Albert (Damien Bonnard), a freelance journalist living in the outskirts of Paris, vows to avenge the brutal murder of his young daughter. By his side is Sayoko (Shibasaki Ko), a Japanese doctor who, for reasons unknown, assists him in his quest for revenge. To uncover the truth, Sayoko and Albert resort to capturing and brutally torturing those connected to the case. They eventually uncover that the people who kidnapped his daughter are linked to a mysterious cult, but a shocking truth that no one could have anticipated is coiled up behind it. Serpent’s Path (2024) is an adaptation and remake of Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s 1998 film of the same name. Filmed in France and in French, the movie shares the basic storyline of the original but diverges from the cult classic yakuza genre of its predecessor. Though filled with gritty and brutal violence, the film ultimately reaches the profound depths behind the truth. Above all, Shibasaki Ko’s restrained and chilling performance adds the final touch of suspense. (SONG Kyung-won)

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)

Okuyama Hiroshi, who won an award at the San Sebastián Film Festival with his debut film Jesus (2018), returns with his second feature. My Sunshine explores the special bond between a boy and a girl captivated by figure skating and their figure skating coach. Takuya, a member of an ice hockey team, lacks passion for the sport. One day, he becomes enchanted after watching Sakura figure skate. The figure skating coach, noticing Takuya’s interest, suggests he join Sakura for ice dancing lessons. As the three practice in preparation for a competition, they encounter an unexpected challenge. Ikematsu Sosuke, from films like Killing (2021) and Okiku and the World (2023), plays the coach in this film that provides a nuanced portrayal of the characters’ emotions. Scenes of the actors skating to Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” leave a lasting impression of this poignant story. The director himself trained in figure skating for seven years in his childhood. (NAM Dong-chul)

In the 20th century, people would watch romance movies about online dating such as The Contact (1997) and were astonished by the idea that romantic feelings could develop in a ’contactless’ context. Now, living in the age of artificial intelligence, we realize that sometimes the virtual world can open up new realms that surpass the real one. Mats, who passed away at the young age of 25 due to a degenerative disease, had a secret that even his closest family members were unaware of. Lonely and depressed, Mats logged into World of Warcraft (WOW) every night and became ‘Ibelin’, bickering with guild members, flirting with a fellow female gamer, and listening to the troubles of struggling friends. Benjamin Lee, who was praised for opening new horizons in documentary filmmaking with The Painter and the Thief (2020), returns with The Remarkable Life of Ibelin. With an affectionate and poignant touch, his new film revisits the intense life of an incredible young man, brought to life through digital technology. (Karen PARK)

In 1944, in the mountainous village of Vermiglio in northern Italy, lives the only teacher in the village and his big family. Their quiet life is disrupted by Pietro, a reserved soldier who arrives in the village to escape the war. Lucia, the eldest daughter, falls in love with Pietro, while her sensitive younger sister observes and grapples with growing pains. The son, eager for his father’s approval, becomes restless, and the still innocent younger children view the secret-filled world of adults with curious eyes. The love that blossoms between Lucia and Pietro almost feels like a MacGuffin, as the film’s unwavering focus is on life itself—fleeting, painful, and yet full of gratitude—with a reminder that life always accompanies death. The film’s stunning cinematography, capturing the majestic landscapes of northern Italy, is by Mikhail Krichman, known for his work on Leviathan (2014) and Loveless (2017). (LEE Juhyun)

Co-directed by Miguel Gomes and Maureen Fazendeiro, The Tsugua Diaries is a magical film filled with simple, personal, and humorous scenes. ‘Tsugua’ backwards is August, thus The August Diaries. The story takes place over a period of twenty-one days, and is presented in reverse order. The film was shot in Portugal in August 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak. Every scene has become a part of the movie naturally, moving backwards through time as each of the staff members takes a PCR test, actors rehearse changing roles, and rotten fruit magically revives. The two directors capture the house and garden where the staff members were locked in as if they are very soft and peaceful world. These are the moments when they look at nature side by side and capture pieces of light or become mesmerized by the actors’ dances. It is still possible to make a film out of small, delicate, and fragile things even in the global catastrophe. (SEO Seunghee)

Only two voices are heard in the darkness. Following the philosophy of Ale’s father, Alex decides to throw a party to celebrate his separation from Ale after 15 years together. Can their breakup be happy? Days pass, and September 22, the party date at the end of the summer, nears. The film occasionally evokes moments from Ale’s film, but they feel different from typical metaphors of film and reality, or a film within a film. They seem more like commentaries on the usefulness of film as an art form that mirrors life. There’s no chance of getting lost in the whirlwind of conversations, from Nietzsche and Schopenhauer to Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann, George Cukor, Preston Sturges, Howard Hawks, Leo McCarey, and even François Truffaut’s grave. Jonás Trueba’s film, as generous as it is intense, deeply explores the “truth in relationships.” If you leave the theater and reach for Kierkegaard’s Repetition, you might even find the happiness of enlightenment—there’s nothing more to wish for. (LEE Yong Cheol)

Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lang, who was recently released from prison after serving time for murder, returns to his hometown – a place that feels both unfamiliar and dangerous. Designated for redevelopment, the town is now nearly deserted, with abandoned stray dogs roaming freely and even attacking people. After a fateful encounter with a black dog that has a bounty on its head, Lang joins a patrol team, thanks to a friend, to chase away the strays. At the same time, he is pursued by a local businessman, Hu, who owns a snake farm and has been seeking vengeance and answers from Lang regarding the death of his nephew 10 years ago. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, this film is remarkable enough and noteworthy for its breathtaking scenes of the Gobi Desert and the silhouettes of wild dogs at dusk. (CHOI Eun)

Wu Fan, a director from Taiwan, becomes fascinated by the free spirit of XiXi, a dancer and performance artist she meets by chance while studying in Berlin. XiXi, originally from Shanghai, marries a French husband and moves to France, where she gives birth to a daughter. However, believing that freedom is the most important value in life, XiXi leaves her home to wander across Europe for her artistic pursuits. Her husband, unable to understand this way of life, declares divorce and attempts to keep her away from their daughter. Now, her lifestyle faces a major challenge. Director Wu captures the results of a free lifestyle and the impact of such a life closely, based on her intimate relationship with XiXi, exploring the value of freedom, self-identity, femininity, and the effects of intergenerational wounds and trauma. It is a remarkable and intense film that leads the audience towards introspection. (JO Ji-hoon)

May has lost everything. Now, she lives a self-sustaining life in a shabby house floating on the sea. Long ago, she lived on land with her family as a Dayak native, but due to mining development, she lost her land and was rescued by an elderly man who brought her here. In the process, she lost her parents and lost contact with her relatives. She has been surviving on the sea for over a decade but doesn’t dare set foot on land. Even touching the ground causes her to faint. Although the land has become a dangerous and ominous place for her, she still longs for it and the life it supports. She has no idea how long her old, crumbling house will continue to float. Indonesian newcomer director Loeloe Hendra’s Tale of the Land is a cinematic exploration of the struggles of a person trapped by trauma and her journey toward inner growth. (PARK Sungho)

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)

Sa-rang (Jang Sun) is deeply in love with Cheol-su (Lee Yoojun), who visits the pharmacy where she works every day. Unfortunately, Cheol-su’s heart is completely taken by Jong-hui (Han Haein), the pharmacist and Sa-rang’s cousin. With misaligned and unreachable hearts and gazes, I Am Love is a poignant and desperate love story about unreciprocated affection and the fever of unrequited love, a melancholic elegy of love. Despite the anguish, it is also a love hymn dedicated to those captivated by love who vow to love even more, never knowing how to give up. Struggling to express her feelings verbally, Sa-rang instead uses the love poetry of W.H. Auden as a guide for her life, becoming absorbed in the tragic circumstances of a woman named ‘Love’ who fell into a tragic incident because of her affection. Sa-rang is overwhelmed by love. How far can this love go? In the end, will Sarang find the serene comfort, akin to a state of vacuum, she has long sought? (JEONG Jihye)