On Swift Horses (2024) is a sweeping romantic drama directed by Daniel Minahan and written by Bryce Kass, based on Shannon Pufahl’s debut novel. The film’s setting is the United States in the 1950s, post-Korean War. It addresses carefully masked yearning, identity, and the perpetual conflict between autonomy and requirement, societal norms. It examines the […]
The 2021 film Escape from Mogadishu, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, is an action-drama flick based on real events that took place during the Somali Civil War in the 1990s. The film depicts the tragic yet ultimately hopeful tale of Koran ambassadors who attempt to work together to traverse the rampant violence in the capital city.
The Handmaiden (2016), by Park Chan-wook, is an alluring fusion of an erotic thriller, historical drama, and psychological suspense film. Taking inspiration from the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, the film alters the setting from Victorian England to Korea in the 1930s, which is under Japanese colonial rule—this captivating backdrop sharpens the exploration of its
Introduction & Context Cherry is a 2021 American crime drama helmed by Anthony and Joe Russo, directors primarily recognized for their Marvel franchise successes. In this project, the brothers step away from capes and corsets to explore a darker, more personal terrain, drawing on Nico Walkers semi-autobiographical novel. The film charts the title characters march
Introduction and Context Winter’s Tale, the 2014 film directed by Akiva Goldsman, brings Mark Helprin’s 1983 novel to life as a romantic fantasy drama. Anchored by Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, and Jessica Brown Findlay, it charts a century-long journey that weaves magical realism with themes of love, redemption, and the clash between good and evil.
Introduction & Context Aftermath is a 2017 psychological drama directed by Elliott Lester, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger in a role that steps far away from his signature action hero persona. Loosely inspired by a real mid-air collision, the story delves into how grief, guilt, and the longing for retribution can tangle the lives of those left
Introduction & Context The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos is a South Korean crime-action thriller that hit theaters in 2019. Directed and co-written by Son Yong-ho, it brings to the big screen the story first popularized on the OCN television show Bad Guys. Returning cast members Ma Dong-seok and Kim Sang-joong share the frame with
Obsessed is a 2009 psychological thriller directed by Steve Shill from a screenplay by David Loughery and Jonathan A. Stinziano. The film features Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles, and Ali Larter in a gradual descent into jealousy, temptation, and the unraveling of a façade-of-perfection marriage. Backed by the genre-focused division Screen Gems, the project aims to
Midnight is a South Korean psychological thriller that Kwon Oh-seung both wrote and directed. Released in 2021, the film runs for a compact 103 minutes and spins a raw tale about surviving in silence while violence strikes without warning. Built around a deaf woman being hunted by a serial killer, it combines tight suspense with
The Imitation Game is a 2014 historical thriller directed by Morten Tyldum. The screenplay, by Graham Moore, draws heavily from Andrew Hodges biography, Alan Turing: The Enigma. The film traces British mathematician Alan Turing, spotlighting his code-breaking work at Bletchley Park during World War II and the unjust persecution he faced because of his sexuality.
