Always (Song Il-gon, 2011)-Korean Romantic Movie

Always (Song Il-gon, 2011)-Korean Romantic Movie

Cheol-min is an ex-boxer who used to work as a “collector”, and having withdrawn from organized crime, he’s currently working as a night attendant for a parking lot. One night, a blind girl named Jeong-hwa enters his booth, as she used to sit with the previous attendant and listen to TV dramas. The two of them get along from the beginning and eventually form a romantic relationship.

However, a dark secret from Cheol-min’s past resurfaces, forcing him to associate himself with crime once more, this time for her sake. Because of this, their relationship seems doomed.

Song Il-gon directs a film that balances romance, drama and action, although he obviously focuses more on the first two. The relationship between the two protagonists is very interesting, with the added element of the girl’s blindness separating the film from many of the “lady and the tramp” films that are produced in the country. Additionally, the violent scenes are very well shot and the final one is utterly impressive, in another tactic that makes the film stand apart.

Salut D’amour (Kang Je-gyu, 2015)-Korean Romantic Movie

Salut D’amour (Kang Je-gyu, 2015)-Korean Romantic Movie

Sung-chil is an extremely grumpy old man who lives alone and works at a supermarket. His boss, Jang-soo, who is also the director of a project regarding the district’s redevelopment, is constantly trying to persuade him to sign a deal that will let the contractor demolish old houses in order to rebuild. Sung-chil, however, continuously refuses.

Eventually, he meets his new neighbor named Geum-nim, who owns a flower shop, and a romantic relationship begins, with the entire neighborhood watching, encouraging and occasionally offering advice to the inexperienced Sung-chil. However, something seems amiss.

Kang Je-gyu directs a film that initially seems to focus on the romance of the two elderly people, but as it progresses, its melodramatic aspects also become evident. In that fashion, the permeating humor of the first half of the film soon gives its place to a number of heartbreaking moments, still retaining its artfulness.

Two scenes particularly stand out due to their hilarious nature: the fight between Jang-soo’s sultry girlfriend and a bunch of girl-bullies, which includes some preposterous kung-fu moves, and the fight between Sung-chil and a bus driver that ends up in a belly-pushing contest.

My Sassy Girl (Kwak Jae-yong, 2001)-Korean Romantic Movie

My Sassy Girl (Kwak Jae-yong, 2001)-Korean Romantic Movie

The film is based on a series of true stories posted by Kim Ho-sik on the Internet, which were later transformed into a best-selling book and into this particular movie that broke all blockbuster records upon its release, and eventually became a sensation throughout Southeast Asia.

The script tells the story of Gyen-woo, a regular college student who meets a drunken girl on the subway, who changes his life forever. Gyen-woo eventually finds himself in a relationship he never imagined occurring, although he soon starts to have feelings for the girl.

Kwak Jae-yong used the archetypical notion of a regular guy finding himself in extreme situations, and through that, he created a film that includes romance, comedy and melodrama.

Although Cha Tae-hyun portrays a very likeable character as Gyen-woo, the one who steals the show is Jun Ji-hyun as The Girl, who plays her role with all the sassiness demanded, while managing not to appear as a caricature.

Oasis (Lee Chang-dong, 2002)-Korean Romantic Movie

Oasis (Lee Chang-dong, 2002)-Korean Romantic Movie

Jong Du is a socially inadaptable and mildly retarded individual who has just been released from prison after serving three years for a hit-and-run accident. His family takes him back, but they are hesitant about him.

One day, he decides to visit the victim’s family and in their home, he meets Gong-ju, the sister of the deceased, who has cerebral palsy. A strange relationship forms between the two, but things take a turn for the worse when her family is informed of the fact.

Lee Chang-dong directs a film that focuses on a relationship that seems impossible for many reasons, although the protagonists make it work, in a way. The film’s strongest point lies with the depiction of the characters and their relationship, which is by no means idealized and does not pretend that love can magically solve the issues the characters carry.

The film benefits the most from the protagonists’ performances, with Sol Jing-du as Jong-Du and Moon So-ri as Gong-ju being magnificent in their respective parts.

Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sang-soo, 2015)-Korean Romantic Movie

Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sang-soo, 2015)-Korean Romantic Movie

The film tells the same romantic story twice, with different outcomes. Chun-su, a director, has traveled to Suwon for a festival screening of his latest film. Due to an error made by the organizers, he has some free time and decides to visit an ancient palace in the area. While there, he meets a beautiful and shy painter named Hee-jung and eventually the two of them decide to spend the day together.

Their excursion involves drinking coffee and eating sushi while telling life stories and philosophizing, and a party held by a poet friend of Chun-su, where the film’s turning point takes place.

Hong Sang-soo directs a naturalistic film that focuses on a “what if” romance between two strangers, which benefits the most by the magnificent performances of Jung Jae-young as Chun-su and Kim Min-hee as Yoon Hee-jung. Through their relationships, the director communicates his message, that the little choices we make every day end up shaping the rest of our lives.

Additionally filled with his distinct sense of humor and his unique cinematographic style, which includes long takes interrupted by sudden zooms, this film is one of the best works from Hong Sang-soo and by rights became one of the most acclaimed films of the previous year, both in Korea and internationally.

Il Mare (Lee Hyun-seung, 2000)-Korean Romantic Movie

Il Mare (Lee Hyun-seung, 2000)-Korean Romantic Movie

In 1997, Han moves to a magnificent seaside house where he discovers a letter by a girl named Kim in the mailbox, which states that she was the previous owner of the house, and asks to forward her an important letter that will eventually arrive. Han initially thinks this is a farce, since he is the first person to live in the house, a notion that is strengthened when he realizes the letter is dated in 1999.

Eventually, he responds to the letter, only to discover that Kim actually lives in 1999 and the two of them share a communication beyond time.

Lee Hyun-seung focuses on two axes. The first and most obvious one is the relationship between the two, and particularly if they manage to meet and form a relationship. The second one is the change the two of them experience through a relationship that could only be attributed to a miracle.

The two protagonists have a peculiar interaction since their relationship occurs without them sharing scenes. In that fashion, Hyun-seung managed to create a romantic film that is far more than standard.

I’m a Cyborg but That’s Ok (Park Chan-wook, 2006)-Korean Romantic Movie

I’m a Cyborg but That’s Ok (Park Chan-wook, 2006)-Korean Romantic Movie

Cha Young-goon is a patient in a mental home as she believes that she is a cyborg, that she could sustain herself just by taking energy from batteries, and that food consumption will ruin her circuits. Furthermore, he thinks that she can communicate with other machines, thus spending much of her time talking to vending machines.

Park Il-sun, a former electrician who thinks he can steal personalities, falls in love with her and tries to “conquer” her while he searches for a way to make her eat.

Park Chan-wook’s take on the romance genre could not be a normal one, with the love story of the film being utterly unconventional, while he managed to avoid almost every cliché of the category. His biggest achievement lies with his use of humor, which appears in some of the most dramatic scenes of the film. The way he manages to balance the two is truly magnificent. The highlight of this is the different ways Il-sun invents to make Young-goon eat, which could only be characterized as adorably paranoid.

Su Jeong-lim as Cha Young-goon is magnificent in the role of a vulnerable, schizophrenic mannequin, benefitting the most by both her performance and her physical appearance.