Moon-young works as a railroad conductor in Seoul. The accidents and their aftereffects that she witnesses as a conductor are hard to endure, and she doesn’t get along with people. One day, she receives a call from a friend and decides to visit her hometown, which she has been trying to forget. Sang-woo works as a teacher at an elementary school. He follows the traces of Moon-young who left for her hometown. There is a quiet tension that lingers throughout the film. The two stories of Moon-Young’s and Sang-woo’s journeys are two similar forms. Moreover, within this symmetrical structure, fascinating cracks of memory and illusion permeate asymmetrically, sometimes intensely, sometimes subtly, drawing us into the realm of curiosity. The Waves of Winter is a meticulous psychological drama that delves deeply into the characters’ inner selves and an illusory road movie that makes us newly aware of time and ourselves. (JUNG Hanseok)

Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lang, who was recently released from prison after serving time for murder, returns to his hometown – a place that feels both unfamiliar and dangerous. Designated for redevelopment, the town is now nearly deserted, with abandoned stray dogs roaming freely and even attacking people. After a fateful encounter with a black dog that has a bounty on its head, Lang joins a patrol team, thanks to a friend, to chase away the strays. At the same time, he is pursued by a local businessman, Hu, who owns a snake farm and has been seeking vengeance and answers from Lang regarding the death of his nephew 10 years ago. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, this film is remarkable enough and noteworthy for its breathtaking scenes of the Gobi Desert and the silhouettes of wild dogs at dusk. (CHOI Eun)

There are several journeys in The Room Next Door. The first is the journey of Pedro Almodóvar, who is now considered synonymous with Spanish culture, to the United States to make his first English-language feature film. The filmmaker still captivates audiences with his aesthetic sensitivity and scripts full of secrets. The second is a journey towards death, where a woman asks her friend to accompany her in her final moments. The last is an aesthetic journey; through captivating colors and the still image of female characters, the director leads us into a world reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s masterpieces. World-renowned actresses Julianne Moore, playing the role of the bestselling author, Ingrid, and Tilda Swinton as Martha, who suffers from an incurable disease, form a wonderful ensemble. Julianne Moore’s deep eyes, unfathomable as the abyss, convey all the emotions of the world—love, wonder, compassion, admiration, and sorrow. Director Almodóvar offers Tilda Swinton one of the best roles of her career with the luminous yet fragile character of Martha. With The Room Next Door, a melodrama dealing with illness and death in a serene manner, the Spanish master adds one of the most beautiful films to his filmography. (SEO Seunghee)

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, 25-year-old Saba cares for her paralyzed mother, Shirin, after an accident leaves her unable to walk. As Saba shoulders the responsibilities of caregiving and earning a living, the daily grind seems never-ending, and Shirin’s demands grow as her health deteriorates. While working at a job she found to earn money for Shirin’s surgery, Saba meets Ankur, who brings a glimmer of hope into her life. When Saba senses her mother’s impending death, this moment of overwhelming pain also signals the end of her seemingly endless cycle of life. In the final scene, as Saba wanders the streets of Dhaka and collapses, staring forward into somewhere unknown, the camera’s impressive close-up captures the depth of her complex emotions, encapsulating the layered significance of this pivotal event. (HONG Soin)

Una Femmina: The Code of Silence (2022), delves deeper into the same themes in Familia. Opening with partially blurred flashbacks, both films follow protagonists recovering from distorted memories of the past to uncover the truth. The father, after painful years in and out of prison, seeks to reunite with his family. Though the family accepts his tearful apology, his old violent tendencies and paranoia soon resurface. Familia contrasts the father, who controls the family, with the son, who gets involved in an extremist organization, as he grapples with the cycle of violence passed through generations. The film is an allegory that flips the “prodigal son” narrative and reinterprets the hero of the Greek tragedy through the protagonist struggling to escape the chains of fate. (LEE Yong Cheol)

Wu Fan, a director from Taiwan, becomes fascinated by the free spirit of XiXi, a dancer and performance artist she meets by chance while studying in Berlin. XiXi, originally from Shanghai, marries a French husband and moves to France, where she gives birth to a daughter. However, believing that freedom is the most important value in life, XiXi leaves her home to wander across Europe for her artistic pursuits. Her husband, unable to understand this way of life, declares divorce and attempts to keep her away from their daughter. Now, her lifestyle faces a major challenge. Director Wu captures the results of a free lifestyle and the impact of such a life closely, based on her intimate relationship with XiXi, exploring the value of freedom, self-identity, femininity, and the effects of intergenerational wounds and trauma. It is a remarkable and intense film that leads the audience towards introspection. (JO Ji-hoon)

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 misty forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches—possibly the last of their enigmatic kind— embark on an absurdist, epic, hilarious, and ultimately poignant journey over the course of one year. These shaggy and noble giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them. Sasquatch Sunset is a 2024 American absurdist fantasy drama film directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner who were well known for their previous films, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014) and Damsel (2018). The Zellner brothers portray four humanoid creatures and their everyday lives as they eat, sleep, and hunt for food, all expressed with dark humor. It may be one of the weirdest films of the year, but it is an honest portrayal of the natural world.

Se-eun is a janitor who is always the first to arrive at the pool where she works. One day, she runs into an old friend who is now a swimming instructor. As her friend prepares for maternity leave, she rekindles Se-eun’s forgotten dreams, sparking her attempt to transform her workplace into the field of her aspirations. This is a compelling story of a woman who turns her weaknesses into strengths. (KANG Sowon)

Johan lives with his mother on a crocodile farm in West Java. For his mother, Johan and the crocodiles are everything in her life, and she takes great care of them. However, this life makes Johan, now an adult, feel suffocated and intimidated. One day, Johan meets Arumi, and he starts to develop feelings of love. With Arumi coming between Johan and his mother, their relationship subtly changes and eventually turns to a disaster. This is the feature debut of director Tumpal Tampubolon, who won the Sonje Award in 2021 for his short film The Sea Calls Me. While his previous work depicted a mother’s absence through the eyes of a young boy, this film dissects the oppressive control and possessiveness masked under the guise of motherhood. A shocking conclusion awaits at the end of the gradually tightening tension. (BOO Kyunghwan)

The father, who “ran, ran, and flew” from the source of the Mekong River, sings to his young daughter. Yangchen, who lives in India, meets with her sister, who has returned from France for their mother’s funeral, and reveals the wounds she could not share with their parents. After a brief encounter with his old friend Jigdal, who has come from America, Thangka artist Sonam suddenly feels as though his simple life is too shabby. And Tenzin who lives in Wisconsin arrives in Dharamsala, where he spent his childhood, carrying his father’s ashes. State of Statelessness is an omnibus film that tells the stories of Tibetans in Vietnam, India, and the United States in Tibetan language and features four works by Tibetan diaspora artists. Neither the place they live now nor the place they fled long ago feels like home. So they sing, “If only the river could flow upstream.” (CHOI Eun)

Motherland focuses on the survival story of Dao-ayen, a member of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) from the Ifugao tribe in northern Luzon. He is called to the southernmost part of the Philippines for a special operation authorized by the president, leaving behind his pregnant wife and elderly mother. The mission is to eliminate Marwan, a terrorist and bomb maker. This dangerous operation, which has been postponed or canceled multiple times for various reasons, seems to proceed smoothly with his team as they navigate the darkness in an unfamiliar land. However, during their return, they find themselves surrounded by hundreds of enemy forces. Based on the true events of the 2015 Mamasapano clash, which resulted in numerous casualties, the film raises questions about the nature of nation and heroism. (PARK Sungho)