Guillaume Brac, whose career started with stories of the previous generation, now seeks change and balance. While his youth-centered drama All Hands on Deck (2020) and documentary Treasure Island (2018) form a pair, the women-centered July Tales (2017) and So Long are their antithesis. Yet unlike his previous films, which evoke summer and freedom, this documentary has the scent of autumn despite its summer setting, as it focuses on the time of students just before graduation. The teacher’s line that opens the film—“Express yourselves freely”—also reflects the film’s tone. With an affectionate gaze, the camera stays close and calmly observes the students at a pivotal moment. The present of these students, in their world of classes, outdoor activities, and boarding rooms, forms the axis between their past and future. Will the friends who are sad to part be able to meet again? That is a question for the future. Now is time to say goodbye. (LEE Yong Cheol)

Johan lives with his mother on a crocodile farm in West Java. For his mother, Johan and the crocodiles are everything in her life, and she takes great care of them. However, this life makes Johan, now an adult, feel suffocated and intimidated. One day, Johan meets Arumi, and he starts to develop feelings of love. With Arumi coming between Johan and his mother, their relationship subtly changes and eventually turns to a disaster. This is the feature debut of director Tumpal Tampubolon, who won the Sonje Award in 2021 for his short film The Sea Calls Me. While his previous work depicted a mother’s absence through the eyes of a young boy, this film dissects the oppressive control and possessiveness masked under the guise of motherhood. A shocking conclusion awaits at the end of the gradually tightening tension. (BOO Kyunghwan)

This melodrama stars Arimura Kasumi from We Made a Beautiful Bouquet (2021) and Sakaguchi Kentaro from The Last 10 Years (2022). Saeko (Arimura Kasumi) is struggling with the loss of her boyfriend in a tragic traffic accident and devotes herself to work at a coffee company in Hokkaido. Meanwhile, Naruse (Kentaro Sakaguchi), who received a heart transplant from Saeko’s late boyfriend, finds himself changed after the surgery. His newfound obsession with coffee, which he previously disliked, seems odd to his wife. By chance, Saeko and Naruse end up on the same train, where they strike up a conversation about coffee and develop mutual attraction. While the premise might seem familiar, the film’s charm comes from its rich details and compelling performances by its actors. Director Kurosaki Hiroshi has collaborated Arimura Kasumi through the TV series Hiyokko (2017) and the film Gift of Fire (2020). (NAM Dong-chul)

Hong Sangsoo’s 31st film, A Traveler’s Needs, true to its title, navigates through the non-verbal moments found in the steps of a traveler. Iris (Isabelle Huppert), who came from France, wanders around Seoul, teaching French. When she’s not teaching, she spends time in parks or hills, meeting various people. She enjoys walking barefoot on the ground, lying on rocks, and most of all, she loves makgeolli (Korean rice wine). Like Hong Sangsoo’s previous works, this film leaves certain moments open for interpretation, capturing resonant instances with calmness, much like the rhythm and cadence of poetry through repetition and variation. As you match your pace with Iris’ steps, curious about what a traveler truly needs, you’ll gradually find yourself realizing why the foreign perspectives and unfamiliar air that a traveler brings are essential to our lives. (SONG Kyung-won)

Francisco, a grumbling school teacher experiences an existential crisis on his thirtieth birthday. He contracts a severe case of measles like a child, and ends up confined to a countryside house under the care of seven men. Who are these seven men? His childhood friends? Or the seven dwarves from a fairy tale? Are they real people, or just figments of his imagination? This dreamlike film, The Face You Deserve, blends comedy, musical, theater, fairy tale, and adventure, suggests returning to childhood is impossible. At times, the seven authoritative boyish men reveal to Francisco that childhood is not a lost paradise, but an anxious world from which he must move beyond. In his debut feature The Face You Deserve, which established him as one of Portugal’s most promising director, Miguel Gomes explores the theme of Saudade (a Portuguese word for nostalgia, gentle melancholy, and a sense of longing) that would later become one of his favorite themes. (SEO Seunghee)

Jaehyeon, who works at a bike shop, learns that the owner of a motorcycle that was left unclaimed for several months has died in an accident. He delivers the bike to the man’s widow. What follows is a beautiful ride shared by two people, each grappling with the vast and immeasurable gap between “hard to accept” and “impossible to fathom” in the face of tragedy. (KANG Sowon)

Misericordia is a philosophical film noir by Alain Guiraudie that stands comparison with the works of Claude Chabrol and Robert Bresson. The movie is a prime example of the eccentric and imaginative world of director Alain Guiraudie. Jérémie returns to his village to attend the funeral of his former boss, a baker. Back in his old environment, he encounters old friends and feels the resurgence of desires and violence he harbored during his youth. In Misericordia, the dark and damp autumn forest becomes an astonishing stage. People there pick peculiar mushrooms, engage in fights, and bury corpses. In this primordial setting, moral questions are raised: “To what extent can ‘forgiveness’ be possible in the face of society and justice?” For Alain Guiraudie, mercy is not merely a dimension of forgiveness. It is a concept that transcends all morals, embodying understanding and empathy towards others. (SEO Seunghee)

On October 26, 1979, Defense Security Commander Jeon Du-gwang (Hwang Jung-min), who became the head of the Joint Investigation Headquarters, stages a military coup on December 12 to seize power by suddenly arresting Chief of Staff Jeong. The coup is met with resistance from Major General Lee Tae-sin (Jung Woo-sung), commander of the Capital Defense Command, leading to a tense 9-hour standoff. No film has detailed the night of the December 12th military coup with such precision as 12.12: The Day by director Kim Sung-soo. Despite the risks of highlighting the bitter memory of what is often termed a ‘successful coup’, 12.12: The Day boldly confronts this difficult subject. Returning after seven years since Asura: The City of Madness (2016), director Kim Sung-soo masterfully recreates this painful chapter of history with a tightly woven plot, fast-paced editing, a balanced yet impassioned perspective, and outstanding performances of the actors. (SONG Kyung-won)

Motherland focuses on the survival story of Dao-ayen, a member of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) from the Ifugao tribe in northern Luzon. He is called to the southernmost part of the Philippines for a special operation authorized by the president, leaving behind his pregnant wife and elderly mother. The mission is to eliminate Marwan, a terrorist and bomb maker. This dangerous operation, which has been postponed or canceled multiple times for various reasons, seems to proceed smoothly with his team as they navigate the darkness in an unfamiliar land. However, during their return, they find themselves surrounded by hundreds of enemy forces. Based on the true events of the 2015 Mamasapano clash, which resulted in numerous casualties, the film raises questions about the nature of nation and heroism. (PARK Sungho)

Sunhi(Jung Yumi), a film graduate about to study in the United States, meets three men: Donghyun(Kim Sangjoong) a university professor; Jaehak(Jung Jaeyoung), a senior; and Munsoo(Lee Sun-kyun), her ex-boyfriend. The men all say that Sunhi is pretty and nice, and for oddly similar reasons. However, it’s hard to tell if they really know her, or if their words truly reveal who she is. Among them, Munsoo is the most transparent and honest about his feelings for Sunhi. Lee Sun-kyun carries the film through a long take that stretches well over 10 minutes, fiercely delving into the moods of Sunhi and Munsoo, and even the influence of liquor. “If I don’t do anything, I won’t know what’s really good! I have to dig all the way... I have to dig all the way to get there. I have to dig all the way and go to find out about myself.” Even while swaying, he is powerful. Unable to fully express himself with drunken words, Munsoo uses gestures and movements to convey his true feelings. In that moment, his presence and mark are firmly imprinted in the film. (JEONG Jihye)

“Why did you do it?” is the question that Jungsik(Lee Sun-kyun) asks his sister-in-law Eunmo(Seo Woo) on two occasions in Paju, and maybe that’s what the movie wants to ask him too. After a failed first love and being wanted for student activism, Jungsik finds himself in the foggy city of Paju. There, he marries Eunsoo(Shim Yi-young), and they start a new life together with Eunsoo’s younger sister Eunmo, but he remains vague, elusive, and distant. His gestures are those of resignation and exhaustion, as if he’s just holding on to what’s in front of him, what he can do, while being weighed down by a deep sense of loss and unshakeable guilt. When this opaque man, who rarely reveals his inner self, speaks the words from his heart to Eunmo, it becomes a mystery of life that cannot be solved or fathomed. The expressionless face of Jungsik, played by Lee Sun-kyun, causes great ripples and eventually leads us into the abyss. (JEONG Jihye)

Agathe Riedinger’s debut feature Wild Diamond, which competed at Cannes, portrays a girl in the midst of the social network society. Liane, a 19-year-old girl from southern France, lives in the era of TikTok and Instagram. She is determined to become a reality TV star by any means necessary. For Liane, whose future is bleak this is the only way out of poverty. With thousands of followers, she goes to great lengths to make her appearance resemble that of a famous beauty influencer through cosmetic surgery and makeup. Just before stepping into the world eager to exploit youth, Liane meticulously applies her makeup and dons a tight dress like armor, á la an Amazoness preparing for battle. Through references to myths and Cinderella fairy tales, and dreamlike scenes of a nightclub with blinking blue neon, the director allows the protagonist to escape from reality. The director states, “I criticize sexism and the consumerist culture of reality TV, but I do not judge Liane, her dreams, or her environment.” (SEO Seunghee)