Sometimes what is so precious to a person can be an object of transaction and fraud for others. It would be nice if people could control their greed, but the world doesn’t offer such kindness. Especially if someone lacks power and money, the world becomes crueler and harsher. In For Rana, the protagonists are parents looking for a new heart to save their daughter Rana. Hearing that the heart of an old man, who would die if taken off the respirator, would be good for a transplant to Rana, the parents meet the old man’s new wife and son to plead. The son, who is in a dispute over the old man’s inheritance, demands money for the heart transplant. Rana’s poor parents run around in all directions to raise money but hit a wall. This debut film by Iman Yazdi unfolds like an ordinary family melodrama before turning into a passionate whirlwind. The performances of the two actors playing Rana’s parents also create a magical effect that suddenly turns from gentle ripples into fierce waves. (NAM Dong-chul)

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)

Master of thrillers Jacques Audiard brings women and female actors to the forefront in Emilia Perez, exploring the theme of transgender identity. The story follows a former drug cartel boss from Mexico who decides to undergo gender reassignment surgery and becomes Emilia Perez. Emilia transforms into the founder of an association dedicated to locating the bodies of thousands of Mexicans killed by Narcos. Emilia Perez is a remarkable blend of thriller and comedic musical, with Carla Sofía Gascon delivering an unforgettable performance as Emilia and Zoe Saldana playing Rita, the protagonist’s supportive lawyer. The Avatar star once again proves her exceptional talent as a singer and dancer in Emilia Perez. Portraying Emilia Perez’s unique fate with elegance, Audiard pays homage to the musical, colorful, and melodramatic aspects of Mexican culture, creating one of his boldest films yet. (SEO Seunghee)

There are three friends: Joan, Alice, and Rebecca, each facing love in their own way. Joan feels that her love for her partner Victor has completely ended. Victor tries his best to improve their relationship, but he can’t change her mind. Eventually, other men enter Joan’s life. Alice has a partner, Eric, but she continues to meet an attractive man, who repeatedly appears in her dreams, in her real life. Rebecca is in a relationship that she keeps secret from her friends, but her “Mister X” turns out to be Alice’s partner, Eric. The movie takes the point of view of an observer, Victor, who wants to understand Joan. However, neither he nor the audience can fully understand the various forms of love depicted in the movie, including Joan’s feelings. Where the love starts, where it turns, and where it ends are always unclear. Director Emmanuel Mouret’s exploration of love ultimately concludes that we are beings who, without truly understanding what love is, are helplessly swayed by it. (LEE Juhyun)

Kirill Serebrennikov, director of Leto (2018) and Petrov’s Flu (2021), adapts Emmanuel Carrère’s biographical novel to portray Eduard Limonov, the Russian writer born in 1943 who caused a stir in Russian literature and politics. The film vividly follows Limonov’s turbulent life: from his impoverished existence in Russia during the late 1960s, to his time in New York during the 1970s, to his emergence as a famous writer in Paris in the 1980s, and finally, his return to Moscow where he formed an extremist political party. Serebrennikov recreates New York streets and Siberian prisons in the studio and delves into the writer’s chaotic inner world, evoking the style of Federico Fellini. Through the character of Limonov, brilliantly portrayed by Ben Whishaw, the director reflects on the painful history of Russia, spanning from the communist dictatorship to Putin’s nationalism. (SEO Seunghee)

In the dead of night, Nadira escapes from a brothel in Delhi after fatally stabbing a police superintendent. With the law hot on her heels, she takes temporary shelter in a Northern Indian community of sex workers, assuming the Hindu name Renuka. There, she crosses paths with Devika, a young girl bound by a religious tradition condemning her to a life of prostitution. As their bond deepens into a forbidden romance, Devika defies her tyrannical mother and the oppressive age-old system, joining Renuka on a perilous journey through a treacherous maze of violence and brutality, all in the hope of outrunning the law and attaining their freedom. The Shameless is directed and written by Konstantin Bojanov. It was invited to the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, and Anasuya Sengupta who plays Renuka won the Best Performance Award.

Set in Southern Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1993, Abel tells the story of a shepherd who faces new hardships when his collective farm is disbanded. When the farm where Abel spent his entire life herding sheep is disbanded in the wake of the changing political landscape, the farm’s workers wait for the farm property to be divided fairly. Unfortunately, corruption and deception run rampant among the leaders, and the rapid encroachment of capitalism proves too much for Abel and his family to handle. The film meticulously and realistically follows Abel and his family’s struggles with an unflinching, observational camera. The 13-and-a-half-minute one-shot scene in the first sequence, which intricately captures the dynamics between characters, and other well-crafted long takes showcase director Elzat Eskendir’s persistent and dedicated artistry. (PARK Sun Young)

The insufferable yet endearing prosecutor Dongjae is back. Dongjae, The Good or The Bastard, a spin-off series of Stranger, follows the struggles of Seo Dongjae (Lee Jun-hyuk), a prosecutor burdened by the stigma of being labeled as a ‘sponsor prosecutor.’ Despite consistently being overlooked for promotions and denied opportunities to handle major cases, Dongjae finds a chance for a breakthrough. However, with every opportunity comes risk, and during his investigation, he encounters Nam Wanseong (Park Sung-woong) from the corrupt Ihong Construction. Confronted with Nam’s past wrongdoings, Dongjae must navigate the dangerous tightrope between his instincts as a prosecutor and his opportunistic nature. The show brings out the full charm of the character Seo Dongjae as a petty and tenacious realist, and the actors’ clever performances add delightful nuance to the story. (SONG Kyung-won)

In 1978, in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, three French journalists arrive in this isolated and completely unknown region. They have been officially invited by the government to report on the reality of Cambodia and to interview Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge. However, as their reporting continues, they begin to sense that something is profoundly wrong in this society, and they start to see things differently.
An official selection at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this film is inspired by true events. The actors’ live-action performances, combined with black-and-white archival footage and the director’s signature clay puppet scenes, create layers of representation and amplify emotions. What are the “ideals” and “revolution” of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and who are they for? Through the eyes of journalists, director Rithy Panh confronts the heartbreaking past and asks these questions. (BOO Kyunghwan)

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)

Can one imagine 2012 without Tabu and Holy Motors? Tabu was a blessing for cinephiles and remains one of the greatest films since the 21st century In Lisbon, Aurora, near death, dreams of reuniting with her old lover Gian Luca again. However, Luca arrives too late and tells her friend of their forbidden love, which took place 50 years ago in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. The Portuguese colonizers live in a small community in luxurious villas, enjoying hunting and ‘60s pop music. They seem oblivious of the independence struggle brewing in Mozambique. Miguel gomes films a seemingly eternal and dreamlike melodrama, as Aurora leaves her husband and the settler community to flee with Luca into the African jungle. As in Murnau’s movies, the lovers break taboos, and their love is cursed. The tragedy that they face is not only connected to the lovers, but also to the era itself, as revolutionaries would soon drive the Portuguese colonizers away from their land. Tabu borrows the form of a silent film to tell a love story, but director Miguel Gomes knows all too well that no nostalgia is possible in the face of the march of history. (SEO Seunghee)

Iranian-Italian director Milad Tangshir pays homage to the classic neo-realist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) by Vittorio De Sica. In Tangshir’s film, the post-war unemployed man from Bicycle Thieves is transformed into Issa, a young immigrant from Senegal. Issa’s bicycle is stolen, leaving him unable to continue his deliveries. Tangshir’s homage, which follows the neo-realist filming style, is both astute and moving. The director works with non-professional actors and takes them to the streets of Turin. Anywhere Anytime presents a different side of Italy: an Italy inhabited by uprooted immigrants ready to accept low-wage manual labor. The youth of Ibrahima Sambou, who plays Issa, brings an energetic rhythm to the film as he pedals away with vigor. The majestic jazz that plays during the opening credits adds to the film’s dynamic energy. The virtue of Anywhere Anytime is that it never deprives its protagonist of hope, even in the bleakest moments. (SEO Seunghee)