The Best of K-Drama & Movies: Kinocine

The long-unseen Spanish masterpiece El sur (The South) by Víctor Erice has recently been released in Seoul theaters. Until now, Erice’s films could only be encountered in cinematheques or among cinephiles — quiet treasures of film history. Yet The South is also an unfinished work, halted during production. What story did the director intend to tell, and what part of it remains untold? Can a truncated film still convey the essence of what the filmmaker envisioned? This is a film that quietly proposes what a “good story” and a “good film” might mean. Set in northern Spain in the 1950s, the film unfolds through the memories of a girl named Estrella, who recalls the years 1950 and 1957. At fifteen, she wakes to her mother calling for her missing father, Agustín, who has vanished without explanation. The narrative then shifts to Estrella at eight, preparing for her First Communion. Her family lives in solitude on the border between town and countryside — a kind of no-man’s land. On the roof...

During the 2026 Lunar New Year season in Seoul, Ozu Yasujiro’s 1959 masterpiece Good Morning (Ohayo) returned to theaters. Known for his "tatami shots," Ozu is celebrated for a style that contemplates life through fixed low-angle cameras, restrained editing, and repetitive daily dialogues. Unlike Akira Kurosawa, who depicted grand history and passion, Ozu captured the lives of common people with a minimalist eye. Good Morning is a vivid manifestation of this aesthetic. The setting is a newly developed suburban housing complex in 1950s Tokyo. The film unfolds through the landscapes of narrow alleys where small misunderstandings and rumors drift between tightly packed houses. Children play pranks on their way to school and gather at a neighbor's house after class to watch sumo wrestling on television. Their longing for modern gadgets reflects the rapid modernization and the dawn of a consumer society in Japan. At the heart of the story are two brothers, Minoru and Isamu, wh...

The director of this film, Kim Tae-yong, is not the husband of Tang Wei who directed Late Autumn. He is the Kim Tae-yong who directed Set Me Free and Misbehavior. Usually, after graduating from high school, people leave the home they grew up in and their parents as they move to other cities for university or jobs—much like Andy in Toy Story. In the journey of life, one thing we often forget is to count how many meals we have actually eaten that were prepared by our mothers—the so-called "home-cooked meals." If you return to your hometown for holidays like Seollal (Lunar New Year) or Chuseok and sit down with your family for a meal after a long time, you might find yourself doing the math: "How many more times will I be able to eat a meal prepared by my mother?" At this point, it might sound like a public service announcement—reminding you to be filial to your parents while they are still with you as their hair turns whiter each year, or to at least give them a phone...

Director Jang Hang-jun is perhaps best known to the public as the husband of star writer Kim Eun-hee, a witty raconteur, and a frequent face on entertainment shows. While he has a long career as a screenwriter and director, it might be difficult for some to immediately point to a single "signature" masterpiece. However, Jang’s talent extends far beyond comedy. From his debut script The Adventures of Mrs. Park to his previous thriller Open the Door, he has consistently shown a sharp eye for human drama. His latest film,  The King's Warden (왕과 사는 남자= The Man Who Lives with the King), reveals his true depth as a storyteller, showcasing a profound perspective on history and character. The film tackles one of the most enduring stories in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty: the tragedy of King Danjong and his uncle, Grand Prince Suyang. In 1457, Lee Hong-wi (Danjong) is ousted from the throne and exiled to Cheongnyeongpo, a remote mountain village in Yeongwol. Amidst the looming ...

Emily Brontë’s sole novel, Wuthering Heights (1847), has been adapted for the screen once again. For those who grew up with "Great Illustrated Classics" or the black-and-white Laurence Olivier version, expectations were likely high for a story of yearning, obsession, and a love that transcends death on the desolate, windswept moors. However, Emerald Fennell—the director behind Promising Young Woman, a tale of a woman’s seven-year quest for revenge—has crafted a version that is anything but a bedtime story. The film opens with a public hanging in an 18th-century English town. In this bleak, crude, and eerie setting, death is a form of entertainment for the masses. This grim atmosphere sets the stage for Catherine, the daughter of the Earnshaw family living at the windswept "Wuthering Heights." When her alcoholic father brings home a scruffy waif from the streets, Heathcliff becomes both Catherine’s companion and the target of abuse. They grow into soulmates in the co...

To coincide with the release of director Ryoo Seung-wan’s new film HUMINT , he recently published a book titled Conditions of Fun with interview specialist Ji Seung-ho. Since his shocking debut with Die Bad, Ryoo has consistently delivered groundbreaking works, evolving from a Chungmuro indie darling to a major powerhouse of Korean cinema. As the book's title suggests, his films advance step by step within the boundaries of Korean reality while maintaining a sharp focus on public appeal. HUMINT was conceived shortly after The Berlin File. While the geopolitical situation between North and South Korea remains largely unchanged, public perception and scrutiny toward the National Intelligence Service (NIS) have shifted significantly. This film dramatizes a scenario Ryoo Seung-wan imagined: What if North Korea was involved in the drug trade and illicit business across its borders? What if the South Korean NIS launched a secret operation in response? HUMINT is the high-stakes confrontat...

Released in South Korea on July 30, 2014, Director Kim Han-min’s "Roaring Currents/명량" drew a staggering 17.61 million admissions. It earned 135.7 billion KRW (approximately $128 million USD based on 2014 exchange rates), making it the highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea to this day. The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon Wangjo Sillok) is a monumental historical record covering 472 years. Reading through these annals, one might occasionally wonder, "Why didn't this dynasty collapse sooner?" given the presence of incompetent monarchs like King Seonjo and his sycophantic officials. On the eve of the Imjin War, the court's failure to read the geopolitical situation left the people to be slaughtered. Amidst this, Admiral Yi Sun-sin was falsely accused, tortured, and stripped of his rank, only to be reinstated when the nation faced total annihilation in 1597. "I still have twelve ships." Left with only 12 ships after a disastr...

Visual Interpretation of 'Dream Home' (2010): A fusion of the glittering Victoria Harbour skyline and the bloody reality of the property market. (AI-generated artwork by Gemini) While the holiday season usually brings high-profile blockbusters and Oscar hopefuls to the screen, a cult classic from Hong Kong has made a belated but striking appearance in South Korea. Directed by Pang Ho-cheung, Dream Home (2010) arrives years after its original release, yet its themes of economic despair and social rage feel more relevant than ever. On the surface, it is a gruesome slasher film, but at its core, it explores a hell far more terrifying: the cutthroat world of real estate. The original title, Victoria No. 1, refers to a prestigious high-rise overlooking Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour. Anyone who has seen the city's signature night view knows the skyline is a symbol of immense wealth. However, the reality for the average citizen is a claustrophobic nightmare of skyrocketing p...

'MELANIA' Documentary (2026) | AI Visual Artwork The Empress in gold and the King of Silla. Power in Heels... Watching America’s First Lady from Seoul Over the opening weekend of January 30, 2026, the United States released what was heavily promoted as a blockbuster. It wasn’t a Marvel film, yet its marketing scale suggested comparable ambition. On the eve of its release, an official premiere took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The guest list looked more like a political summit than a film event: Donald Trump, now the 47th President, appeared alongside Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel, and others who rarely gather outside moments of peak power.  The film was neither a war epic nor a patriotic spectacle. It was a documentary devoted entirely to the First Lady. Its title was simple, reverent, and unmistakable: *Melania*.  It opened in nearly 1,800 theaters across the country. Critics and reporters, many of whom hadn’t been...

  In Islamic eschatology, the **'Sirāt'** is a bridge spanning the abyss of Hell, described as being thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword’s edge. Only the righteous, those whose souls are unburdened, can traverse it to reach Paradise. Oliver Laxe’s latest masterpiece, *Sirāt*, transforms this religious metaphor into a visceral, dust-choked journey across the desolate landscapes of Southern Morocco and the disputed territories of Western Sahara. The film opens with the hypnotic thrum of a desert rave. Here, among a sea of campers and vans, wanderers lose themselves in the relentless beat of techno and synthesizers. Amidst this drug-fueled euphoria, Louis (Sergi López) and his young son Estefan search for Mar, a daughter long lost to the desert's vastness. Their quest is interrupted by the sudden intrusion of reality: rumors of World War III crackle over the radio, and soldiers arrive to announce the party is over. Yet, driven by a father’s desperate hope, Louis pushe...

Sister (2026): A chilling psychological thriller from Seoul, directed by Jin Seeng-moon. (Visioned by Gemini AI) “Today, I kidnapped my own sister.” Hae-ran (Jung Ji-so), who came to Seoul from China to earn a living, commits a horrific crime with the help of Tae-su (Lee Soo-hyuk). In a dark alleyway, they abduct So-jin (Cha Joo-young), hood her, and confine her in an abandoned house within a demolition zone. Hae-ran is desperate; she needs a massive ransom to fund her younger sibling’s surgery back in China. However, So-jin warns that her wealthy father is a heartless man who won't pay a dime. As Tae-su leaves to monitor the situation, an unplanned conversation between the captor and the captive shifts the trajectory of the crime. Hae-ran, ill-suited for violent crime; So-jin, desperate to survive; and Tae-su, an inscrutable villain. These three begin a frantic struggle within the suffocating, isolated walls of the derelict house.   A ransom of 1 billion won might seem realistic f...