Teo Yoo: The “Past Lives” and “The Recruit” Star Gets Real
An interview with the Korean German actor on why he joined the cast of “The Recruit”
Category: Film
“Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror”
The Nth Room targeted Korean women in a lower socio-economic class who needed money. They also set their marks on underage girls, who were too young to handle what they had been tricked into. These crimes are continuing, but now with with teenage boys at the helm.
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.
“Arahan” (아라한 장풍 대작전)
Sang-hwan is a police officer who is too much of a ‘fraidy cat to be a standout on the force. But through his friendship with Eui-jin, who has extraordinary fighting skills, he learns that he has untapped super powers of his own.
“Champion” (챔피언)
If you watched Sylvester Stallone’s 1987 arm wrestling film “Over the Top” and hated it, don’t let that deter you from giving “Champion” a shot. Starring Ma Dong-seok (“Train to Busan,” “Eternals,” “The Roundup” films), the buff actor has a knack for comedy.
“Dream” (드림)
Based on the real-life Homeless World Cup (which was held in September in Seoul), “Dream” offers a more cynical look than Great Britain’s “The Beautiful Game,” which shares the same topic.
“Alive” (살아있다)
“#Alive” was filmed a year before countries worldwide were locking down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But its depiction of isolation and fear of the unknown mirrors what millions of people went through (minus the zombies) in this 2020 thriller.
“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” (악인전)
“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” is not a good film, but it’s watchable because its star is Ma Dong-seok. The burly actor stars as a mob boss whose street credibility takes a beating when he is nearly killed by a floppy-haired serial killer (Kim Sung-kyu) — whose modus operandi is rear-ending drivers and then savagely stabbing them to death.
“My Heart Puppy” (멍뭉이)
After learning that his long-time girlfriend is deathly allergic to dogs, Min-soo sets out on a journey to to find a new home for his beloved golden retriever. In the end, he realizes that the solution to his problem was nearby the whole time.
“Rebound” (리바운드)
“Rebound” is based on the true story of Busan’s Jungang High School basketball team. Long past its glory years, the team isn’t a priority for the school’s administration. They hire a young and inexperienced basketball coach, Yang-hyun (Ahn Jae-hong), who during his own Jungang school days was a champion athlete.
“Midnight Runners” (청년경찰)
A thoroughly entertaining cop-buddy film, “Midnight Runners” does a great job of blending comedy with action, while delving into the world of human trafficking and organ harvesting. The film is driven by the camaraderie between musclehead Ki-joon (Park Seo-joon) and nerdy by-the-book Hee-yeol (Kan Ha-neul).
“Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” (야차)
A fast-moving action film, “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations” is a spy thriller full of special ops, backstabbing and political intrigue. Last year, I stopped watching about 20 minutes into the movie, because it didn’t hold my interest. But when I went back to it this year, I found it to be thoroughly entertaining. Is this a prestige film? Absolutely not. But it was a fun ride with a (straight-laced) fish-out-of-water concept.
“Unlocked” (스마트폰을 떨어뜨렸을 뿐인데)
“Unlocked” came out a few months after the Korean series “Somebody.” Both revolve around cunning, good-looking serial killers who utilize technology to hack their way into their victims’ lives. In this 2022 film, the cell phone is the device of choice.
Losing My Korean Didn’t Make Me Any More American
Back in my era, the teachers encouraged immigrants to only speak English at home so that we wouldn’t fall behind. But what they didn’t know at the time — or perhaps they didn’t really care about — was that in the rush to make us understand English, many of us lost our ability to converse in our birth language.
“Suga: Road to D-Day”
“It’s my dream to travel around the world and play with local musicians playing their traditional instruments,” Suga says in his documentary Suga: Road to D-Day. “It’s my dream to record them and make music based on that.” But he has trepidation, too. “I worry that I won’t have anything to talk about,” Suga says. “I have fears that I have no more dreams to follow.”
How “Broker” and “Return to Seoul” reveal hard truths about Korean adoption
In an unusual cinematic coincidence, two critically acclaimed films about South Korean adoption were released in December depicting different sides of the adoption story. Broker focuses on a teenage girl who leaves her infant at a church’s safe haven baby box, while Return to Seoul tells the story of a French woman who reunites with her birth family just days after arriving in Korea. To better understand how these films speak to real-life adoptees, I talked to Korean academics, human rights experts, and adoptees. My reported piece for MASHABLE.
“Midnight” (미드나이트)
“Midnight” is a fast-paced thriller that hits all the jump scares: A mother and daughter who cannot hear or speak are stalked by an insatiable serial killer. The film is a testament to the strength of the powerless and their will to survive.
Don’t believe the K-dramas: Look to “Return to Seoul” for a more realistic view on Korean adoptees
In the superb “Return to Seoul” – which is Cambodia’s Oscar entry for the Best International Film category – French Cambodian filmmaker Davy Chou (“Golden Slumbers”) takes a look at what it means to be an adoptee who unexpectedly is reunited with her birth parents.
“The Dude in Me” (내안의 그놈)
“The Dude In Me” is a 2019 Korean fantasy film that centers on a high-ranking gangster and a high school student. When the latter accidentally falls from his school roof, he lands on the mobster. While neither dies, the mishap somehow switches the pair’s bodies and minds. Now, wiseguy Pan-soo is trapped in the body of chubby and bullied teenager Dong-hyun, while Dong-hyun is stuck in Pan-soo’s comatose body.