Slow and Steady

If we examine the recent trends in historical dramas dominating both theaters and television screens, we can see that fusion historical dramas, which boldly overlay modern sensibilities and imagination, are more mainstream than authentic historical dramas. The "faction" genre, which intricately blends historical fact with fiction, is overflowing. Sometimes, works that merely borrow the historical setting while the characters' speech and behavior remain no different from modern dramas pour out, dodging controversies over historical distortion. Amidst this flow, the movie The Man Who Lives with the King is a very exceptional and welcome work in that it stimulates the tear ducts of the audience by dealing with the power of heavy authentic history and humanism without the box office guarantee of romance. Instead of flashy spectacles or stimulating settings, it genuinely captures the tragedy of individuals swept up in the vortex of history and the stories of ordinary people pr...

A Shocking Controversial Work, The Start of Curiosity and Cannes' Choice The intense and provocative tagline, "Sirat, I didn't know it was the road to hell!" instantly caught my eye. I usually search for information meticulously before choosing a movie, but for this film, I decided to watch it solely based on the promotional phrase "Shocking Controversial Work." The atmosphere given off by the poster and trailer was just that unusual. It was only after finishing the movie that I looked up information about it, and I was surprised to learn that it was the winner of the Jury Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The fact that it was not just a movie dealing with stimulating subject matter, but a masterpiece recognized for its artistry and message at a world-class film festival, made the lingering impression of the film even deeper. Perhaps the wave of shock hit harder because I faced the movie without any prior information. The Changing Flow of Art Films, Fr...

The Meeting of 'The Glory' Stars and the 'Cold Handsome' Actor, A Combination Unpredictable by Poster Alone When I first encountered the poster for the movie Sister, the first thing that caught my eye was undoubtedly the names of the actors. Cha Joo-young, who left a strong impression as "Stewardess Hye-jeong" in The Glory; Jung Ji-so, who proved her acting skills playing the younger version of Song Hye-kyo in the same work; and Lee Soo-hyuk, who possesses unique visuals and a deep voice. The combination of these three actors with strong personalities, who are rarely seen together in one place, was enough to stimulate curiosity by itself. The cool and dreamy atmosphere exuded by the poster seemed to imply that this movie was not a simple drama but a thriller genre hiding a secret. However, it was impossible to predict what kind of story would unfold just from the expressions of the actors in the poster, making me head to the theater with both anticipation and ...

A Dystopia That Captivated 3.8 Million Viewers, The Overwhelming Worldview of 'Concrete Utopia' Concrete Market is a spinoff that continues the worldview of Director Um Tae-hwa's masterpiece Concrete Utopia, which was released in 2023 and received acclaim from both critics and audiences. The original film depicted the psychology of a group of humans facing extreme situations, set in the limited space of the "Hwang-gung Apartments," the only building left standing in Seoul after a devastating earthquake. Beyond the simple fear of disaster, it chillingly and realistically portrayed human selfishness and collective madness revealed under the pretext of survival, succeeding in capturing both box office success (attracting 3.8 million viewers) and critical acclaim. Therefore, public expectations for how this fascinating dystopian worldview would expand were naturally sky-high. Between Survival Instinct and Morality, The Heavy Philosophical Questions Posed by the Origin...