by Pierce Conran

Busan 2018 Review: HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD Soars As It Signals Major New Talent

Exploring modern themes and history through the eyes of a young girl, Kim Bora's sensational debut House of Hummingbird is the Korean indie drama par excellence. A subtle exploration of local family and societal pressures crafted in a way that...
by Pierce Conran

Busan 2018 Review: ODE TO THE GOOSE
 Serenades with Strong Performances and Playful Plot

Two years after opening the festival with A Quiet Dream, director Zhang Lu returns to Busan with Ode to the Goose, a terrifically performed and breezy art drama that meanders between allegories of national identity and literary and historical references....
by Pierce Conran

Busan 2018 Review: OUR BODY Hits the Ground Running and Sails to the Finish

If Korean cinema will be remembered for anything in 2018, it may well be for a batch of films that have found surprising ways to shine a spotlight on the country's youth. Specifically, the enduring image of the year may...
by Pierce Conran

Busan 2018 Review: BEAUTIFUL DAYS Handsomely Frames Somber Subject

As the veil of secrecy over the guarded North Korean regime threatens to give way (if only slightly) in the surprising geopolitical climate we find ourselves in today, the film industry in South Korea has also begun to change how...
by Pierce Conran

Review: THE GREAT BATTLE, Rip-Roaring War Film Eschews Nationalism

Going all the way back to the Goguryeo Dynasty, siege action epic The Great Battle chronicles the historic standoff of a small Korean garrison against the might of the Tang army in the 7th century. Light on jingoism and heavy...
by Pierce Conran

Busan 2018: BEAUTIFUL DAYS and MASTER Z: THE LEGACY OF IP MAN to Bookend Packed 23rd BIFF

The Busan International Film Festival held a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday to launch the program for next month's 23rd edition. Local indie drama Beautiful Days will kick off BIFF on October 4 while Master Z: The Ip Man...
by Pierce Conran

Review: HERSTORY Foregrounds Sensational Cast in Best Comfort Women Tale Yet (by a Margin)

One of the most sensitive issues in Korean society over the past few years has the been the acknowledgement of the plight of the Korean comfort women that were forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese military during World War...
by Pierce Conran

Review: THE SPY GONE NORTH, Bold and Sumptuous Espionage Yarn Eschews Action for Geopolitical Intrigue

Following his period action blockbuster Kundo: The Age of the Rampant in 2014, Yoon Jong-bin is back in the summer season lineup with his 90s-set espionage drama The Spy Gone North, which bowed earlier this year as part of the...
by Pierce Conran

Locarno 2018 Review: HOTEL BY THE RIVER, A Wonderfully Performed New Drama from Hong Sangsoo

Six months after the premiere of Grass at the Berlinale, prolific auteur Hong Sangsoo is back with another black and white drama which once again reunites him with his leading actress Kim Min-hee. Having just debuted at the Locarno International...
by Pierce Conran

Review: ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS Sacrifices Focus for Franchise-Building

I'll admit that eight months ago I may have brought a certain amount of prejudice with me when I went to see Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, the fantasy epic blockbuster that would become the second most successful...
by Pierce Conran

BiFan 2018 Review: BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE Bites Into Endearing and Quirky Horror Romcom

Combining the stylings of a young Park Chan-wook with the emotional sensibilities of the Korean drama world, debut feature Beautiful Vampire stood out from the crop of local indie genre features making their debuts at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film...
by Pierce Conran

BiFan 2018: NAFF Awards Claimed by WORM and SOUL SEARCHING

Taking place just a few blocks away from the theaters screening the world's genre cinema delights in Bucheon, the Network of Asian Fantastic Film (NAFF) returned for its 11th edition to promote the global genre hits of tomorrow. In all,...
by Pierce Conran

BiFan 2018: REVENGE & LAND OF HAPPINESS Claim Top Prizes

After ten days of hot days, long summer nights and endless genre treats in Bucheon, this year's BiFan finally drew to a close in late July. Earning this year's top award was Coralie Fargeat's acclaimed horror-thriller Revenge. Meanwhile Jung Min-kyu's...
by Pierce Conran

BiFan 2018: ScreenAnarchy Offers Its Picks for This Year's Jam-Packed Bucheon!

We're now just 48 hours away from the opening of this year's 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), and while the ScreenAnarchy team is busy packing their printed tees, brollies and aspirin, we've also found a little time to...
by James Marsh

Marshy's Favourite Asian Movies of 2018 Part 1

2018 is halfway over already, so now is a good moment to cast our eyes back over the last six months, and more specifically, the cinematic offerings that emerged from Asia. Traditionally the first half of the year tends to...
by Pierce Conran

BiFan Promises Thrills and Chills in Stuffed 22nd Lineup

Pollution particles and yellow dust have been replaced by summer humidity hanging in the air, which can only mean one thing - BiFan is just around the corner! On a hot Thursday afternoon in early June in Central Seoul, the...
by Pierce Conran

Jeonju 2018 Review: A GOOD BUSINESS, NK Defector Doc Poses Fascinating Ethical Quandaries

Some of the best documentaries are those that don't tell you what to think but choose instead to explore a subject from different viewpoints and angles, let the images speak for themselves and give the viewer a chance to make...
by Pierce Conran

Jeonju 2018 Review: WINTER'S NIGHT Takes a Colorful and Introspective Trip Down Memory Lane

Returning with his third film to the festival where he picked up the top Korean Competition prize for his debut A Fresh Start, director Jang Woo-jin delivers his most carefully designed work to date with Winter's Night, one of this...
by Pierce Conran

Jeonju 2018 Review: GRADUATION Scores Top Marks for Its Young Director and Star

Making films is hard anywhere, but in Korea, where so many youths dream of entering what is a successful yet relatively small industry, it's a particularly tricky proposition. Thus it comes as little surprise that so many debut features focus...
by Pierce Conran

Jeonju 2018 Review: HELLO DAYOUNG, Korean Comedy Goes Full Chaplin

For the third year on the trot, and after already receiving two prizes, director Ko Bong-soo returns to the Jeonju International Film Festival with his third work, Hello Dayoung. Largely working with the same troupe of actors, who are taking...