8 New Korean Films That You Should Watch This Spring

Spring is already shaping up to be a busy season for Korean cinema. From the election drama The Mayor, in which Choi Min-sik appears the mayor of Seoul while Kwak Do-won (The Wailing) plays his aide, to renowned Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo‘s On the Beach at Night Alone starring Kim Min-hee (The Handmaiden) to One Day, the latest film from romantic drama specialist Lee Yoon-ki (A Man and A Woman), featuring Chun Woo-hee (The Wailing) and Kim Nam-gil (Pandora).

Here’s a look at 8 new Korean films worth keeping an eye out for.

Ordinary Person

Director: Kim Bong-han

Cast: Son Hyun-joo, Jang Hyuk, Kim Sang-ho, Ra Mi-ran, Jung Man-sik, Cho Dal-hwan, Ji Seung-hyeon

Plot: Detective Seong-jin (Son Hyun-joo) arrests Tae-sung for petty crimes, but shocked to find out that he is the notorious serial killer. However, Seong-jin becomes doubtful of his identity as the serial murder case is investigated. Nevertheless, when Gyu-nam (Jang Hyuk) offers help to treat Seong-jin’s sick son, Seong-jin has to assist him in fabricating the evidence.

ONE-LINE

Director: Yang Kyung-mo

Cast: Im Si-wan, Jin Goo, Park Byung-eun, Lee Dong-hwi, Kim Sun-young, Park Jong-hwan, Park Yu-hwan, Jo Woo-jin

Plot: Min-jae (Im Si-wan) meets Seok-gu (Jin Goo), a professional mortgage swindler. Seok-gu finds potentials in Min-jae of becoming a professional swindler with his handsome face, smart brain and witty words. Seok-gu suggests Min-jae to work with him in the world of mortgage fraud and as Min-jae joins the firm, their business flourishes.

Coffee Mate

Director: Yi Hyun-ha

Cast: Yoon Jin-seo, Oh Ji-ho

Plot: In-young (Yoon Jin-seo), a housewife, discovers a cafe that she finds comfortable to be in on her own, and becomes a regular customer. At the cafe, she meets Hee-su (Oh Ji-ho), a carpenter, who also comes on his own. Hee-su suggests In-young to be coffeemates, friends who meet only at that cafe. The cafe becomes subjective time and place for them, separating them from reality. And finally Hee-su and In-young discover what they really wanted.

Snowy Road

Director: Lee Na-jeong

Cast: Kim Yeong-ok, Kim Hyang-gi, Kim Sae-ron, Jo Soo-hyang, Seo Young-joo, Jang Young-nam

Plot: Jong-bun is sick of poverty and she admires Young-ae, a smart and pretty friend. Taking place at the end of Japanese colonialism, a sad but beautiful story about two girls begins.

On the Beach at Night Alone

Director: Hong Sang-soo

Cast: Kim Min-hee, Jung Jae-young, Seo Young-hwa, Kwon Hae-hyo, Song Sun-mi, Moon Sung-keun, Ahn Jae-hong, Park Ye-Joo

Plot: After an affair with a married man, celebrated actress Young-hee (Kim Min-hee) decides to take some time out. She travels to the far-off, foreign city of Hamburg. During her long walks through wintry parks and along riverbanks she attempts to become clear about her feelings and desires.

The Mayor

Director: Park In-je

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Kwak Do-won, Shim Eun-kyung, Moon So-ri, Ra Mi-ran, Ryoo Hye-young, Lee Ki-hong, Jin Seon-kyu

Plot: Follows the political life of a Seoul mayor (Choi Min-sik). The mayor faces a reelection campaign after having already served two terms.

The Sheriff In Town

Director: Kim Hyung-joo

Cast: Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Sung-kyun, Jo Woo-jin, Bae Jeong-nam, Kim Kwang-kyu

Plot: Dae-ho (Lee Sung-min), a former detective who in his retirement, sees himself as the protector of his neighborhood. He begins to suspect that a wealthy businessman (Cho Jin-woong) from Seoul is responsible for bringing drugs into his neighborhood.

One Day

Director: Lee Yoon-ki

Cast: Kim Nam-gil, Chun Woo-hee, Lim Hwa-young, Jung Soon-won, Jeon Yu-lim

Plot: Gang-soo (Kim Nam-gil), an insurance agent whose wife kills herself in front of him. During the aftermath, he meets a woman in a coma, Mi-so (Chun Woo-hee).

Additional source: Kobiz