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The Call (2020)
Psychological thriller The Call tells the story of Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye), a woman who becomes inextricably linked to a stranger by way of a phone line. While visiting her adoptive mom, Seo-yeon answers a call from Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), a woman who resides in the same house—but in the past. Through their conversations, the two find their fates changing.
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Okja (2017)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho—who would win three Oscars a couple of years later for Parasite—this joint production between South Korea and the United States stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and young star Ahn Seo-hyun. Her protagonist, farm girl Mija, is devastated when Okja, the “super pig” she has raised, is transported to the U.S. Fearing Okja will be exploited by the corrupt meat industry, Mija attempts to save her porcine friend.
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Night in Paradise (2020)
Written and directed by acclaimed auteur Park Hoon-jung, crime thriller Night in Paradise follows Tae-goo, a mobster who offends a rival gang by refusing to work for them. They retaliate by murdering people close to him, and he is then inspired to seek revenge in a major way, leading to a devastating sequence of events.
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The Handmaiden (2016)
Directed by the influential Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden adapts Sarah Waters’s 2002 novel Fingersmith, transporting the action from Victorian London to the early 20th century, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. Con man Count Fujiwara convinces a desperate pickpocket to become the handmaid of Lady Hideko, a Japanese heiress. Fujiwara’s plan is to marry Hideko and steal all her money, but of course, the story becomes more complicated than that.
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Oldboy (2003)
Park Chan-wook also directed 2003’s Oldboy, a revenge thriller that inspired Spike Lee’s remake in 2013. Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) has been locked in a room for 15 years by an anonymous captor. After leaving his prison cell, Dae-su finds himself at the center of a mysterious conspiracy as he tries to exact revenge on the person who locked him up.
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Burning (2018)
2018’s Burning is a South Korean–Japanese production based on Haruki Murakami’s short story “Barn Burning” from his 1993 collection The Elephant Vanishes. Deliveryman Jong-su and childhood friend Hae-mi meet a mysterious man named Ben (Steven Yeun). However, Jong-su worries about their new acquaintance and grows concerned that trouble is brewing.
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Parasite (2019)
Past Lives (2023)
Inspired by writer and director Celine Song’s real life, Past Lives tells the story of two childhood best friends who lose touch when one’s family moves from South Korea to Canada. Later in life, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and Nora (Greta Lee) reunite in New York, where Nora is married to Arthur (John Magaro). Having followed different paths, they attempt to reconcile their childhood feelings with their present situation.
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New World (2013)
Acclaimed actor Lee Jung-jae—who would go on to find international stardom in breakout hit Squid Game—stars as undercover police officer Lee Ja-sung in this epic by Park Hoon-jung. Working with a huge crime syndicate in South Korea has placed Lee and his family at great risk. Despite having asked for a reassignment for safety reasons, Lee is threatened with breaking his cover by his boss, Chief Kang, if he doesn’t continue in the dangerous role.
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring (2003)
Kim Ki-duk’s 2003 South Korean drama is a thoughtful meditation on the passing of time, and the milestones that bind us. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring follows the life of a Buddhist monk who lives in a floating monastery in the middle of a lake. Each season showcases a different era of his life, detailing the lessons he learns and the experiences that shape him.
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Train to Busan (2016)
Horror movie Train to Busan takes place on a high-speed train trip from Seoul to Busan, during which a zombie apocalypse breaks out. Businessman Seok-woo is trying to reach his daughter on her birthday and abruptly finds himself trying to evade the undead, who have begun taking over the train. This South Korean flick was so successful, it spawned several sequels.
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The Wailing (2016)
An enigmatic Japanese man arrives in a small village in South Korea, where the residents are mysteriously hit with an infection that makes them uncharacteristically violent. After his daughter is infected, Officer Jong-goo delves deeper into the investigation, gathering information about the stranger. He soon realizes there are supernatural elements at play.
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Moonlit Winter (2019)
A teenager named Sae-bom (Kim So-hye) discovers that her divorced mom, Yoon-hee, has kept her romantic life a secret for decades. Upon reading a love letter written to her mom by another woman, Sae-bom convinces Yoon-hee to go on a road trip. While traveling, mother and daughter learn more about one another and make important, life-changing discoveries that influence their future.
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A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
This psychological horror movie draws inspiration from a Joseon dynasty–era folktale called “Janghwa Hongryeon jeon.” Su-mi (Im Soo-jung) returns home following a psychiatric stay to find her new stepmother is exerting an awful influence over the family. Then, Su-mi and her sister, Su-yeon, begin experiencing terrible nightmares and ghostly events in the house.
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Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)
A chance meeting between a married film director and a young artist leads to a romantic day getting sushi and talking about art. However, when the director reveals his marital status, the day understandably goes downhill. In an unexpected turn of events, the pair gets to live the day over again as if it never happened—and this time, things turn out very differently.
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Decision to Leave (2022)
This romantic mystery follows Detective Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), who meets Chinese immigrant Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei) while investigating the death of her husband. Despite believing she may be a suspect, the married detective starts to develop romantic feelings for the widow. Park Chan-wook won Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for his work on the movie.
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I Saw the Devil (2010)
Action thriller I Saw the Devil follows National Intelligence Service agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Lee Byung-hun) following the horrifying murder of his wife. As a result of the tragedy, he decides to seek revenge on the person responsible for her death, a dangerous serial killer he is already aware of, who goes by the name Jang Kyung-chul.
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On the Beach at Night Alone (2017)
This dreamy drama follows actress Young-hee (Kim Min-hee), whose life is far from perfect. Struggling to secure meaningful work and involved in an illicit relationship with a married director, Young-hee decides to take a vacation to a seaside town. There, she muses on the path her life has taken, and considers whether her romantic prospects are really as dire as they seem.
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Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper’s BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
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