Opening the Korean Film Festival in Australia is FAQ, a WTF whimsical family comedy about an overburdened elementary student, Dong-chun, who discovers the secrets of the world through a talking bottle of rice wine.
Yes, you heard right, a talking bottle of plonk, fluent in Korean, Persian and Morse Code. Is writer director KIM Da-Min taking the piss?
What starts off, seemingly, as an examination and maybe a repudiation of the ridiculously pressurised hot house education style of tiger mothers evolves into science fiction and a microbe view of the meaning of life.
BTW, FAQ has a sidestep into senility with a bewilderingly tenuous side story of a prodigal son, LOL.
All the women are beautiful and well turned out, the men fat and less sartorially splendid. Visually interesting, I fear a lot of FAQ was LIT.
Other films in the small window festival include:
Based on the hit Naver webtoon, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is a supernatural drama that delves into dark secrets, with the promise of chills and thrills.
Love Reset, a star-studded romantic comedy featuring KANG Ha-neul and JUNG So-min, tells the story of a couple on the brink of divorce who suffer amnesia from a car accident and hilariously fall in love again, complicating their separation plans. Hopefully unforgettable.
Crime has always been a crown in Korean film and there’s a trio of the genre represented in the festival. The Boys, starring SUL Kyung Gu and YU Jun Sang, follows a detective’s quest to exonerate three wrongfully convicted boys for a robbery-homicide.
Citizen of a Kind is an action-comedy based on true events from 2016. Directed by PARK Young-ju, it tells the story of an ordinary woman who takes down a voice phishing scam operation after losing all her money.
And Troll Factory, based on the novel by Chang Kang-myoung and inspired by the true story of the National Intelligence Service’s illegal election intervention case, follows a journalist uncovering a web of corruption involving an online opinion manipulation team.
Featuring popular stars LEE Dong-wook and LIM Soo-jung, rom-com Single in Seoul is about two people with opposing views on life and loneliness who find themselves drawn to each other while collaborating on a book about being single.
Tickets for the Korean Film Festival in Australia are available to book now at www.koffia.com.au.
Don’t miss the chance to experience the best of Korean cinema.
Sydney: August 22 – 27, 2024 | Event Cinema George St
Website: www.koffia.com.au
