3 Best Movies to Watch by Lee Jae-kyoon

Romantic relationships can come and go, but sometimes, one partner comes along and irrevocably changes your life forever. Tell Me That You Love Me depicts one such relationship. The Korean adaptation of the trailblazing Japanese deaf romance drama has plenty of the same charms, though this rendition makes certain changes that better reflects this current time period without sacrificing the cathartic portrayal about Mo-eun’s and Jin-woo’s flaws, and the genuine difficulties a relationship like this could have. While the show’s second half falters in certain moments, Tell Me That You Love Me mostly sticks the landing in creating a healing depiction of a deaf romance.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Heo Joon-seok, Jung Woo-sung, Kang Shin-il, Kim Ji-hyun, Kim Mi-kyeong, Lee Jae-kyoon, Oh So-hyun, Park Jin-joo, Shin Hyun-bin, Shin Jae-hwi

Director: Kim Yoon-jin

See You In My 19th Life is a stunning adaptation based on the latest webcomic from Lee Hye. Unlike other South Korean reincarnation shows, this one stays more grounded in everyday life. The memory of Ban Ji-eum’s (Shin Hye-sun) previous lives is the only fantasy element (so far!). The show is centered on Ban’s relationship with rich heir Moon Seo-ha (Ahn Bo-hyun), who she met in her 18th life, and the people around him. While this show has the trappings of a standard Korean fantasy romance, director Lee Na-jung and screenwriter Choi Young-lim skillfully mixes in history in order to fill in the blanks of Ban’s previous lives. At the same time, the show shifts between timelines seamlessly, only revealing information when needed. As such, See You In My 19th Life is a unique reincarnation story with insights on growth, connection, and love.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Ahn Bo-hyun, Ahn Gong-goo, Bae Hae-sun, Baek Seung-chul, Cha Chung-hwa, Choi Jin-ho, Gi So-you, Ha Yoon-kyung, Jung Hyeon-jun, Kim Si-a, Lee Chae-min, Lee Hae-yeong, Lee Jae-kyoon, Park So-yi, Shin Hye-sun, 김시아아, 박소이, 신혜선, 안동구구, 안보현, 차청화, 하윤경

Director: Lee Na-jeong

Rating: TV-14

Song of the Bandits takes time to gain momentum, but when it does, it crackles like gunpowder. The first few episodes take great pains to explain occupied Korea’s complicated political situation (China, Japan, and a few Western bodies fight over its resources), and unsurprisingly, Song of the Bandits champions the motherland’s cry for independence. It’s a very patriotic show that doesn’t leave a lot of room for other sides, often even bordering on melodrama in its calls for justice, but that should be expected in any war-set story. Once it gets into gear, however, it delivers all the thrills you’d expect from a neo-Western. There’s a lot of gunslinging, backstabbing, espionage, and sure enough, bandits chasing a loaded train on horseback. Depending on where you stand, it also comes as a satisfying revenge thriller, one that distorts history to give this fictional Korean rebel army their due. It’s a bit like Inglorious Basterds in that it follows a paramilitary group comprised of offbeat but vicious characters, but I’d say it’s mostly similar to another Netflix history K-drama, Mr. Sunshine. If you like either (or better, both), then you’ll love Song of the Bandits. 

Genre: Action & Adventure, Western

Actor: Cha Chung-hwa, Cha Yup, Kim Do-yoon, Kim Nam-gil, Lee Ho-jung, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Jae-kyoon, Seohyun, Yoo Jae-myung

Director: Han Jin-sun, Hwang Joon-hyuk

Rating: TV-MA