Actor and singer Margherita Vicario dedicates her film to “all the female composers who were written out of history.” Set in a convent in Venice, Italy, in 1800, the story follows Teresa, a musically gifted girl who discovers a rare and modern instrument—a pianoforte—while cleaning a storeroom. As Teresa plays the instrument, her music reaches the ears of the convent’s choir girls. Her boundlessly free and “revolutionary” music begins to crack the physical and psychological walls that have confined the girls, and they form bonds of friendship through music each night. Meanwhile, the elderly choir director, struggling to rekindle his long-faded musical inspiration, prepares for the newly elected Pope’s visit, and the girls also prepare a spectacular performance for the upcoming concert. This film is a joyful blend of female artists’ solidarity and self-reliance, mixed with musical elements. Most of the music, spanning pop, jazz, and classical genres, was composed by the director herself. (LEE Juhyun)

Una Femmina: The Code of Silence (2022), delves deeper into the same themes in Familia. Opening with partially blurred flashbacks, both films follow protagonists recovering from distorted memories of the past to uncover the truth. The father, after painful years in and out of prison, seeks to reunite with his family. Though the family accepts his tearful apology, his old violent tendencies and paranoia soon resurface. Familia contrasts the father, who controls the family, with the son, who gets involved in an extremist organization, as he grapples with the cycle of violence passed through generations. The film is an allegory that flips the “prodigal son” narrative and reinterprets the hero of the Greek tragedy through the protagonist struggling to escape the chains of fate. (LEE Yong Cheol)

A couple on the brink of breaking up decide to spend one last day together to resuscitate their relationship until sunrise at an inn on the East coast. With just 15 minutes left until sunrise, they wait—perhaps for a breakup or the end of the world. This minimalist film, set in a confined space and filled with close-ups of the two actors, tells a story about light. (KANG Sowon)

Dea Kulumbegashvili is a star of Georgian cinema and a director who makes desperately needed women’s films in the current era. Her debut film, Beginning (2020), features a woman who suffers physical harm, and the director demonstrates in April that this issue is not confined to the psychological trauma of one woman. Both films expose the existential threat that violent sexual relations pose to women. Nina, who is on the verge of losing her job due to a medical accident in the cruel month of April, has a secret. She cannot turn away from women suffering from unwanted pregnancies, and she takes on their burden herself. These women have no rights over their own bodies. The 4:3 aspect ratio reflects the reality of characters trapped by social, religious, and cultural constraints, while the unwavering, static camera supports the intense resolve of both the characters and the director. April, a cruel story of silence crossing through “the Three Goddesses governing childbirth, pretty flowers, and country roads,” is a deeply piercing record of bodies that have been trampled upon. (LEE Yong Cheol)

Based on Jim Crace’s homonymous novel, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest takes us to an unnamed village in danger of being enclosed. Our protagonist and narrator, Walter, settled into the remote community with his milk sibling Master Kent, and may be the sole voice of reason among the reclusive and superstitious villagers. Over the span of seven days, the villagers suffer a fire, celebrate the harvest, arrest and crucify outsiders, receive a new landlord, and eventually leave their hometown behind. Shot on 35mm film, Tsangari portrays the absurd descent of a village, the painful end of an era, and the tragic loss of a way of life. In the wake of neo-nationalism, Harvest is a stirring parable that sounds a warning against the toxic xenophobia and burgeoning intolerance that paves the way to dispossession and displacement. (Karen PARK)

High school fencer Zijie is shocked to learn that his older brother, Zihan, is being released early from prison. Zijie’s mother, who is about to marry a kind, wealthy man named Zhuang, wants to erase or downplay Zihan’s existence. But Zijie remembers his older brother as the one who saved him from drowning and the winner of three national fencing championships. Was Zihan really a psychopath who deliberately killed his opponent, as their mother claims, or was it an accident? If fencing is ‘chess with swords,’ requiring strategic anticipation of the opponent’s moves, the characters in Pierce are players, each moving their own pieces on the board of truth. In her directorial debut, former fencer Nelicia Low captures the dangerous yet beautiful art of fencing in a tale of brotherhood, earning her the Best Director Award at the 2024 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. (CHOI Eun)

Hilarion Zabala, a former master sergeant, is tormented by a strange smell. The diagnosis is phantosmia, i.e. olfactory hallucinations, where he perceives smells that do not actually exist. His doctor attributes this to past trauma and recommends that he confront and recall his dark military service period as a solution. Zabala, willing to take on any task, voluntarily visits a military base and is eventually assigned to a remote island penal colony. However, another horrific reality awaits him there.
From religious bloodshed to human rights abuses against women, the various forms of violence created by humans are still structurally and routinely pervasive. How can justice and salvation be achieved in an age of violence? Can violence used to prevent violence ever be justified? Deep anguish is reflected through the contemplative black-and-white imagery. (BOO Kyunghwan)

A group of undocumented migrant workers secretly reside in the mountains of Taiwan. They’ve handed over their passports to the man they call Boss in exchange for jobs as caregivers, but they haven’t been paid in two months. Among them, Oom, who has earned the boss’ favor and receives small privileges, takes care of Hui, a man with cerebral palsy, and his sick mother. When a careworker named Indri passes away, Oom is also charged with caring for Indri’s patient. The more dedicated Oom fulfills his duties, the more he drifts apart from his fellow workers; the more he fulfills his clients’ demands, the further he strays from his own conscience. And let’s not lose sight of the strange mongrel’s gaze, fixed on Oom’s hunched back whenever he is overwhelmed by sorrow and guilt. Mongrel is the English title of this film, which received a Special Mention in the Camera d’Or category at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, while its original title “白衣蒼狗 (Bai Yun Cang Gou)” is a Chinese idiom that refers to the ever-changing nature of the world. (CHOI Eun)

Cheon-yeong (Gang Dong-won) is the personal servant of Jong-ryeo (Park Jeong-min), the only son of a noble family with a powerful military background. The two are extremely close, having grown up together since childhood. Cheon-yeong longs to be free from slavery, and Jong-ryeo tries to help him. Unfortunately, however, the situation becomes complicated, and their relationship deteriorates. When the slaves of Jong-ryeo’s family rise up and kill the entire household, Jong-ryeo mistakenly believes that Cheon-yeong is the mastermind and vows revenge. After experiencing the Japanese invasion of Korea, Cheon-yeong as a righteous soldier and Jong-ryeo as a royal guard eventually face each other, each pointing their swords at the other. Uprising is a work that director Park Chan-wook participated in as a producer and screenwriter, which made it already a hot topic from the time of its production announcement. Director Kim Sang-man, known for his directing talent in genre films, worked with outstanding production staff including those in cinematography, art, music, costumes, and makeup, to create a refined and powerful historical epic that brings out the best in every aspect. The harmonious blend of characters brought to life by the star-studded cast is also captivating. The characters with various colors shine through the turbulent times: the swordsman (Gang Dong-won), who, despite his slave origins, overflows with dignity and spirit; the warrior (Park Jeong-min), who wavers between friendship and anger with complex emotions; the stubborn yet cowardly king (Cha Seung-won); the loyal and brave righteous soldier (Kim Shin-rock); the compassionate and wise general (Jin Sun-kyu); and the cunning yet capable enemy commander (Jung Sung-il). Park Chan-wook’s humor, which often comes out instinctively rather than being hidden, is entertaining. The story, designed with intense conflicts and confrontations, is full of tension. Above all, the film progresses with unrelenting force from beginning to end, and that force is its most compelling charm. (JUNG Hanseok)

Ignored, resentful and sad, the ‘middle-aged woman’ can also redeem herself as the heroine of her life. Combining the genres of fantasy and horror with a comic drama as its base, Vietnamese film Don’t Cry, Butterfly is a quirky film that puts women who have been denigrated as ‘middle-aged women’ to the forefront. Tam is an ordinary middle-aged woman. She witnesses her husband’s infidelity and turns to voodoo to try and win back her cheating husband’s heart. Tam’s house, which is haunted by the ‘spirit of the house’, soon becomes a place for social experimentation and a space for the genre to unfold. Unlike her mother’s generation, who cope with their real-life struggles by reconciling them with a fantasy world, Tam’s daughter Ha takes a different path. For Ha, home is no longer a place to be adapted through feng shui and witchcraft, but a place to either leave or change. It is ultimately the contrast between the two women, mother and daughter, that adds taut tension to the film. (LEE Hwajung)

At 24, Heewan (Kim Minha) struggles to find hope and the will to live. Then, her first love, Ramwoo (Gong Myoung), reappears after six years—but as a grim reaper. Ramwoo warns Heewan of her impending death and proposes that they spend her remaining week fulfilling her bucket list. Thus begins their week-long journey. The story traverses between their playful high school years and the present, weaving together a time-traveling adventure, a connection between the living and the dead, and a mix of secrets and love in this fantasy coming-of-age romance. Gong Myoung and Kim Minha gradually build the tender and poignant emotions of their characters. Directed by Kim Hyeyoung and Choi Hana, the talents behind two impressive debut features IT’S OKAY! (2023) and More Than Family (2020), with creator Roh Deok, known for her unique genre style, this drama offers everything from wit and depth to genre appeal. (JEONG Jihye)

American boy Paul and French girl Paulette are two peas in a pod, and a chance encounter on the streets of Paris leads to a budding friendship. Paul has to put down his artistic ambitions and become a suit and tie worker to fit into societal norms. Paulette has commitment issues, stemming from a traumatic incident that shattered her childhood innocence. Forming a unique relationship through their mutual fascination with death, Paul and Paulette engage in uncanny role-playing games to shake off their own insecurities. An impromptu road trip takes the couple to a dead end, and with nowhere to escape, Paul and Paulette must face the undeniable reality that playtime is over. British-French filmmaker Jethro Massey’s offbeat romantic comedy comes with a quirky twist, and tells an unordinary love story when people believe that sometimes love just isn’t enough. (Karen PARK)