Indie films fill void in November's slow movie season

By Baek Byung-yeul

Korean independent films are seizing the opportunity to attract more viewers this November, making the most of the traditionally slow season, which has historically been dominated by international releases rather than major Korean productions.

With the exception of "Hear Me: Our Summer," a remake of the Taiwanese film "Hear Me," and "Gladiator II," the sequel to the 2000 hit movie "Gladiator," there aren't many anticipated big-budget or trending films this month. Taking advantage of this gap, indie films with different perspectives, like "The Voices of the Silenced," "The Land of Morning Calm" and "The Berefts," are set to reach movie enthusiasts.

Among these award-winning films, "The Voices of the Silenced" will be the first to meet audiences, scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 13.

Co-directed by Park Soo-nam, a second-generation Korean Japanese director, and her daughter Park Maeui, the documentary film addresses the stories of Korean victims of Japanese imperialism.

Filmmaker Park Soo-nam dedicated her life to documenting the stories of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, comfort women and forced laborers in the Battle of Okinawa. The film captures her daughter's journey of digitally restoring this vast collection of film footage.

"The Voices of the Silenced" won the Mecenat Award at last year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), with Japanese documentary film director Kazuo Hara, one of the jurors, commenting that "watching this film, I felt a force that destroys certain existences."

"The Berefts," opening on Nov. 20, also garnered attention at last year's BIFF, winning both the LG OLED Vision Award and the Citizen Critics' Award.

Co-directed by Jeong Beom and Hur Jang, it tells the story of a father and daughter who pretend to be family with a young man to win an apartment lottery.

The movie's distributor, Cine Sopa, said that the film "highlights what we've lost in a Korean society dominated by real estate issues and conveys the true meaning of home and family."

"The Land of Morning Calm," to be released on Nov. 27, might be more familiar to audiences thanks to its more recognized director and veteran actors Yoon Joo-sang and Yang Hee-kyung.

The film follows a young fisherman who fakes his death to escape his small fishing village, his unwitting family who waits for him and a stubborn old captain who knows all the secrets.

The film is the second feature film from director Park Ri-woong, who made his name with the 2022 film "The Girl on a Bulldozer." "The Land of Morning Calm" also won the New Currents Award, the KB New Currents Audience Award and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema Award at this year's BIFF.

The New Currents Award jury praised the film, stating, "'The Land of Morning Calm' demonstrates Park Ri-woong's impressive storytelling skills and ability for subtle emotional depth. The film explores the personal struggles of its characters while shedding light on the hardships of a rural coastal community. Through precise, deliberate pacing, Park navigates themes of economic uncertainty, loss, xenophobia and societal prejudice, creating a narrative that never falters."