigue to this compelling caper film. With her magnetic presence and cunning wit, she held her own among a stellar cast of characters, all of whom have more than one trick up their sleeves. All of this led to the picture's resounding success, as it became the highest-grossing Korean film in Korean history at the time.

The Face Reader (2013) by Han Jae-rim

This period drama dives into the ancient art of physiognomy, or the technique of predicting someone's personality or fate based on their facial traits (which, unlike phrenology in the West, wasn't used to validate distasteful theories). Despite her brief appearance, Kim made an impression as the intriguing Yeon-hong, the head of a gisaeng house, who is the first to recognize the protagonist's aptitude for reading people's faces. She offers him to work as a fortuneteller at her establishment, propelling the events that will lead him to join the royal court.

The Day I Died: Unclosed Case (2020) by Park Ji-wan

Kim Hye-soo returned to the thriller genre, although this time as a police officer rather than a gang leader, as she had done in Coin Locker Girl (2015) and A Special Lady (2017). She plays a detective who looks into the mysterious disappearance on a remote island of a teenager who also happens to be the key witness in a high-stake trial. Kim demonstrated her talent for expressing complex emotions and psychological tension as her character gradually becomes more personally involved in the fate of the girl.

Smugglers (2023) by Ryoo Seung-wan

Ryoo Seung-wan's latest film builds on Kim's lengthy history of thief roles, which have included films like The Thieves and Tazza. Kim co-stars in this film alongside Yum Jung-ah as two haenyeo (women divers) whose livelihood is jeopardized after a factory pollutes the water near their town. Despite the risks involved, they decide to switch to retrieving illicit items abandoned on the bottom of the sea and profit from it, until they catch the notice of the wrong people. The chemistry between the two protagonists has been lauded by critics.