Possible Love

This film is South Korea’s submission for best foreign film, and it came to Netflix earlier this week. Which as I have said before I personally would also prefer watching something in a theater than on streaming, but I am glad I was able to watch this at all. Foreign films have a hard time getting distributed in the US, so I am very happy this year has been less of a hassle!

I really enjoyed the screenplay for this film it was very grounded in reality, which I did find interesting that it focused on the same subject matter as South Korea’s last submission No Other Choice, but they are vastly different films. This is a slice of life in all emotions, and I really applaud it for being able to be so authentic.

The actors add so much to that as well, without their performances this story would fall apart. I was happy to see Cho Yeo-jeong after her incredible performance in Parasite, and this is another job well done from her, I found her character especially to be quite fascinating. The other performance that stood out to me was Sul Kyung-gu who has a wide range of emotions he shares throughout the film, while also restraining himself, so when those emotional moments happen, they are some of the highlights of the film.

My only critique here is that this film is very slow paced, and for a film that is two hours and 44 minute film you watch in the comfort of your own home, that makes it feel quite long, and I do really wish I would have been able to see it in a theater as I think that would aid in this issue a lot. I really do not think it does anything wrong with this pace, but it is just something to be aware of when going in. It’s slow, it is very slice of life, and it is long.

Overall, I did enjoy this one, while it may not be one of my favorites of the year or anything I do think this is a well-done film, and will be happy for the team if they receive that best foreign film nomination.

Wild Horse Nine

I loved this film so much! This was one of my most anticipated films of the year, as I have become a fan of Martin McDonagh after I watched his film In Bruges which quickly became one of my favorite films of all time, and this film seemed to be quite similar to that one so I was very excited. After having seen it, I can say it absolutely is! This film almost takes that story and changes the themes and flips this film I adore into another film I also loved.

The writing is nothing short of perfection in my eyes Martin McDonagh does two things with his writing that I think is very impressive, dark comedy that is funny but not offensive and perfectly balancing very serious topics with comedy. This is a hilarious movie, I personally was laughing a lot, I find his humor to be exactly what I am looking for, but the drama also hits those beats in such an impactful way and does not shy away from them for a moment. It is brilliant writing. I honestly think tone balancing that well like he can do is the most difficult feat in writing, and he does it seamlessly.

The acting is also spectacular here! John Malkovich is currently the front runner to win the award by quite a large margin, and I can absolutely see why. He gives a stellar performance with many layers and is the heart and soul of the film. He is effortlessly funny getting a good amount of the more comedic lines, but also really taking those emotional moments well. Sam Rockwell also gives a great performance, his role is a lot more grounded, but with these two paired together it is electric. They play off of each other expertly. Another performance I want to highlight is Mariana di Girolamo who gives an amazing supporting performance, having some of the most emotional bits of the film. Steve Buscemi is incredible as well, and I really wish his character was in the film more.

Overall fantastic film! Absolutely lived up to the hype I had going into it! This film is likely to be nominated for best picture, as well as quite a few other awards at the Oscars, and it absolutely deserves it. One of my favorites this year for sure!