Asian Drama

Eun Sim, at the age of eighty, has returned to her hometown after more than sixty years. She is relieved to spend some time with her old friends Geum Soon and Tae Ho, who, unlike her, are still living in their hometown. At an age when death is closer than life, there is not a single part that does not hurt in her body, but she feels that she has lived well enough.

It is a trot-like movie where friendship and love bloom only in the twilight of life.

(Source: HanCinema, BIFF)

Release Dates: Oct 5, 2023 (Festival) || Feb 7, 2024 (Cinema)

Duration: 2 hr. 0 min.

Content Rating: G - All Ages

An Jung Geun is a fighter for the Korean independence movement. Seol Hee used to be a court lady for Queen Myeongseong, but, after Queen Myseongseong was assassinated by the Japanese, Seol Hee takes part in Korean independence activity. She becomes a geisha and gains the favor Ito Hirobumi, who is the Japanese Resident-General of Korea. He travels to Manchuria and Seol Hee accompanies him. Korean independence fighter An Jung Geun learns of Ito Hirobumi's travel plans from Seoul Hee. An Jung Geun decides to assassinate Hirobumi Ito for the Korean independence movement.

“DO NOT poop in my toilet!” Grandma Geum-boon lives alone for life. Her roommate Ji-woong is a professional part-timer. A project to live with the senior who lives alone, which started to save some rent, repeats the difficulties and overcomes. Through that, they get close to each other. What will be the meaning of their room-sharing in this world with single-life hegemony?

Grandma Attack, a new talk show hosted by the three acting legends, offers a life solution for the MZ generations. The three ladies listen to the guests' life stories and things in their minds right now and give vital advice that comes from their life-long experiences.

The story of a mysterious taxi service that takes revenge on behalf of victims who are unable to get justice from the law.

Kim Do Ki is a mysterious driver for the taxi company whose mother was murdered. Kang Ha Na is a passionate attorney.

Go Eun is an IT specialist, while others consider her a hacker. Along with Kim Do Ki, she works as part of Rainbow Taxi Company to solve people’s problems.

Adapted from the original webtoon of the same name by Carlos and Keukeu Jae Jin.

Shim Deok Chool has had a life long dreaming of performing ballet. He is 70-years-old and retired from his job as a post office employee. Due to life situations, he put aside his dream of becoming a ballet dancer and worked a normal job to support his family. Now, Shim Deok Chool makes the decision to pursue his dream again. His family, including his wife and adult children, are not happy with his decision, but Shim Deok Chool does not waver in pursuing his life long dream. He joins a ballet company to learn ballet. There, he meets Lee Chae Rok.

Lee Chae Rok is a 23-year-old man. While growing up, he played different sports like baseball, swimming, and soccer, but he wasn't talented in any of those activities. He then became interested in ballet. His mother was a ballet dancer, but she died from a disease when Lee Chae Rok was young. His father later went bankrupt. Lee Chae Rok learned that he has a talent for ballet, but, after pursuing ballet, he barely has contact with his father and he has a hard time supporting himself financially. Going through hard times, his desire for ballet fades away. At this time, Sim Deok Chool appears in front of him.

Adapted from the webtoon of the same name written by Hun and illustrated by Ji-Min.

The granny with dementia is the only witness of the day. In her mind, Moon Hee is ‘Secret Jouju’, the princess in TV animation. In reality, Moon Hee is a granny with Alzheimer’s disease cared by her son, Du Won and the grand-daughter, Bo Mi. On one secret night-out with Bo Mi, Bo Mi gets a hit-and-run accident. Moon Hee is the only witness, but she rather mumbles the nonsense. Bo Mi stays in a coma and the police can’t help. Now Du Won has to track down that culprit with a few pieces of the vehicle and his mother’s might-be-meaningful gibberish.

A comedy about a third term congresswoman named Joo Sang-sook who is an expert liar, but one day can’t lie anymore, with only a day to go before the elections.

Adapted from the Brazilian movie "O Candidato Honesto" directed by Roberto Santucci.

Mal Soon is a tough granny in a shantytown in Busan. In front of her, 12-year-old Gong Ju appears with her baby sister Jin Ju on her back. Gong Ju claims that she is the daughter of Mal Soon’s runaway daughter. Mal Soon’s peaceful life becomes a mess with these little strangers, but Mal Soon doesn’t feel bad living with them. Their happy-yet-unpredictable life under one roof is about to start!

For his widower father, Sung-woong devotes his life to become a wrestler even though wrestling doesn’t interest him. But not knowing about this, Gui-bo sacrifices everything for his son. But Sung-woong’s life is turned upside down when the girl he has a crush on confesses that she has feelings for his father, and thus they begin wrestling for love.

Ok Boon, aka the Goblin Granny, is a feisty, elderly woman who combs through the town for any sign of trouble. Over a span of 20 years, she has filed 8000 complaints to the district office. When Min Jae, a stickler Level 9 civil official, transfers over and asks the unstoppable granny, according to procedures, to take a number for her complaints, great tension rises. One day, Ok Boon witnesses Min Jae speaking English like a native, when she’s disheartened for not improving in English after many years of studying and begs him to teach her. Later, the unlikely duo, with absolutely nothing in common, begin having English lessons. As they spend more time together, they start to understand and communicate with each other and become close like family. Having always wondered why Ok Boon is so bent on learning English, Min Jae later learns that there is something she must say in English.

Park Wan is a translator who is constantly pulled by her mother, Jang Nan Hee, to hang out with her elder friend, Jo Hee Ja, Moon Jung Ah, Oh Choong Nam, and Lee Yeong Won. The plot revolves around the friends' twilight years as they rediscovering themselves through relationships and family, the struggles they face due to their old age, and their life journey that they share with Park Wan in the hope she would write a novel about them.

Oh Dan-byul lost her parents due to her own mistake, and her husband also passes away in an accident a few days after the wedding. Meanwhile, her mother-in-law, Ho-duk, divorces because of her husband\'s infidelity, and Ho-duk’s daughter, Se-sil, returns to Korea after divorcing her Italian husband. Now, these three women don’t have a choice but to live together while overcoming their own personal problems.

Maeng Sun-yi sacrificed her childhood and youth to taking care of her father, who started drinking heavily after her mother abandoned them when she was 10, and her two younger siblings. She even gave up her own education because she had to work hard to earn her siblings' tuitions. She is married to a guy named Ban Sung-moon, her five years junior, and has two daughters with him. Her life continues to present her with endless hardships but she just believes that that is "happiness". One day her husband falls in love with an attractive divorced woman and demands a divorce from Sun-yi. Sun-yi's younger sister, Maeng Young-yi, is a successful career woman. She dates her first love Lee Jung-do, who is now married to another woman and who broke up with her for the sake of his career in the past. Finally, Sun-yi's younger brother, Chul-soo, earns his doctorate degree in the United States and settles down there, completely ignoring his responsibility of taking care of his father. Just to make things worse, Sun-yi is one day diagnosed with cancer, which to her is tantamount to a death sentence. After learning about her disease, her husband reflects on himself and shows her the genuine meaning of marital love.

Moon Ok (Na Moon-Hee) was a musical professor at a university, but is now on death row for committing a crime caused by the abuse of her husband and mother-in-law. In prison she meets a young lady named Jeong-hye (Kim Yunjin) who killed her husband because of physical abuse. At the time of her arrest, Jeong-hye was pregnant and the baby was eventually born in prison. Now 18 months later, Jeong-hye's baby must be given up for adoption. To spend one day with her baby outside of prison, Jeong-hye forms a prison choir group. Moon Ok becomes the conductor for this choir. The inmates and prison officers are soon touched by the music produced by this group. "Harmony" provides for a unique human drama set within the world of a female prison.

The Wang family faces a number of challenges: elitism; discrimination; children moving back home after living on their own during colleges; the power dynamics between husband, wife and family; and decisions about when to marry and have a baby given the financial difficulties in today's Korean society. The first daughter had married into a well-off family, but after they went bankrupt she and the family had to move back to her parents' home. The second daughter is also having financial difficulties as her husband is jobless, while the third daughter suddenly decided to quit her job. How will the family manage to survive such obstacles?

Han Song Jung is a novel writer. She is also a single mother who has raised her three daughters and struggles to marry them off to good men.

Kim Sam Soon (Kim Sun Ah) is a baker who has a talent in making pastries and cakes. On Christmas Eve, she caught her boyfriend, Min Hyun Woo (Lee Kyu Han), cheating on her and breaks up on the same night. On that same night, she accidentally went into the men's restroom and met Hyun Jin Hun (Hyun Bin), a somewhat callous fellow but sometimes considerate guy. By sheer coincidence, Jin Hun needs a baker for his restaurant Bon Appetit and Sam Soon is unemployed. Sam Soon is hired as the restaurant's chief baker and the two fights like cat and dog. Nevertheless, they started to have feeling for each other and Sam Soon agreed to post as Jin Hun's girlfriend so his mother would leave him alone. Things got complicated when Jin Hun's ex-girlfriend Yoo Hee Jin came back from the States intending to win him back.  

They called him ?Mireuk,? Korean for Maitreya, the future incarnation of Buddha, born to save us all from oblivion. In the Later Three Kingdoms period, that was the moniker attached to Gung Ye, one of the biggest names to eventually pave the way (at his expenses) for the birth of Goryeo. But I guess Lee Mi-Reuk?s (or, if you prefer the slightly sinicized version of his name, Li Mirok) parents didn?t have such grandiose plans when they gave him that name. Born into a family of noble literati, Lee witnessed the disintegration of that Joseon (and the following Korean Empire) which had held strong for five centuries, finally collapsing in the name of Japanese imperialism. Unable to find his voice in the increasingly changing colonial Korea of the 1920s, young Li crossed the famous river dividing the Korean peninsula from Manchuria, the Amnok (Yalu, as they spell it on the other side), and set sail for what he considered the promised land, Europe. What he found wasn?t exactly a paradise, considering his new home away from home was the same Germany which would soon begin the path to the Gro?deutsches Reich, better known as the Third Reich, with the infamous Fuhrer Adolf Hitler on top. But what Li Mirok managed to do was impressive: his memoirs Der Yalu Flie?t, where he narrated stories of his childhood and all the peaceful atmosphere which painted his early days, was one the biggest literary shock in Germany at the time, enough that parts of the novel were added to German textbooks, giving him a place in the pages of history. The first co-production between Korea and Germany, made to celebrate the 125th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries, ???? ??? (Der Yalu Flie?t) is not only a very faithful adaptation of the original (the first episode is more or less the novel?s content, while the remaining two talk about the rest of Li?s life in Germany), but also a throwback to the great period dramas of the early to mid 90s, like ????? (Kareisky) and ??? ??? (Eyes of Dawn). Its slow paced and poetic prose might feel out of place in today?s K-drama industry, so preoccupied with shallow glitz and glamour, but it?s with substance and narrative fundamentals that this drama succeed on almost all accounts, as one of the best overlooked gems of the year.

They called him ?Mireuk,? Korean for Maitreya, the future incarnation of Buddha, born to save us all from oblivion. In the Later Three Kingdoms period, that was the moniker attached to Gung Ye, one of the biggest names to eventually pave the way (at his expenses) for the birth of Goryeo. But I guess Lee Mi-Reuk?s (or, if you prefer the slightly sinicized version of his name, Li Mirok) parents didn?t have such grandiose plans when they gave him that name. Born into a family of noble literati, Lee witnessed the disintegration of that Joseon (and the following Korean Empire) which had held strong for five centuries, finally collapsing in the name of Japanese imperialism. Unable to find his voice in the increasingly changing colonial Korea of the 1920s, young Li crossed the famous river dividing the Korean peninsula from Manchuria, the Amnok (Yalu, as they spell it on the other side), and set sail for what he considered the promised land, Europe. What he found wasn?t exactly a paradise, considering his new home away from home was the same Germany which would soon begin the path to the Gro?deutsches Reich, better known as the Third Reich, with the infamous Fuhrer Adolf Hitler on top. But what Li Mirok managed to do was impressive: his memoirs Der Yalu Flie?t, where he narrated stories of his childhood and all the peaceful atmosphere which painted his early days, was one the biggest literary shock in Germany at the time, enough that parts of the novel were added to German textbooks, giving him a place in the pages of history. The first co-production between Korea and Germany, made to celebrate the 125th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries, ???? ??? (Der Yalu Flie?t) is not only a very faithful adaptation of the original (the first episode is more or less the novel?s content, while the remaining two talk about the rest of Li?s life in Germany), but also a throwback to the great period dramas of the early to mid 90s, like ????? (Kareisky) and ??? ??? (Eyes of Dawn). Its slow paced and poetic prose might feel out of place in today?s K-drama industry, so preoccupied with shallow glitz and glamour, but it?s with substance and narrative fundamentals that this drama succeed on almost all accounts, as one of the best overlooked gems of the year.

Oh Mal Soon is a 74-year-old widow that realizes she is becoming a burden on her family. As she is roaming the streets, she comes across a photo studio and dresses up for a self-portrait. When she walks out, she mysteriously regains her physical appearance from the age of 20. Making the most out of this one in a lifetime opportunity, she changes her name to Oh Doo Ri and decides to enjoy the best out of her youth…

In Ha is the son of a talented pianist, and dreams of taking over his family's business. But when one day his father brings home an illegitimate son, Ji Ho, and declares that he will be the heir to the family business, In Ha’s world is shattered. In Ha's mother hereby want's revenge and uses JiHo, while playing the goodnatured mother in front of him.

Ji Ho grows up to be a pianist prodigy and the heir to his family's business. He loves his stepmother and stepbrother In Ha more than himself and only wants the best for them. But when he finds out the secrets, lies and plots which have used on him, he vows to revenge on the people who he once thought was his closest family.

Born to a poor family, Kang Chil spends 16 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of a crime. Before his release, he kills a prison guard by accident and is sentenced to execution. In the last moment of his life, he is presented with the opportunity to return to the past and change his decisions. One of his friends in prison, Guk Soo, claims to be his guardian angel. He says that two more miracles will happen to Kang Chil, and that he should not forget the lessons that they teach.

After being released, Kang Chil meets Jina, a spirited veterinarian. Sensing the suffering in each other’s past, they fall in love with each other. But the moment of bliss is brief, as Kang Chil realizes that the victim of the murder 16 years ago was Jina’s uncle. At the same time, the one that framed him continuously threatens his life. In the face of danger, time turns back once more. And so, Kang Chil realizes that as bleak as his life may have seemed, there were people who had made sacrifices for him. He comes to realize that no matter what his situation is, the time he spent with those people was all a miracle.

Jang In Ho is a radio PD who grew up without a mother. Jeon Seol is a talented singer and composer, however, a scandal about beating his ex-wife caused him to quit his job. He also has a dark past as his father committed suicide after his business failure.

When they first meet, they don't get along, but as time passes they begin to fall for each other. However, a secret between their families threatens their relationship.

Park Jung Kum is a divorced woman who is caught between two men. Lee Eun Sung, a doctor, is Jung Kum’s first love. Han Gyung Soo, a Human Rights lawyer, falls in love with Jung Kum as well. He has had a hard life growing up.

Lee Yoon Ho, a motorcycle mania who engages in many fights at school and is known for his high kick, and Lee Min Ho, who enjoys spending time on scale models and web blogs, are brothers born a year apart but attending the same class at school. These two portray completely opposite Korean teenage characters in a comical way. And of course, there's the rest of the family. Their father, a full-time stock investor since being laid-off from work, nevertheless optimistic and reckless; their mother, an oriental medicine doctor and always overly confident; their grandfather, who loves money more than anything in the world; their grandmother, who is always defeated by her daughter-in-law in ongoing status quarrels, are some of them. Their uncle Lee Min Yong is a 27-year-old single dad. After going through a premature marriage and early divorce, he enjoys his life back in the dating scene with his half-single and half-married status, while continuing to encounter emotionally-involved moments with his ex-wife Shin Ji at times. Smooth High Kick! is a situation comedy, which portrays the everyday lives of the main characters colliding with each other in a comical way. However, at a certain point, the surprising mysteries of their seemingly-normal surrounding characters begin to unravel one by one.

On a dreary day Jini gets laid off by her boyfriend with the final note that he was only interested in making love to her but not in a lasting relationship.

This triggers the girl's curiosity about whether her past three lovers were also only after her favors. As a result Jini checks back on her previous boyfriends including Ku-hyeon, an advocate of strong religious beliefs, macho college lover Jeong-seok and inexperienced Yoo-in who makes a living as wandering artist. Will Jini's emotional journey be rewarded with sincere answers from her old admirers ? Find out as S-Diary unveils its top secret material.

Young Joo is selected by her co-workers to take an English class for her department. On her first day in class, things suddenly turn interesting when she meets Moon Soo, a well dressed womanizer, who is infatuated with his Australian English teacher Catherine. Moon Soo does not notice Young-Joo because of her ordinary appearance, but Young Joo takes matter into her own hands to gain his attention. As Young Joo and Moon Soo become closer, Young-Soo soon discovers a picture in his wallet of another girl.

Seong Ri and Kyeong Bin are twins born via artificial insemination, later separated at birth. Both twins are unaware of each other until Seung Ri's mother abandons her one day and forces her to go to her real father. Seung Ri misses her mother and has difficulty in adjusting to her new family, including her twin brother and 3 sisters. Her friend's brother Soo Cheol befriends her eldest half sister who is able to hear but unable to speak due to an accident during childhood.

This story is about three people, Jae Ho, Shi Yung and Suk Ho. Jae Ho and his sister Jae Young are abandoned by their mother to escape poverty. Because of this, Jae Ho doesn't understand what love is. And so, he has a dream of becoming rich, thinking that there is no such thing as love, only money. He works hard his whole life while supporting himself and his sister through college. He works at a seafood wholesale market selling crabs to vendors. He lives with his aunt who has taken him and his sister in after their mother abandoned them.

With his big dreams and ambitions, he pretends to be rich while in school, in order to gain the attention of Hyun Su, who is from a very rich family. Thus, he tries to get her to like him so he can marry into her family and become rich. But during this process, he falls in love with his Psychology teacher, Shi Yung. He battles with his feelings and his ambitions, and ultimately picks love over money. Even though they go through hardship, he realizes that he couldn't survive without both, and so he gives up on Shi Yung for money and wishes her happiness.