For those who hardly sat through 16 episodes of a K-Drama, maybe you can check out the K-Movies.. We have listed down five romantic Korean movies that are a must-see. They’ll each only take roughly 1 to 2 hours of your time.. short & sweet..
Some will leave you bawling from heartbreak and some might even have you tearing up from laughter. Get your popcorn ready, sit back and enjoy watching!
1. Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 (VIU)
Based from Cho Nam-joo’s 2016 controversial novel of the same title, this 2018 movie stars one of this generation’s favorite leading men, Gong Yoo, and his Train to Busan co-star, Jung Yu-mi.
As in the book, this movie tackles the many challenges a woman faces in South Korea: from being born in a patriarchal family, to juggling career and family, to sticking to traditions while trying to embrace the modern world.
Jung Yu-mi’s convincing transformation as different people and Gong Yoo’s portrayal of his character’s longing and frustration without uttering a single word are worth watching out for.
2. Tune in For Love or Yoo Yeol’s Music Album (Netflix)
Not a stranger to love stories, Kim Go-eun and Jung Hae-in of Goblin fame reunite in this 2019 romantic melodrama that tackles change and love’s evolution.
Though deemed a typical plot as this movie shows the beauty and pain of loving the right person at a wrong time, the actors, as well as the movie soundtrack, breathed new life in the oh-so-familiar storyline. Add Jung Hae-in’s boyish charm and Kim Go-eun’s acting prowess and you’re sure to tune in from start to finish.
3. Be With You (VIU)
What’s a K-movie without a little fantasy? This film is a remake of a 2004 Japanese film of the same title which has Crash Landing on You’s Son Ye-jin and Oh My Venus’ So Ji-sub as main actors. Be With You is a story of love that surpasses even death.
The character of Son Ye-jin, unofficially dubbed as the “Melo (drama) Queen” during one of her interviews with Hyun Bin, magically appears from the afterlife and was found sitting in a tunnel by her husband and her son during a heavy downpour.
This Korean adaptation has got lessons about loving your family while living your best life, and are strategically sandwiched between Son Ye-jin and So Ji-sub’s romantic encounters. You better watch out for that. And oh, the cameo! Keep your eyes peeled for that, too!
4. One Day (VIU)
Lee Kang-soo, (played by Kim Nam-gil whose breakthrough role was in Queen Seondok) an insurance investigator, is able to see and interact with the spirit of his client, Dan Mi-so, who’s in a coma after a car accident.
Through Dan Mi-so’s spirit’s numerous encounters with Lee Kang-soo, she was able to teach him empathy, how to let loose, and live his life as if it were his last. Just for reference, this film by Lee Yoon-ki will somehow remind you of Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo’s 2005 rom-com movie Just Like Heaven.
5. A Man and a Woman (iFlix)
Expect a masterpiece in every film Gong Yoo stars in. The story revolves around an all-too-familiar plotline of two strangers meeting and falling in love at the wrong time. The two met right after dropping off their kids at a camp in Helsinki, Finland.
They reconnect, separate, sneak in a few times, separate again. This might not be something new for some but Gong Yoo’s and Jeon Do-yeon’s (of the movie Secret Sunshine which won her a Best Actress award at the Cannes 60th Film Festival) superb acting abilities have made this familiar story refreshing and extremely relatable.
Source: Metro