Johana is on the brink of adulthood and plans to leave her hometown and family for college. For many years the family has focused on Johana’s younger sister, a child with special needs. Can Johana overcome the burden of guilt and responsibility and find the strength to move forward? The Other One is apparently a very personal story for Marie-Magdalena Kochová. There is an experienced intimacy and empathetic sensitivity as the director chronicles Johana’s coming of age. Quite often the camera zooms in on Johana, so that her sister’s meltdowns cannot be seen but only heard. Despite maintaining a stoic facial expression, hints of Johana’s inner turmoil are captured through the lens. A compassionate yet brutally honest portrayal of the challenges of growing up as “the other one”. (Karen PARK)

A film adaptation of a play made by a high school drama club, directed by Yamashita Nobuhiro of Linda Linda Linda (2006). It’s essentially a coming-of-age film about teenagers made by teenagers. During summer vacation, at a high school, the PE teacher makes female students who skipped his class clean the outdoor swimming pool. The drained pool is full of sand blown in from a nearby baseball field, and the task of scooping up the sand and putting it in buckets seems meaningless. Chizuru, who used to be unbeatable in the swim club in middle school even against boys, practices imaginary swimming in the sand-filled pool, while Kokoro, who is serious about cultivating her feminine charm by diligently applying makeup, doesn’t care about cleaning. With their own stories, Miku, who diligently practices dance moves typically performed by men, and Yui, who was the swim club captain last year, and the other girls meet and converse on the pool floor under the summer sun, where unexpected conflicts arise and resolve in unexpected ways. Through a few hours in a day at a high school, the film interestingly shows the sensibilities and desires, dreams and hopes, anger and frustration of that time. (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)

Pierre, a railroad worker, is raising his two sons alone. His eldest, Fus, who loves soccer, has become secretive as he starts hanging out with far-right friends, while his younger son, Louis, is about to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. The once close-knit family begins to unravel due to Fus’ wayward behaviors. Pierre tries to reason with his son, who is becoming increasingly violent under the influence of totalitarian ideologies, but to no avail. Eventually, a terrible tragedy befalls the family. The director does not equip Fus with sophisticated language filled with political ideologies and beliefs but rather gives him the body as a tool to express these ideas through intense physicality—sports, dance, and fights. When Fus dances in a trance-like state and others start to appear around him, colliding and dancing wildly, it becomes clear that their movements are not just dance. The performances by Vincent Lindon as Pierre and Benjamin Voisin as Fus leave long-lasting impressions. (LEE Juhyun)

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)

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)

Young-tae and Mi-joo are happy to move into a small but cozy monthly rental house. However, Young-tae’s business partner suddenly breaks the agreement to run a restaurant together. Young-Tae leaves home to earn money, leaving Mi-joo alone. Mi-joo lives diligently while waiting for Young-tae. This is the new work by director Park Songyeol, who gained attention as an outstanding newcomer at the Busan International Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival with Hot in Day, Cold at Night (2021). It is fascinating to see how such a simple story can convey such complex emotions. It is lonely and scary, painful and sad, eerie and creepy, and funny and tear-jerking. The dreams and realities are more recklessly chaotic than in previous works, and the shining determination for life has become impressively strong. The unexpected and absurd final scene is also a highlight. It is a blessing to see such an unusual film as this. (JUNG Hanseok)

Seventeen-year-old Ze attends a modern school in Ulaanbaatar, while also leading a traditional life as a shaman and communing with ancestral spirits. Unlike his older sister, who is grappling with the gap between urban life and traditions, Ze appears to maintain a good balance. When he goes to perform a rite for Maralaa, a rebellious and unstable girl of his age who is about to undergo surgery, he finds himself drawn to her, igniting a desire within him. City of Wind centers on the teenage protagonists on the cusp of adulthood and questions the values and the boundaries between individual desires and communal responsibilities, tradition and modern, urban and rural, and realistic life and spiritual life. The uncertainties, confusion, and loneliness that the teens face in this film reflect the anxieties of Mongolia’s youth in a society undergoing rapid changes. The film won the Orizzonti Best Actor Award at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. (HONG Soin)

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)

Minjae, an archer nearing retirement, bets all the money she earned from match-fixing on her own loss. For her, this is the final match after an eight-year downward spiral following her last victory. The film is a gripping sports drama that centers on the competition, leading up to a surprising twist with a touch of fantasy. (KANG Sowon)

Blue Boy tells the story of Kiran, a boy who feels different from others and secretly uses his mom’s makeup. Kiran’s parents don’t accept him for who he is, but his identity and love will eventually come to light. (PARK Sungho)

YouTube creator Da-kyung (Joo Hyun-young), who specializes in finding real-life horror stories, becomes increasingly dedicated to uncovering scary tales after noticing a drop in subscribers for her channel ‘Horror Queen Da-kyung’. Her latest target is Gwangrim Station, a subway station where mysterious incidents reportedly occur. Although the station master (Jeon Bae-soo) is initially reticent, he gradually reveals the hidden stories of Gwangrim Station, succumbing to Da-kyung’s charming persistence. From this point, the film meticulously constructs episodes that could happen in any public place, generating eerie, confined horror. Holding spooky stories, Ghost Train intensifies the chilling realism and genre pleasure with its slow yet occasionally breathless pacing. It is an intriguing popular film that offers a thrilling blend of horror, humor, and the excitement of ghost stories. (HONG Eunmi)