129 Contributions by: Kerine Wint (Page 3)

Kerine Wint is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. When she’s not absorbed in anime and weird docu-series, she reviews speculative fiction for Fiyah Lit Magazine or designs album covers and magazines. As for her film taste, One Cut of the Dead (2017), The Lure (2015), Inu-Oh (2021), and Dear Ex (2018) sum it up pretty well.

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31. Strawberry and Chocolate, 1994

Prepare to be captivated by the bittersweet tale of Strawberry and Chocolate, a 1994 Cuban film that immerses you in the complexities of friendship, love, and societal taboos. Set against the backdrop of Havana, the movie beautifully explores the relationship between an earnest university student and a sophisticated gay artist. With its poignant storytelling engrossing itself in the socio-political climate of Cuba, the film delves into themes of identity, acceptance, and the clash between tradition and individuality. Powerful and emotionally resonant, the vibrant Cuban culture is expertly woven into the narrative, transporting you to the heart of Havana's vibrant streets.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Francisco Gattorno, Jorge Perugorría, Mirta Ibarra, Vladimir Cruz

Director: Juan Carlos Tabío, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

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32. Search, 2023

After a healing workshop leads her best friend to sell her belongings and move to a remote island, Nisan becomes suspicious a cult is indoctrinating outcasts. But when she's diagnosed with cancer and dark memories haunt her dreams, she seeks the island to find hope and happiness. Nisan's suspicions struggle against her desire to face her past. On the pseudo-utopia island, the idea of safe havens and communities is put to the test forcing Nisan to reckon how isolating living in fear and pain is. With a steady pace, Search stretches the concept of a cult, keeping a refreshingly open mind to all the ways a community with freedom, equality, and care remains unfathomable.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Aslı Enver, Begüm Akkaya, Defne Kayalar, Erol Babaoğlu, Mehmet Günsür, Oral Özer, Yigit Akkaya

Director: Emin Alper

Rating: TV-MA

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33. Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, 2023

Set in a fictionalized version of Japan's Edo period, where a deadly disease affecting only men has led to women taking traditionally-male roles, Ōoku is steeped in social commentary on gender and sexuality. The concept is well-established in its 70+ minute first episode, allowing the story to set a foundation for a fascinating progression in this world. By centering the powerful warlord figure, the Shogun, it illuminates the shadows women occupy to support a country with little to no recognition. With a political throughline and an inherently feminist lens, Ooku: The Inner Chambers offers a beautifully-animated series with few gimmicks and lots of depth.

Genre: Animation, Drama

Actor: Eriko Matsui, Jun Fukuyama, Kikuko Inoue, Mamoru Miyano, Miyuki Satou, Sanae Kobayashi, Tomokazu Seki, Yuki Kaji

Rating: TV-MA

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34. Mother Undercover, 2023

There's no room for glamour in this heartwrenching yet inspiring documentary of first-hand accounts from mothers who went above and beyond for their children. These days it is hard to escape fancy editing, theatrical reenactments, and law enforcement's clinical recounts in true crime productions, but these four stories inject much-needed empathy for victims. In each episode, the mothers' fight for justice and their children's safety illuminates the strength of a community, the goodwill of strangers, and the perseverance of all (with or without the help of the law). Straightforward and respectful, these first-hand accounts will appeal to viewers wanting humane narratives and a few happy endings.

Genre: Documentary

Rating: TV-14

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35. Lies Hidden in My Garden, 2023

A mysterious rotting smell and hard thuds heard from above start the series off on an eerie note. Moon Joo-ran (Kim Tae-hee) is a seemingly perfect housewife, but under the guise of her well-kept home are a secretive husband and a son who possibly resents her (currently unknown) condition. Meanwhile, Chu Sang-eun (Lim Ji-yeon) is trapped in an abusive marriage and dreams of escape. As Joo-ran becomes paranoid about the smell in her backyard and Sang-eun gathers evidence to leave her husband, the two women find a harrowing revelation. Leads Kim and Lim immediately offer memorable, haunting performances, while the setup described above is a captivating start to a psychological thriller that promises a web of secrets and lies.

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Actor: Baek Hyun-joo, Cha Mi-kyeong, Cha Sung-je, Choi Jae-rim, Im Ji-yeon, Kim Sung-oh, Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon

Director: Jung Jee-hyun

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36. Kohrra, 2023

Netflix India has been dominating the police procedural and mystery market, and Kohrra, its latest addition, is one of its better entries. Officer Balbir (Suvinder Vicky) is under pressure to resolve the case of a dead Non-Resident Indian and his missing white friend, but the fear of local backlash and global attention raises the stakes as the show weaves internal and external politics in India. Drugs, lies, and old grudges eventually surface, complicating the quiet pursuit of truth with public spectacle. This makes for a thrilling mystery, but Kohrra also excels as a family drama as we watch Balbir mend his relationship with his daughter, while his partner Garundi (Barun Sobti) deals with the pressure to get married.

Genre: Crime, Drama

Actor: Barun Sobti, Ekavali Khanna, Harleen Sethi, Manish Chaudhary, Rachel Shelley, Sumit Gulati, Suvinder Vicky, Varun Badola, Zubin Mehta

Director: Randeep Jha

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37. Fire, 1997

In this powerful exploration of suppressed desires and societal constraints, Fire delves deep into the lives of two women trapped in loveless marriages. Radha's husband has banished all desires from their marriage due to Radha's infertility, while the newlywed Sita knows her husband still sees his lover. As they live their stifling lives being dutiful wives and taking care of their paralyzed matriarch on their own, they begin to find solace in each other—eventually igniting a forbidden romance that challenges what they thought living truly was. The performances by Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi are captivating, as they find renewed passion in each other's arms even as they question how tradition doesn't hold a women's benefit in mind. Fire is a bold and groundbreaking film that provokes reflection on love, freedom, and the courage to defy societal norms.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Alice Poon, Avijit Dutt, Javed Jaffrey, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Laurence Côte, Nandita Das, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Ranjit Chowdhry, Shabana Azmi, Vinay Pathak

Director: Deepa Mehta

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38. Enigma,

True to its name, Enigma opens with a student sharpening a pencil menacingly before ferociously stabbing a teacher. Encased by stunning visuals, the story gets severely darker when another student troubled by an unseen entity drowns in a swimming pool. Farinda, a daydreamer who's undeniably intelligent, notices that the incidents coincide with the presence of the new clumsy biology teacher, Mr Ajin. Superb transitions and editing and a solid dose of gore strengthen the underlying criticism of rigid schools that stifle their students from experiencing more than just good grades. It'll be hard not to watch the [dark] magic continue to unfold.

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39. Blue Lock, 2022

After his team loses in the prefectural tournament finals, Yoichi Isagi is invited to join an isolated training program designed to create the best striker in the world in hopes of Japan winning the World Cup. The program's designer believes that great strikers are selfish and egoistic players. As a more intense sports anime, the stakes of becoming the best striker in Japan (and the world) or never playing football again keeps the suspense high. The series does a great job of balancing the action and taking the time to develop the characters and their motivations. Blue Lock is a solid, high-concept anime for the world's most beloved sport.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama

Actor: Aoi Ichikawa, Eri Yukimura, Hiroshi Kamiya, Junichi Suwabe, Katsuyuki Konishi, Kazuki Ura, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Kenichi Suzumura, Koki Uchiyama, Masatomo Nakazawa, Natsuki Hanae, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Shinnosuke Tachibana, Shoya Chiba, Shugo Nakamura, Soma Saito, Takahiro Sakurai, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Yuki Ono, Yuma Uchida

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40. The Killing Vote, 2023

The Killing Vote takes the "vote to kill" storyline and pairs an anonymous vigilante with an ambitious yet apathetic officer, creating an intriguing setup that questions how everyday inequalities extend to the justice system. The first episode is quite disturbing as it tackles child pornography, but with this pilot, the series is able to cement an expectation it fulfills in succeeding episodes: this is a severe show that tackles severe cases and severe criminals. Coupled with immersive performances across the board (the star-studded cast includes K-drama staples Park Hae-jin, Park Sung-woong, and Lim Ji-yeon), The Killing Vote is already off to a high-intensity start. If it keeps this up, it very well could be one of 2023's best.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Actor: Kim Yu-mi, Lim Ji-yeon, Park Hae-jin, Park Sung-woong, Shin Jung-geun

Director: Park Shin-woo

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41. The Hole, 1999

Directed by Tsai Ming-liang, this unconventional story follows the lives of two neighbors who share a crumbling apartment in the midst of a strange, inexplicable epidemic. Blending a quiet drama with exciting musical numbers, the characters' lives intertwine in unexpected ways, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. With its masterful use of long takes and minimal dialogue, there is a haunting atmosphere that lingers in every shot. In hindsight, this film perfectly captures our recent pandemic-stricken world; the effects of cabin fever condensed in absurd trippy sequences. As with many Tsai Ming-liang films, it is a must-watch for fans of simpler, yet mesmerizing, art-house cinema.

Genre: Drama, Romance, Science Fiction

Actor: Chen Shiang-Chyi, Lee Kang-sheng, Lu Yi-Ching, Miao Tien, Yang Kuei-Mei, Yee Chin-Yen

Director: Tsai Ming-liang

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42. The Gene of AI, 2023

In a world acclimated to the technological advancements and integration of AI, Sudo Hikaru offers illegal medical procedures in the hopes of finding the people behind his mother's stolen data. The Gene of AI takes an interestingly neutral tone towards the integration of humanoids among the population (akin to our current normal with social media and smartphones). Even as the question of ethics and legality weaves through everyday conversations, the idea of AI being inherently bad is never the conclusion. So far, the narrative follows a procedural format that feeds each new case/scenario back into Hikaru's search.

With a small primary cast and a heavy hand on CGI (which feels deliberate given how the show discusses the human-technology relationship), the show has the potential to deliver a memorable narrative in the transhumanism genre.

Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Mutsuki Iwanaka, Natsumi Takamori, Takeo Otsuka, Yume Miyamoto

Rating: TV-14

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43. Numbers, 2023

Big, wealthy corporations (and families) taking advantage of the working class is the catalyst of many K-drama revenge plots. This one sees Jang Ho-woo devise a plan to infiltrate the accounting firm whose actions led to his adoptive father committing suicide. Surprisingly, Ho-woo is hired straight after high school, catching the attention of the VP's son, Han Seung-jo. Although most accounting terms go in one ear and out the other, the tension, stakes, and relentless climb to the top are always crystal clear. As the scope of the corporation unfolds, rooting for Ho-woo's triumph is a solid hook, even if it's a given.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Choi Jin-hyuk, Choi Min-soo, L, Lee Sung-yeol, Yeon-woo

Director: Kim Chil-bong

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44. My Lovely Boxer, 2023

In the era of behind-the-athlete documentaries, the timing of a series like My Lovely Boxer is perfect. The series follows a young boxing prodigy, Lee Kwon-Sook (Kim So-Hye), who suddenly disappears at the height of her career to escape the toxicity of her home life and avoid becoming commodified as a boxer. In its first two episodes, it's clear that this isn't about the sport itself. Rather, as Kwon-Sook and sports agent Kim Tae-Young (Lee Sang-yub) cross paths, the exploitative practices in the sports industry are quickly exposed, showing the disconnect between sports as a profession - both a passion and a way to make ends meet - and sports as entertainment at any cost. The show wastes no time glamourizing an athlete's life but instead illuminates every dark corner waiting to make a quick buck. And like the tell-all documentaries, the horrors behind the scenes are upsetting, but keep you watching.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Kim Hyeong-mook, Kim Jin-woo, Kim So-hye, Lee Sang-yeob, Park Ji-hwan

Director: Choi Sang-yeol, Hong Eun-mi

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45. Trap Jazz (2023)

The common denominator between Trap and Jazz is its undeniable origin in the Black community. For musicians Chris Moten, Joshua “Cassius Jay” Cross, and Devon “Stixx” Taylor, blending these two genres is a fusion that can bridge the tastes of older and younger generations, reintroducing jazz to the mainstream. The film thoroughly explores their journey from playing in the church to trying to balance being tour musicians and creating their own music. But, the crux of it all is the men themselves and how they represent the inseparable bond between Black people and music. Rather than a simple profile on the group, Trap Jazz fleshes out the group’s place and innovation in the bigger tapestry of music.

Genre: Documentary, Music

Director: Sadé Clacken Joseph

Rating: R

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