At the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border, Aza and Samat work as members of a drug trafficking organization. One day, they run into Nazik, who has narrowly escaped from human traffickers. Aza decides to give up the drug money and save Nazik, but Nazik tragically dies while crossing a river. Aza is determined to at least return Nazik’s remains to her homeland, but his decision thrusts him into even greater danger. The border regions of Central Asian countries, that are located adjacent to Afghanistan where massive amounts of drugs are produced, are hotspots for drug trafficking and organized crime. As those desperate for survival struggle to maintain a shred of dignity, the camera frequently pulls back to capture the vast and indifferent mountainous landscapes of the borderlands. The film is genre-driven but is also captivating with its restrained dialogue and composed visuals. (PARK Sun Young)

The Black Dog is about Mo, a husband and father, who worries a lot about losing his wife to cancer and raising their 10-year-old daughter alone. His daughter finds him crying out in his sleep. (PARK Sungho)

In the near future of the mid 21st century, the United States has fallen into a Second Civil War, with Texas and California seceding and forming the Western Forces militia, and Florida creating its own alliance. The nation’s authoritarian, three-term President makes a speech over the WF about taking a severe hit from the Loyalist states, calling it a major victory. Photojournalist Lee Smith watches the speech from her hotel room in New York City, while she sees a bombing occurring downtown. Civil War is a 2024 dystopian thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $18–24 million in its opening weekend. The film made $10.8 million on its first day, and it went on to debut to $25.7 million, surpassing Hereditary as the biggest opening weekend in A24’s history as well as the studio’s first film to top the box office.

A new film by female animation director Yamada Naoko, who directed A Silent Voice (2016) and Liz and the Blue Bird (2018). The team that worked with Yamada Naoko, including screenwriter Yoshida Reiko and music composer Ushio Kensuke, has reunited. Totsuko, a high school girl attending a Catholic boarding school, has a unique ability to see people’s colors. She was captivated by Kimi at school, but one day is shocked to hear that Kimi has left school and sets out to find her. Totsuko meets Kimi working at a bookstore and inadvertently forms a band with a male student, Rui. After twists and turns, they decide to perform at the Valentine’s festival. As an animated youth film, it captivates thanks to Yamada Naoko’s signature drawing style and color palette, while the charm of the music is also considerable given that it’s a band story. While it lacks the grand fantasy typically associated with animation, it’s a unique animation that naturally depicts the psychology and behavior of teenage girls. (NAM Dong-chul)

When talking about the October 26 Incident of 1979, how many people remember Park Heung-ju, the secretary to the Director of the KCIA at the time? Land of Happiness brings to the forefront this man who was at the center of the incident but was quickly erased from history, executed by firing squad in just 16 days. Lee Sun-kyun portrays Park Tae-ju, a soldier inspired by this figure. From his resolute professional consciousness as a soldier who won’t abandon orders and rules, to the guilt of a man willing to pay the price for historical sins, and to the human spirit striving to remain dignified until the end. Lee Sun-kyun’s voice resonates deeper than ever, heavy yet calm; his proud profile cast in deep shadows; his posture upright and unwavering in the courtroom; his voice faintly trembling as if mixed with subtle tears in the final moments. We come to understand what it means for a single person to bear the full weight of history while caught in its whirlwind. This is Lee Sun-kyun’s final work. (JEONG Jihye)

Tango at Dawn tells the story of three women. Ji-won, who is clear-cut and straightforward, is hiding out and securing a job at a factory after being swindled by a friend; Ju-hui, Ji-won’s roommate, who is kind to everyone and always remains optimistic; and Han-byeol, who started working at a young age, became a team leader, and is quite selfish and irresponsible. One day, an accident happens to a fellow worker, and the reactions and solutions offered by these three women involved in the accident are remarkably different. The emotional tension arising from their differences, and the profound impact that transcends that tension, becomes increasingly powerful through the film’s multidimensional character development and subtle emotional buildup. Tango at Dawn poses careful questions about the failure and restoration of relationships, and serves as an intriguing example of personality and fate, ultimately becoming a poignant elegy for the loss of something precious and beautiful. (JUNG Hanseok)

In the ages of gods, Ashwathama was cursed with immortality after losing a war, doomed to wander until he finds redemption in the next era of humankind. Six thousand years later, humanity has reached a dystopian state, marred by endless war and slaughter. A single government controls all military forces and resources, and only the wealthy live relatively peaceful lives in a megastructure called the Complex. In the Complex, a secret experiment known as Project K is being conducted on women of childbearing age. Released in 2024, Kalki 2898 AD became an instant sensation, not just in India but also in North America. The film presents a thrilling clash between past and present, good and evil, and the worlds of mythology and science. With grand music, intense action, and striking mise-en-scene, the performances by Prabhas from Baahubali, Deepika Padukone from Om Shanti Om (2007), and Kamal Haasan from Vikram (2022) add credibility to this spectacular film. (PARK Sun Young)

Director Ryu Hyung-seok, who served as a conscripted firefighter during his mandatory military service, made a documentary about firefighters. Responding to calls from those on the edge of life and death, these modern-day heroes at the Yangsan Firestation and Ulsan Fire Headquarters are the focus of The First Responders. Without voiceover narration or interview shots, the film captures not only the team’s work and daily lives, but also their inner darkness, desires, and the difficult fate inherent in their profession. Here, the camera is not simply a tool for recording but is one of them, acting as their eyes. “Just strip away all emotion and focus on what you need to do,” one firefighter says, and the documentary mirrors this approach, moving steadily forward without being swept up by emotional waves. Yet the film inevitably reaches heart-warming moments. This documentary offers an exceptionally humanistic insight into the profession. (KANG Sowon)

Julie is a promising tennis player at a tennis academy. Just before the Belgian Tennis Federation (BTF) scout test, an unfortunate incident occurs at the academy. After the suicide of another teenage prodigy, Aline, an internal investigation begins, and head coach Jeremy is suspended. People suspect that Julie, Jeremy’s favorite student, might know something and hope she will testify. However, Julie remains silent, focusing solely on her practice. The film carefully builds the drama around this sensitive incident, leaving the specifics of emotional domination and abuse that can occur between a teenage female athlete and an adult male coach largely unstated. Through her silence, the violence of pressuring Julie to speak out is suggested. Meanwhile, Julie slowly comes to understand how she should act. The Dardenne brothers participated as co-producers. (LEE Juhyun)

The internationally renowned author Baek Heena’s picture book Magic Candies has been adapted into a short animation by Japan’s major film studio Toei Animation. This is a rare opportunity to experience Baek Heena’s exceptional imagination, whose original work was close to an animation itself. (NAM Dong-chul)

* Based on Korean Picture Books Magic Candies & I am a Dog by BAEK Heena (Korean author)

The tunnels of the mine where two miners, Viet and Nam, go down every day are not only a hot, dark, and dangerous workplace but also a warm and cozy universe for just the two of them. Born as a posthumous child Nam has the life-long task of finding the remains of his father, a Vietnam veteran who was killed in the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, he wishes to leave Vietnam and find a new life by smuggling himself out of the country. Viet, in the meantime, hopes to continue staying in Vietnam with Nam but hesitates to express his feelings to him. Viet and Nam by director Truong Minh Quy, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, delivers a contrasting sense of the same space through outstanding visual direction. Just as the romance between the two men and the pain of war coexist, the boundary between the living and the dead becomes blurred and vague. (Dave KIM)

In a quiet seaside village, Xiao Kui, a lively girl with many dreams, is just as eager to help her mother Hongjv with her Maoqiang opera performances as she is to play with her friends. Since Xiao Kui’s father never returned from the sea, Hongjv has shouldered the burden of supporting the family alone. Her most shining moments are when she steps on stage as an opera actor. But now, with few people interested in traditional opera and Xiao Kui falling ill, their lives are suddenly swept into a turbulent current. While the film depicts unavoidable moments of pain and loss, its true theme is resilience—how we bounce back from such moments. Much like the balloons fluttering around the village, wishing for the safe return of those who went to sea, pain is ever-present in their lives, but so are the warm wishes for each other’s well-being. Blue Sea is a heartwarming film brimming with such kindness. (HONG Soin)