My Name Is Loh Kiwan

Korean defector seeking asylum in Belgium. The film is based on Cho Hae-jin's novel " Met Loh Kiwan ". The film intricately weaves themes like survival, guilt, identity and the transformative power of human connection together. The acting was fantastic. Each and everyone was amazing. Song Joong-ki as Kiwan and Choi Sung-eun as Marie were outstanding, especially in emotional sequences, they nailed it. Kim Hee-jin adopts a restrained storytelling approach, allowing the characters' emotions and experiences to unfold organically. The refugee portions were done outstandingly. The gangster portions were a little underwhelming to me. The writing at 2 places went unnecessarily deviated from the plot and that was little underwhelming. Other than that the film was amazing. Usually films make me cry very easily. This film is indeed painful but didn't make me shed a tear even when there's a lot of tear-shedding moments. The brilliant cinematography by Im Won-geun utitlizes low-saturation palettes and intimate framings to mirror the protagonists' inner struggles. The score by Dalpalan was great. It was subtle yet impactful elevating the emotional sequences. The minimalist sound design matches with the film's somber tone. The non-linear approach at the first half an hour was outstanding. The film was emotional, shocking, heartbreaking, painful, redeeming, heartfelt, beautiful, hopeful, wholesome and worth-watching.