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- 8 Korean Titles to Keep an Eye Out for in 2016
- by Pierce Conran / Feb 02, 2016
- Star Directors Return while Fresh Names Poise Themselves for Breakthroughs
Fresh from recording one of its biggest years ever, which included two new additions to the ten million viewer club (Assassination, Veteran), Korean cinema is gearing up from another big year in 2016, with some of the country’s star directors returning to the fold after working in Hollywood, a few major blockbusters from rising names, and a number of smaller projects poised to make waves internationally.To usher in 2016, KoBiz takes a look at some of the most exciting projects to expect from Korean cinema in 2016.
Secret AgentFollowing his stint in Hollywood, where he directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand (2013), his first role following two terms as the governor of California, KIM Jee-woon is currently filming the action-thriller Secret Agent. Reuniting with his The Quiet Family (1998), The Foul King (2000) and The Good, The Bad, And The Weird (2008) star SONG Kang-ho, director KIM will return with a story of Korean independence fighters during the country’s occupation by Japan in the early 20th century.Co-starring GONG Yoo, the film focuses on the violent exploits of a branch of Korea’s resistance movement and is being financed by Hollywood major Warner Bros., marking their first venture in local Korean production. The film began shooting in late October in China and has since shifted production to Korea.TunnelAfter an eight-year absence, director KIM Seong-hun triumphantly returned with the blackly comic action-thriller A Hard Day, which bowed to rave reviews in the Directors’ Fortnight program of the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. For his third film, KIM is teaming up with stars HA Jung-woo (Assassination), BAE Doo-na (Cloud Atlas, 2012) and OH Dal-su (Veteran) for the disaster drama Tunnel, which will be financed and distributed by Showbox.Based on a novel by SO Jae-won, the film features HA as man trapped inside a poorly constructed tunnel when it caves in. BAE features his wife while OH plays a rescue worker on site. The film reminds us of modern Korean history, which has been plagued with disasters resulting from infrastructure failures that led to major death tolls, such as the collapses of the Sampoong Department Store and the Seongsu Bridge.GoksungNA Hong-jin exploded onto the scene with The Chaser in 2008, a critically-acclaimed thriller that instantly put him on the global map. Two years later, The Yellow Sea confirmed his status as one of the country’s most promising new filmmakers. This year, NA returns with another dark thriller, working with a new cadre of stars (replacing the effective teaming of HA Jung-woo and KIM Yun-seok in his earlier works) on the rural-set Goksung.The film stars KWAK Do-won, SONG Kang-ho’s award-winning co-star in The Attorney (2013), as a police officer investigating a series of mysterious and grisly murders in the countryside following the arrival of a mysterious stranger. Box office heavyweight HWANG Jung-min (Veteran) co-stars along with HAN Gong-ju (2014) lead CHUN Woo-hee. The film is the third fully-financed local production for Fox International Productions, who previously part-financed The Yellow Sea.Home Sweet Home
Another director who hasn’t been seen in some time, LEE Kyoung-mi worked as a writer and assistant director on PARK Chan-wook’s Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (2005) before debuting to acclaim with the off-kilter high school comedy-drama Crush And Blush (2008), co-written and produced by PARK.In 2016, LEE will unveil her sophomore film Home Sweet Home (working title). The dark political thriller features SON Ye-jin (The Pirates, 2014) as the wife of a politician played by KIM Joo-hyuk (The Servant, 2010). During his campaign for the National Assembly, she uncovers a terrible secret after their daughter goes missing just 15 days before election day. Previously co-stars in My Wife Got Married (2008), SON and KIM will surely present a very different kind of chemistry in the CJ Entertainment thriller.Train Via BusanAlready known for the gritty indie animated features The King of Pigs (2011) and The Fake (2013), YEON Sang-ho makes his live action debut with the high-speed thriller Train via Busan (working title). GONG Yoo stars as a father who boards the KTX train from Seoul to Busan with his daughter. However, another passenger on the train has brought on a dangerous infection that is quickly infecting fellow riders and driving them crazy.The events of Train via Busan follow the initial outbreak depicted in YEON’s completed but unreleased animation Seoul Station. Co-starring with GONG is JUNG Yu-Mi (Our Sunhi, 2013).The HandmaidenDirector PARK Chan-wook returns home with The Handmaiden, his first film in Korea since Thirst (2009), after he made the American gothic tale Stoker (2013). Based on Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, the film stars HA Jung-woo as a con man who teams up with a young pickpocket (newcomer KIM Tae-ri) who he installs as the maid of a wealthy socialite, played by KIM Min-hee (Right Now, Wrong Then, 2015).Switching out the Victorian England setting of the original book with Korea and Japan in the 1930s, when the former was colonized by the latter, PARK’s latest promises the engrossing visuals he has become known for, as it was shot by his frequent collaborator JEONG Jeong-hun, who has been actively working in Hollywood after gaining notice there for his work on Stoker. The Handmaiden also features CHO Jin-woong (A Hard Day, 2014), KIM Hae-sook (The Thieves, 2012) and MOON So-ri(Oasis, 2002).
Our Love StoryAfter their more commercially-oriented titles Socialphobia (2015) and Alice In Earnestland (2015), both of which were hits at the Korean box office, the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) will debut the low-key drama Our Love Story this year.At a time when gay rights are becoming an increasingly important, and hotly contested, issue in Korean society, Our Love Story presents the burgeoning relationship of a diffident art student and a carefree bartender. LEE Hyun-ju’s debut is one of the rare works to present a lesbian story in Korean cinema. Our Love Story follows the KAFA works Girl on the Edge and The Boys Who Cried Wolf, both of which debuted at the Busan International Film Festival last October.Karaoke CraziesA genre piece taking place almost entirely in a surreal karaoke bar, Karaoke Crazies sees director KIM Sang-chan return nine years after Highway Star. LEE Mun-sik (A Bloody Aria, 2006) stars as the owner of an isolated karaoke bar in the countryside with precious few guests. He hires a strange girl, played by BAE So-eun (Doctor, 2012), as a helper and though unpopular at first, she soon becomes a favorite with customers. The owner hires another woman when business improves, all the while keeping his eye out for a serial killer on the loose.With an intricate set and an interesting mix of genres, Karaoke Crazies calls to mind some of the polymorphic genre hits that Korea became known for around the world.
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