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)

Du Jie, who had been in the spotlight as a cinematographer for blockbuster commercial films in China such as No Man’s Land (2013), SAVAGE (2018), and Moon Man (2022), emigrated to Japan three years ago where he completed his directorial debut, The Height of Coconut Trees. The film follows two couples. A man working as a cook in a restaurant and a woman working in a pet shop are in a long-term relationship and often eat lunch together in the park during their lunch break. One day, the man finds a ring swallowed by a fish and gives the ring to the woman as a gift. The other couple consists of a woman who has already committed suicide and a man who has acquired the old inn where she killed herself. Tension arises when the woman who received the ring visits the old inn, which is the space of the other couple. Seeing the woman visiting the inn alone, the inn owner suspects she might commit suicide and starts following her. The film tells an original story as it moves between past and present, man and woman, reality and ghost. (NAM Dong-chul)

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)

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)

In the near future of the mid 21st century, the United States has fallen into a Second Civil War, with Texas and California seceding and forming the Western Forces militia, and Florida creating its own alliance. The nation’s authoritarian, three-term President makes a speech over the WF about taking a severe hit from the Loyalist states, calling it a major victory. Photojournalist Lee Smith watches the speech from her hotel room in New York City, while she sees a bombing occurring downtown. Civil War is a 2024 dystopian thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $18–24 million in its opening weekend. The film made $10.8 million on its first day, and it went on to debut to $25.7 million, surpassing Hereditary as the biggest opening weekend in A24’s history as well as the studio’s first film to top the box office.

Eighteen-year-old Li Qi is confident and skilled in handling difficult customers at her mother’s fish shop in the local market. After refusing her mother’s suggestion to repeat a year after failing her college entrance exams, Li Qi accidentally breaks Xiaowei’s iPhone during a fight at Xiaowei’s birthday party. Thus begins her struggle to buy a new iPhone for Xiao Wei. The world is harsh and unforgiving to an 18-year-old who has not successfully transitioned from high school to college. As Li Qi stands at the boundary between adolescence and adulthood, her sense of hopelessness, anxiety, and pain is metaphorically represented by the pain of a fishbone stuck in her throat. With its intricately woven narrative and compelling conflicts between characters, the film won the New Talent Award for Best Screenplay at the Shanghai International Film Festival and Best Actress at the Xining FIRST International Film Festival. (PARK Sun Young)

Jonathan Millet, known for his work in both drama and documentary across borders, was nominated for the Golden Camera Award at Cannes with his latest film Ghost Trail. Based on true events, Ghost Trail vividly presents Millet’s ongoing focus on human rights and justice. Hamid joins a secret group tracking down those involved with the violent Syrian regime. One day, he encounters a man he suspects of having tortured him. As Hamid follows this ghost-like figure, the film captures a face, marked by loss, pain, and sorrow, reflecting an effort to fully understand his past. Evil, however, does not manifest physically, and even if Hamid inflicts the same pain upon his tormentor, his nightmare will not end. Although the film is framed as a thriller about a man caught in a moral dilemma, the audience cannot help but fully support the film’s transition into a drama. (LEE Yong Cheol)

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)

Junyeong works part-time at a pub while also making a documentary about laid-off workers. She is losing her confidence, wondering if she is making a film that no one will see, let alone change the world. The simple, unadorned plot amplifies its relatability in this film about film. (KANG Sowon)

In Suintrah, Jor and his son move to a remote village due to financial difficulties. The villagers are extremely quiet and have superhuman hearing abilities. What is the source of their fear? (PARK Sungho)

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)

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)