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The 30 Best Asian Movies of 2024

German Cheung, Terrance Lau and Tony Wu - Twilight of the Warriors - Walled In
26 writers voted for one of the most diverse lists we have ever come with

2024 was an unusual year for Asian cinema. For starters, although the number of good movies was higher than usual, there was none that it could be described as masterpiece. That Korean cinema experiences one of its worst years in recent history, gave the opportunity to Japan to take the scepters once more, with the country’s stability in production of good movies being the main reason. Apart from this, the Chinese-language films from the whole diaspora actually gave a number of good movies, mostly in the family drama category, while the progress of ASEAN cinema continued, driven by genre films and the rather intriguing scripts.

This year, 26 writers voted for one of the most diverse lists we have ever come with, both in terms of genres and countries of origin, which ended up including 30 titles. Following are all the entries, in reverse order and links to the interviews we had throughout the year, with the cast and crew of the films.

30. (, Singapore-Taiwan)

Pierce  Zijie (Hsiu-Fu Liu) and Zihang (Yu-Ning Tsao)
Courtesy of KVIFF

One of the strongest assets of “Pierce” is its cast. Hsiu-Fu Liu and Yu-Ning Tsao are great in their roles of two brothers completely different by nature and the goodness of their hearts. When Tsao’s face makes a little boy in the movie cry, we feel with the kiddo. He channels the psychopath with a blood-chilling genuineness, while Liu’s innocent big eyes tell us exactly the opposite. The character build-up in “Pierce” is generally finely done, with the right dose of emotional investment. (Marina Richter)

29. (, Japan)

Super Happy Forever still

As cruel as his journey to Izu turns out to be, it serves well to turn the clock and introduce Nagi and the genesis of a love story, thus drawing a full circle. The transition from 2023 to 2018 is surprisingly swift, as there is no sign of change except that we suddenly see a fresh-faced young woman talking on the phone with a friend in the hotel room. There are no technical indications of the time-travelling: no change in lensing or the color palette, no special editorial move, and the viewer is taken down a new self-explanatory road. (Marina Richter)

28. (, Japan)

Missing Satomi Ishihara

“Missing” is just as much a media critique as a grounded tragedy. Rather than condemn news reporting, journalism, and social media as platforms, the film takes a more clever approach to showing what happens when these powerful resources are abused. All of this is demonstrated in various instances throughout the movie. The news station that is following Miu’s case is more concerned with ratings and how they present the story of the child’s disappearance, so much so that they even attempt to convince Saori to accept their scripted requests while she’s in a state of vulnerability, in order to fit their preferred narrative. The spread of baseless rumors on social media leads to hateful comments towards the couple, which doesn’t make their situation any better and even contributes to them arguing frequently through all this. (Sean Barry)

27. (Pham Ngoc Lan, Vietnam)

Cu Li Never Cries Minh Chau Ha Phuong Xuan An

Minh Chau very convincingly embodies a widow who hasn’t seen her husband for a long time, and has drifted apart from him. The viewer can easily identify with her struggle with loneliness and day-to-day functioning. Both Ha-Phuong and Xuan An Ngo also deliver fine performances as characters who are not sure if they are ready to start a family, but have no choice because of social expectations. Through them, Pham Ngoc Lan shows two different methods of coping with reality – Van tries to speak with her partner, and fights with her aunt as she is disappointed with the traditional society, while Quang leans more into drinking with his male friends, as he vents about his doubts. (Tobiasz Dunin)

26. (, India)

Santosh Shahana Goswami

“Santosh” is the feature-length fiction debut for the British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri who previously made her name with two documentaries – “I for India” (2005) and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) – in which she explored the country’s reality both after and before gaining independence from the British colonial rule. The documentarian background of the filmmaker can be observed both in her script that uses a relatively simple crime-thriller-”sunny noir” plot to explore the contemporary reality in its background and in her approach to directing in which she opts for naturalism through dimly lit hand-held shots in more actiony sequences contrasted with longer and calmer observational shots that try to depict ordinary life. (Marko Stojiljković)

25. (, S. Korea)

By the Stream Kim Min-hee Kwon Hae-hyo

Evidently, this is not exactly an intriguing story, but the fact remains that there is definitely more substance here than many of Hong Sang-soo’s recent works. Particularly the way the relationships between Si-eon and the two protagonists unfold add an intriguing element, especially after the flirting between Si-eon and Professor Jeong starts progressing, and Jeon-im seems to be somewhat jealous of the fact. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

24. (, Hong Kong)

All shall be well still

Yeung’s latest feature is generous but never indulgent, taking the approachable genre of the family drama and placing it in the context of topical issues in today’s queer Hong Kong. There are several gasp-worthy moments, but they remain grounded in plausible familial behavior. Between sequences, Yeung interjects towering Hong Kong highrises shot from below, the city both a haven for the couple — where street market stall owners happily recognize them — as well as a threatening source of the unknown. (Olivia Popp)

23. ( and , Iran)

My Favorite Cake still

The septuagenarians’ reunion is the film’s highlight. Laced with humor, it bursts with optimism that raises hopes of a happy ending. Brilliant is the actress who slips into the role of Mahin’s best hypochondriac friend Pouran who can’t stop talking about her long list of illnesses (she insists of showing a video of her colonoscopy to the gathered lot). She is the only one not partaking in conversations about love, worried that the next illness will certainly be the end of her. (Marina Richter)

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22. (, Mongolia)

Silent City Driver still
Courtesy of PÖFF

With the photography almost entirely stripped of colours and shot in widescreen by the cinematographer Enkhbayar Enkhtur, “Silent City Driver” gets wrapped in the solemn setting fitting to its main protagonist’s emotional blackness. Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin’s strong screen presence is the film’s driving force. His portrayal of a troubled man trapped in his own solitude and difficulty of re-connecting with the world outside the prison gates is truly breathtaking. Generally, the film’s cast is quite strong and their performances are glued by the rock solid script penned by the director and Nomuunzul Turmunkh, Janchivdorj’s collaborator on “Life: Admiral” (2018) and “White Blessing” (2017). Their joined forces prove fruitful again. (Marina Richter)

21. (, Indonesia)

Grave Torture Faradina Mufti

Joko Anwar uses his story in order to present the blights of (Indonesian) society, with the two protagonists perhaps symbolizing youths as the main recipients of the blights’ consequences. As such, religion and particularly religious fanaticism, capitalism, and particularly the western penetration in countries such as Indonesia, corruption in the higher echelons of society (which is again connected with capitalism) and probably the mentality of previous generations (or the one before that one could say) are highlighted in the darkest colors here. In smallest scenes, one could also find a comment about the problems with (over) tourism while the circumstances in boarding schools and elderly care are also depicted throughout the movie. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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