Korean romantic drama is now adored scholastically, and is often praised for their combination of emotional depth and visual splendour, as well as their earnest-hearted performance. While they can often use the cliché romantic plot, they lean more into discussing topics of loss, longing, and human connection. Regardless if it’s a story about youthful love, or a story about more mature love, there is always that special component in Korean romance dramas; that special component is the idea of staying with the viewer long after the last credits have rolled. Here are five examples of Korean Romantic Drama Movies You Can’t Miss:
20th Century Girl is the bittersweet coming-of-age story about first loves, and it takes place in 1999. The main character is a high school girl and her first love is not her first love, but rather her hook to use a friend to reel in a crush. It finds its nostalgic charm in storytelling, and emotionally raves in the visuals, that portray childhood innocence, and at the stages of life fill the viewers with pain, and do not leave them without weeping, or their hearts fluttering.
An excellent representation of Korean culture that is among the all-time greats in their filmography, A Moment to Remember depicts love between a couple challenged by the tragic reality of Alzheimer’s disease. The entire range of emotions and chemistry shared between the lead characters is what truly makes it one of the most memorable love stories imaginable. It’s a loving reminder that love can be powerful enough to make forgetting feel like an illusion of memory.
Characteristically quiet, tender, and very human, Christmas in August tells the story of a man running a small photo studio who finds love while staving off his internal fight against terminal illness. The film creates depth through simplicity, and understatement becomes a work of art in romantic cinema.
This film about unfulfilled love looks at two apartment living neighbors, whose twist is that both spouses are suspected of having affairs. Every frame resonates with longing and restraint as heartbreak is made into art.
Chungking Express is a film made in Hong Kong, but nonetheless, would lend itself unlike anything provided by a Korean-based romance. The film beautifully portrayed urban love’s fleeting and isolating moments, and should be watched by anyone with a keen appreciation for poetic cinema.
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