“My Name is Loh Kiwan” is adapted from the homonymous book by Cho Hae-jin, which won the 2013 31th Sin Dong-yup (Korean poet) Prize for Literature. After its release on Netflix this month, the movie topped their global weekly chart for non-English movies between March 4-10, after racking in over 5 million views and making a mark in 31 countries like Peru, Portugal, Turkey and Malaysia.
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The film is about the plight of Loh Kiwan, a North Korean defector who flees to China with his mother. While there, he becomes a fugitive due to an incident and soon the police come knocking at his door. During the chase that follows, he manages to get away but his mother is not that lucky and tragically killed. This eventually prompts him to defect again and this time to Belgium for another fresh start.
But Loh soon discovers that his new life in a foreign land is just as harsh. Firstly, there is the long wait for his refugee status. Secondly, he has no place to stay, no job, while not understanding the language surely adds another headache. Pretty much reduced to a homeless man, he has to sleep in public toilets, selling used bottles he collects for coins and sometimes eats from rubbish bins. Furthermore, he has to fight off youth gangs who are set on him for no reason. One night, he accidentally comes across Marie Lee, a young woman who steals his wallet and eventually his heart. Together they will continue to develop a very strong bond that changes their lives forever.
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Kim Hee-jin's first feature film as director is a captivating story dealing with the struggles of refugees in a foreign land and the uncertain future they face. Filmed mostly in medium and close-up shots, the visuals look great even though there is a lack of colors. The backgrounds are dull looking, rendered in brown and gray tones and are only offset by bright red neon lights or street lights occasionally. Nonetheless ,this actually suits the theme and the overall mood of the story.
The protagonist sleeping on the street is one of the few heartbreaking moments dotted throughout in which the filmmaker is portraying the harsh life of the refugees while pulling the viewers' heart strings at the same time. But there are happy moments too, as seen between Loh and Maria as they warm up to each other, plus a very closely shot love scene. Still the film's opening shot with Loh washing blood off the street accompanied by sad piano soundtrack is impressive and intriguing enough to hook the viewers in.
The pair of main leads is phenomenal and both really shine in their heartfelt performances respectively. Song Joong-ki is perfect as Loh Kiwan and convincing as the down and out refugee desperately seeking a new life and above all, freedom. Furthermore, his expressions are faultless and the audiences are able to feel his pains or happiness. In the TV series “Vincenzo” (2021), he was a suave and cunning mafia figure dressed in well-tailored suits, a total contrast from his character here. But still, he is able to make his characters refreshing and convincing while looking dirty, depressed or just moping around like Loh.
Choi Sung-eun's Marie Lee is a more layered individual but equally broken. She is a rebel who takes drugs and aimlessly wanders around without a future. But deep down, she is a match for Loh as they share almost the same problems and hidden demons. Cho is wonderful as Lee, the mysterious soul, and her performances are spot on and besides, she looks great in her flamboyant outfits. Both Choi and Song work well together as a couple in which viewers can relate to.
All the supporting cast also put on fairly decent performances even with their limited screen time. Kim Sung-ryung as Loh's mum and Lee Il-hwa who plays Lee's mother are both tragic characters and quite memorable. However, the portrayal of the local foreign characters is one-dimensional and stereotyped, even though the actors are adequate in their roles.
Overall, “My Name is Loh Kiwan” touches on human struggles, hope, love and survival and it works thanks to Kim's honest and gripping storytelling and the heartfelt performances of the two main leads. It is a film with a strong message and can be a heart-wrenching watch at times.
