A small family contend with the persistent unfairness of the contemporary society in Yoon Seo-jin’s slow burn indie drama.
Jul 20, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Space Monster Wangmagwi (우주괴인 왕마귀, Gwon Hyeok-jin, 1967) [Fantasia 2022]
Shiny-suited aliens attempt to colonise the Earth by releasing an alien kaiju in this strangely comic Korean take on the monster movie.
Shari (シャリ, Nao Yoshigai, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
A red monster roams the landscape smearing its blood wherever it goes in Nao Yoshigai’s surreal documentary hybrid.
Seire (세이레, Park Kang, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
A new father finds himself haunted by paternal anxiety and old transgressions in Park Kang’s eerie folk horror.
Spiritwalker (유체이탈자, Yoon Jae-geun, 2021)
An amnesiac man in search of an identity investigates himself while hopping from one body to another in Yoon Jae-geun’s existential noir
XX+XY (Lee Soh-Yoon, 2022)
An intersex teenager finds themselves contemplating their identity when courted by opposing suitors in Lee Soh-Yoon’s lighthearted teen drama.
Confession (자백, Yoon Jong-seok, 2022)
An accused man and the woman sent to defend him battle over the elusive nature of objective truth in Yoon Jong-seok’s steely psychological thriller.
Recalled (내일의 기억, Seo Yu-min, 2021)
A woman suffering with amnesia attempts to piece together the shards of a shattered past in Seo Yu-min’s puzzle box neo noir
Brave Citizen (용감한 시민, Park Jin-pyo, 2023) [Fantasia 2024]
A former boxer turned schoolteacher rediscovers the strength to fight back when faced with unchallenged bullies in Park Jin-pyo’s cathartic dramedy.
Next Door (옆집사람, Yeom Ji-ho, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
An aspiring policeman becomes embroiled in a kafkaesque series of events after waking up next to a dead body in next-door’s apartment in Yeom Ji-ho’s deliciously dark farce.
Tomb of the River (강릉, Yoon Young-bin, 2021)
A noble gangster is pulled towards the dark side in an internecine battle with pure evil over a lucrative resort in Yoon Young-bin’s purgatorial gangland drama
Action Hero (액션히어로, Lee Jin-ho, 2021)
A student dreaming of becoming an action star decides to expose institutional corruption at his uni while making a film in Lee Jin-ho’s action dramedy
Goodbye, Don Glees! (グッバイ、ドン・グリーズ!, Atsuko Ishizuka, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
Three teenage boys come to terms with past and future while on a climactic summer adventure in Atsuko Ishizuka’s heartfelt coming-of-age anime.
Midnight (미드나이트, Kwon Oh-seung, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A deaf woman and her mother become unwitting targets for a sadistic serial killer in Kwon’s extraordinarily tense chase through the darkened streets of Soeul
Seobok (서복, Lee Yong-ju, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A terminally ill former government agent reckons with mortality while bonding with a clone birthed to cure humanity’s ills in Lee Yong-ju’s high concept thriller
Follow The Light (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
The narrative might not offer anything new at a thematical level, but stands out due to his refusal to spell things out and, instead, imply certain subjective truths…
Convenience Story (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]
Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.
The Sadness (哭悲, Robert Jabbaz, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A young couple find themselves caught up in an epidemic of sadistic violence in Robert Jabbaz’ defiantly depraved satirical horror
My Small Land (マイスモールランド, Emma Kawawada, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
A young woman’s life is destabilised when her father’s asylum claim is rejected in Emma Kawada’s empathetic debut feature.
Next Sohee (다음 소희, July Jung, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
A policewoman investigating the suicide of a teenage girl uncovers a dark web of corporate exploitation in July Jung’s hard hitting drama.
Convenience Story (コンビニエンス・ストーリー, Satoshi Miki, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
A blocked writer finds himself stranded in an uncanny reality in Satoshi Miki’s surreal sci-fi adventure.
Tokyo Revengers (2021) Review [Fantasia Film Festival]
“An exciting blend of satisfying violence, tensive moments, surges of pleasing lightheartedness, and touching emotional moments.”
Shin-Ultraman (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Higuchi and Anno deliver an impressive love letter to their childhood, yet their devoted love, which is sensible in every aspect of the narrative, might not be able…
My Broken Mariko (2022) [Fantasia Film Festival]
Tanada offers a compelling exploration of the emotional turmoil a female subject caused by the sudden death of someone important.
Tokyo Revengers (東京リベンジャーズ, Tsutomu Hanabusa, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A dejected 27-year-old gets a second chance to face his high school trauma in Hanabusa’s high school delinquent x time travel manga adaptation
Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette (2021) review [Fantasia Festival 2021]
“Hanabusa’s second outing proves to be as enjoyable and thrilling as the first.”
Fast & Feel Love (เร็วโหด..เหมือนโกรธเธอ, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
An obsessive sports stacker is plunged into a delayed adulthood when his long term girlfriend suddenly leaves in Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s charming post-modern comedy.
Jin-Roh (Jinrō)
Jin-Roh (Jinrō) 1999 Jin-Roh is another film that ticks a lot of boxes for me, but if you’re unsure about watching this lesser-known classic, keep in mind that…
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (2021) [Fantasia Film festival]
“A great animation film that offers an emotional and moving celebration of the strength of the bond between a daughter and a mother.”
Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2021 Programme
In cinemas and streaming across Canada Aug. 5 – 25
Dreams of Fire (2021) review [Fantasia Film festival]
“McKie’s film is not only the best dance-film of recent years but might very well be one of the best Japanese films to be released this year.”
The Fish Tale (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
A very heart-warming and touching narrative that shows that a subject does not necessarily need to make use of the neurotic solution to inscribe himself within the societal…
Fantasia Confirms Second Wave of Titles for 2022
Runs in Montreal, Canada, July 14 to Aug. 3.
Fantasia International Film Festival Confirms Complete 2022 Programme
Runs in Montreal July 14 to Aug. 3
Sexual Drive (性的衝動, Kota Yoshida, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A strange spirit of sexual liberation visits three troubled couples in Kota Yoshida’s odyssey of food-themed eroticism.
Four Easy Steps to SEO: Readers First!
Four Easy Steps to SEO. There are lots of anime blogs. How do you stand out? SEO? Yes, but only if you focus on your readers first!
Go Back (고백, Seo Eun-young, 2020)
A rookie policewoman is conflicted while suspecting a traumatised social worker of a kidnapping for ransom in Seo Eun-young’s emotionally complex drama
Stellar: A Magical Ride (스텔라, Kwon Soo-kyung, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
A cynical man makes peace with his father’s memory while driving his possibly haunted and very rundown Hyundai Stellar in Kwon Soo-kyung’s charmingly quirky road movie.
My Broken Mariko (マイ・ブロークン・マリコ, Yuki Tanada, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
Devastated by the death of a friend, a young woman embarks on one last road trip in Yuki Tanada’s adaptation of the manga by Yuki Tanada.
Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On (태일이, Hong Jun-pyo, 2021) [Fantasia 2022]
Hong Jun-pyo’s animated biopic of the real life labour activist casts him as an ordinary man radicalised by compassion in witnessing the exploitation of those around him.
The Tenants (세입자, Yoon Eun-Kyung, 2023)
An office worker’s plan to sublet his apartment somewhat backfires in Yoon Eun-Kyung’s eerie dystopian drama.
Kim Jong-boon of Wangshimni (왕십리 김종분, Kim Jin-yeol, 2021)
A portrait of a truly extraordinary woman living an ostensibly very ordinary life, Kim’s quietly moving documentary is testament both to the hidden stories of those all around…
What To Do With Dead Kaiju (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]
“An extremely well-structured genre-blend that does not only provides the laughs and giggles with its pleasant political satire, but also allows the spectator to immerge himself into the…
The Mole Song: Final (2021) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Miike’s narrative delivers everything a fan of the previous narratives desires and even succeeds in inviting newcomers to delve into Reiji’s past exploits.
Love, Live, and Goldfish (2021) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
“While Makabe’s narrative does not offer anything truly new or groundbreaking, what it does brings to the table is served with excellence.”
Five Films Not To Miss [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]
Let us present 5 Japanese films that should already be high on your to-watch list.
Winter 2022 First Impressions – Fantasia Sango: Realm of Legends
Streaming: Funimation Episodes: 12 Source: Taiwanese RPG Episode Summary: As a nation finds itself on the decline at on the cusp of war, the people find themselves vulnerable…
Fantasia 2010
Tuesday, Fantasia announced the highlights of its programming and posted all the details on its website . The 14th edition of the Fant...
Bleach, Naruto, King of Thorn, Metropolis, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror
Golden Fantasia
detective fiction, 推理小説、games,
Girl from Phantasia, When They Cry, Umineko: When They Cry, When the Seagulls Cry Specials
Remain In Twilight (くれなずめ, Daigo Matsui, 2021) [Fantasia 2021]
A group of high school friends is forced to confront unresolved grief while rehearing for a wedding in Daigo Matsui’s moving metaphysical drama