The success of Parasite this year introduced the world to Korean cinema but it might have also given a skewed view of the type of movies that Koreans make and love to watch. With all its Oscars and hype, Parasite didn’t make the top 10 all-time Box Office entries in its home country (it ranked 25th).
Modern Korean cinema is very diverse: action movies like Extreme Job, fantasy movies like The Wailing, dramas like Hong Sang-soo’s movies or Miracle in Cell No.7, and what feels like an infinite number of romance movies and shows.
Today’s pick is an easy romance, a great example of the quiet filmmaking style that South Korean directors have perfected over the years.
Tune in For Love
On Netflix almost everywhere.
This slow romance is set in a Seoul bakery during the 1990s. A boy fresh out of juvenile detention and a part-time employee fall for each other while working there. For a while, their existence is joyful and quiet as they sell bread and bond.
However, the Asian financial crisis of 1997 forces the bakery to close. This makes them seek different jobs away from each other.
As a romance, Tune in for Love is not original but it doesn’t need to. It’s just easy and enjoyable.
Alternatives you might like
Be with You on Netflix is another enjoyable South-Korean romance. It’s about a wife who passes away but promises her husband she will be back in one year -it doesn’t involve any zombies or ghosts-.
Miracle in Cell No. 7 mentioned in the introduction is available to stream on Amazon Prime. It’s about inmates who try to reunite a fellow prisoner with his daughter.
Talk soon,
Bilal