u/Deondreux

Edit: I should clarify that it should be Thrillers or Drama recommendations.
I recently watched No Other Choice and although it felt heavy throughout, it had a mildly happy ending. Not completely a positive ending of course but it felt like the characters’ pain throughout led to a warm and positive outcome he desired. (I don’t want to use the term “hard work pays off”, because that’s just cruel lol)

What I find interesting is that so many of the highly regarded Korean films, particularly those that regularly appear in people’s top ten lists, tend to have quite bleak or unsettling endings. (Oldboy, Memories of Murder, I Saw the Devil, The Chaser, The Wailing, Mother, Burning and even Parasite). Of course, this is largely intentional from the directors’ and writers’ perspectives. Those endings are often what make the films so memorable and leave you thinking about them long afterwards. I completely understand the artistic reasoning behind it, and some of my favourite top 20 films fall into this category.

I used to think that films didn’t necessarily need a happy ending full stop. But over time I’ve started to appreciate just how much of what we watch and take in, in this world can affect us mentally, even without us realising it.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of positivity, especially when you’ve spent two hours watching something quite heavy, disturbing or emotionally draining. A positive ending can make the whole experience feel a little lighter, and I don’t think that necessarily takes anything away from the quality of the film or its storytelling. In fact, I’ve come to appreciate films that manage to be thought-provoking whilst still leaving you feeling somewhat hopeful.

I suppose my perspective has just changed slightly. Not every great film needs to leave you feeling miserable or emotionally exhausted to make a lasting impression. Sometimes a genuinely uplifting ending can be just as powerful, particularly when the journey to get there has been difficult.

If you have any recommendations for really good Korean films with more positive endings, I’d definitely give them a watch.

Hope had a lot of comedic scenes, which made it lighter to watch. Wondering whether if it had kept a serious tone throughout, it would’ve given the film more depth… fun watch and looking forward to part 2.

Here’s my updated list
My List (subjective)

1. The Handmaiden
2. The Man from nowhere
3. New World
4. Oldboy
   5…
   6…
   7…
   8…
   9….the Chase
   10…I saw the devil
5. The Housemaid
6. The Suspect
7. Parasite
8. Forgotten
9. Hope
10. The Childe
11. Colony
12. Train to Busan
13. Kill Bosoon
14. The Yellow Sea
15. Night in paradise
16. The witch
17. Roundup 3
18. The witch part 2
19. Villainess

Watched and not a fan
Mr vengeance
Lady vegeance
3 iron
The Wailing
No other choice
Believer

It’s difficult not to be frustrated with how cops are written. Watching the Chaser and the cops are frustrating. 3 iron, mr vengeance etc all have police departments which are often written to frustrate the audience and its often up to the main character to actually solve the crime 99% of the time.

Watched part one (Mr.) about to watch part 2. Mixed feelings about the entire film which drop it out the usual top 10 listed (for me, subjective viewpoint) I find myself feeling neutral about both characters. Sympathy for the kid, nothing else.

Example (I can personally say the wailing isn’t top 10 “for me”) I respect what others have to say of course and I want to make that clear. I can also say parasite isn’t top 5, but again all of these statements are subjective, based on my own perspective and preferences. Do other people experience the same thing when looking at the lists people post?

I actually didn’t count but aim to the next time I rewatch this classic. But gotta say I’ve watched a fair amount of Korean films this tops the list so far for the most amount of times the I’ve heard this curse world used in a film. Wondering if any other films can top this though?

I’ve watched this film before and always thought the smile meant that he forgot everything; He smiles with happiness then he smiles in pain just before it cuts to the end credits. Did anyone else notice that? What does it mean then, did he forget completely or he still remembers who she really is to him? Did the writers leave it to us to interpret how we want the story to end?

Did anyone spot any similarities and would you pick one of the other? Colony was quite interesting and once it gets going, the thrill doesn’t stop, if you look away you’ll miss something. The set-up wasn’t too long either. Train to busan felt the same way once they got on the train of course, but somehow I feel more drawn towards colony. Colony also had some comedic moments which is a nice bonus. Almost feels like i could watch colony again but once i watched train to busan i respected it as a classic and enjoyed watching it but wasn’t it a rush to watch it again.