American melancholy: The real loss in “Past Lives” isn’t love

In the Academy Award-nominated film “Past Lives,” the Korean concept of inyeon is used to lead viewers into believing that Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae-sung (Teo Yoo) are destined to be together – if not in this lifetime, then in the future. Or perhaps they were together in a distant past that neither can recall. The introduction of the word leaves moviegoers hoping that these two can have a happily-ever-after ending, despite his living in Seoul, 7,000 miles from her apartment in New York City.

“Minari”: Deconstructing the American Dream

Lee Isaac Chung is an astute filmmaker, who pays close attention to the smallest details. With “Minari,” he has created a universally relatable film, while inserting elements that are specifically Korean.

Go Away With … Gia Kim

“Even before I knew I was going to get to play the part, I was very excited when I saw the breakdown of the character,” said “XO, Kitty” star Gia Kim. “She was described as this queer, Korean, queen bee. I’ve never seen that combination in a character before. There are so many aspects to her that I thought, ‘She’s gonna just be a whole new archetype of a character. And I’m so thankful it was me who got cast to play her.’”

Go Away With … Amielynn Abellera

“I visited the Philippines for the first time when I was 12, for a cousin’s wedding,” “The Pitt actress Amielynn Abellera remembered. “I don’t think I was conscious of it at the time, but deep down, I think I was expecting to have a pivotal experience with a deeply shared connection to the people, culture and land. Upon arrival, however, I felt disconnected, isolated and even more of a minority than I ever had. I didn’t speak the language, the locals treated me differently and put me on a pedestal because I was an American.”

Go Away With … Margaret Avery

“I grew up in San Diego during the ’50s, and it was a racist environment then,” said Academy Award nominated actress Margaret Avery. “I was taught at an early age that a colored girl must work 10 times harder than the whites. People that looked like me could not purchase homes in certain neighborhoods. Articles in the local papers about colored people were limited to stories of crime.”

“Squid Game Season 2” Ending Explained: Major Character Deaths, Plot Twists, and More

“Squid Game” season 2 introduces a whole new set of compelling characters. Will they make us forget fan favorites like North Korean defector Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) and Pakistani immigrant Ali (Anupam Tripathi)? No, but the star power of veteran K-drama stars, including Park Sung-hoon (“The Glory”), Park Hee-soon (“Moving”) and Im Si-wan (“Misaeng: Incomplete Life”), is a nice concession to killing off nearly all of last season’s characters.

Go Away With … Ginny Luke

“I took a trip to New York with my brother when I was 12,” said musician Ginny Luke. “We went to look at art and saw ’42nd Street’ on Broadway. I was also lucky as a child to go to Boston a few times, because my brother went to New England Conservatory there. Every time we went, I got to see the Egyptian exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts and hear symphony concerts there. Now when I’m in Boston, I try to go to the MFA and hit Wally’s Café Jazz Club. And yeah, I always loved those trips as a kid. Coming from Dubuque, Iowa, it was pretty cool to be in a big city.”

13 Best K-Dramas of 2024

It was an excellent year for Korean dramas — and with Squid Game season 2 on the horizon, there’s more to come.