=10. Island
The most singular film on this list (yet perhaps also the most uneven), the black and white mystery Island, from the Jeonju International Film Festival, evokes a terrific air nostalgia and uncertainty with some stunning camerawork, not to mention some very deliberate editing. Admittedly, the film can come off as pretentious and certainly on the slow side, but seen as an arthouse film with a little oomph, it’s absolutely worth the detour.
=10. Steel Flower
The third film from BIFF on this list, Steel Flower is the second work by Park Suk-young, following last year’s Wild Flowers (also from BIFF). Just as gritty, but more focused with its look at just one teenage protagonist, the film leaves most of the heavy lifting in the hands of its terrific young lead Jeong Ha-dam, and its piercing foley work, from the clatter of suitcases wheels or tap-dance shoes against pavement to the crashing of waves, which track the lead’s mental progression.
Top 10 Lists
Reviews and features on Korean film appear regularly on Modern Korean Cinema. For film news, external reviews, and box office analysis, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update, Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Korean Reviews, which appear weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (Korean Standard Time).
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