Cobweb to Concrete Utopia, 5 Award-Winning Korean Films to Watch in 2023 | Hollywood

Korean films are known for their authentic storytelling and impressive plot developments. Like the booming K-drama business, the Korean film industry is gaining significant attention due to world-famous films like Concrete Utopia and Academy Award-winning films like Parasite and Minari. This year has seen some outstanding Korean films, from intellectually stimulating dramas to adrenaline-pumping thrillers. 2023 is expected to be another great year for Korean entertainment fans as many over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms continue to add Korean films to their extensive catalogue.

The 5 best Korean movies you can watch in 2023

Spider’s home

Cast: Crystal Jung, Song Kang Ho, Lim Soo Jung, Oh Jung Se, Jeon Yeo Bin

Director: Kim Ji-won

Release date: September 27, 2023

Award: 2023 (44th) Blue Dragon Film Awards, 2023 (59th) Daejong Film Awards

Story: The film revolves around film director Kim, played by Song Kang Ho. Cobweb is set in the 1970s when the South Korean government was setting strict rules about what could be shown in films. Releases were strictly censored. On the other hand, despite Song Kang Ho’s success, he was dealing with a lot of criticism. He’s determined to change the ending of his completed film titled Cobweb, but things get messy on set. Government censors intervene, and the actors and producers become unhappy with the new ending, causing a lot of chaos.

The road to Boston

Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Im Se-wan, Bae Seung-woo, Jo Ae-young, Park Eun-bin, Hwang Ga-neung

Director: Kang Ji-gyu

Release date: September 27, 2023

Prize: 59th Grand Bell Awards

Story: The film is based on a real-life event of marathon runner Suh Yeon-bok and his coach Son Ki-jung. The story highlights Korean athletes in the 1947 Boston International Marathon also known as the first major marathon after World War II. With Korea ruled by the Japanese, Coach Son Ki-jong was forced to wear the Japanese flag when he won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Now, in the movie, Coach Son is very determined that his trainee, Son Yeon-bok, will win the 51st Boston Marathon with the Korean flag flying High on his chest.

ballet dancer

Cast: Jun Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hoon, Park Yeo-rim, Shin Se-hui, Park Hyung-soo, Kim Moo-yeol, Kim Young-ok

Director: Lee Chung-hyun

Release date: October 6, 2023

Award: Blue Dragon Film Awards

Story: According to Netflix, the plot of the film develops as follows. Ok Ju takes a break from being a top-notch bodyguard after she meets her old friend Min Hee who is a trained ballet dancer. But when Min Hee commits suicide, things get difficult. Using her investigative abilities, Ok Joo ventures into a dangerous world in an attempt to take revenge on the person responsible for her friend’s misery.

Past life

Director: Director: Celine Son

Cast: Greta Lee, Yeo Teo, Jung Hye Sung, Jun Magaro, Moon Seung Ah, Im Seung Min

Release date: June 23

Awards: Golden Globe Award nomination

Plot: Korean-Canadian writer Celine Song makes her feature film debut with Past Lives. According to IMDB, “After Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea and is separated, childhood friends Nora and Hye-sung reunite after two decades for an important week, as they grapple with notions of love and fate.”

Concrete utopia

Actors: Lee Byung Hun, Park Seo Joon, Park Bo Young, Kim Sun Young, Kim Do Yeon

Director: Ohm Tae Hwa

Release date: August 9, 2023

Awards; 2023 Blue Dragon Film Awards (44th), 2023 Daejeong Film Awards (59th)

Story: The film has been selected to represent South Korea at the upcoming Academy Awards. The film’s official synopsis focuses on the aftermath of a powerful earthquake, where survivors are left unaware of the cause and extent of the destruction. Amidst the massive destruction, only the Huang Gong Apartments remained standing. Young Tak takes on the responsibility of protecting the population from outside threats as the crisis develops.