Couples (Korea)
Opened Nov. 2
Comedy. Directed by Jeong Yong-gi. Five young single men and women living in Seoul run into each other and go through a series of unexpected events. Yoo-seok (Kim Joo-hyeok) is desperate to get a hold of his girlfriend who would not return his calls, while Ae-yeon (Lee Yoon-ji) can’t bring herself to throw out her fake-diamond ring given by her long-time ex. Meanwhile, Nari (Lee Si-young), a hopeless romantic, travels across the country in search of her one and only soul-mate, and Bok-nam (Oh Jeong-se) is in love with someone else’s girlfriend. And there is Byeong-chan (Gong Hyeong-jin), a cynical fellow who simply does not believe in love.
Mr. Idol (Korea)
Opened Nov. 3
Drama. Directed by Ra Hee-chan. “Mr. Children,” a four-member boy band, struggle to achieve stardom. Things aren’t going well: Yoo-jin (Ji Hyun-woo) wants to do nothing except singing, Hyun (Jang Seo-won) learned how to perform at karaoke bars, and Rickey (Kim Randy), a Korean adoptee from the U.S., can barely speak Korean. And there is Jio (Jay Park), who actually knows how to dance but is distant and unfriendly. But their driven producer Oh Goo-joo (Park Ye-jin) brings a hard-core training schedule and will not let them give up.
The King of Pigs (Korea)
Opened Nov.3
Thriller/Drama. Directed by Yeun Sang-ho. Kyung-min, a 30-something CEO impulsively kills his wife after his business goes bankrupt. He seeks out his long-lost friend Jong-suk, whom he was close with in middle school. The two meet up and talk about their middle school days where both of them were severely bullied by their classmates. At the time, they became friends with Chul, an outsider who helped them avoid abuse from the class bullies. Chul had planned a gruesome revenge against those who hurt him, changing the lives of the three young boys forever.
Restless (U.S.)
Opened Oct. 27
Drama. Directed by Gus Van Sant. Young boy Enoch (Henry Hopper), who dropped out of school after his parents’ untimely deaths, only hangs out with his imaginary friend Hiroshi (Ryo Kase), while spending most of his time attending strangers’ funerals. Things change when he falls for Annabel (Mia Wasikowska), a boyish girl with a pixie haircut. But he discovers that she is a terminally ill cancer patient with three months to live.
Punch (Korea)
Opened Oct. 20
Drama. Directed by Lee Han. Wan-deuk (Yoo Ah-in), an impoverished high school student who lives alone with his father and uncle, knows nothing but how to fight. He has nothing to lose, and has no aspirations or dreams for the future. His only wish is to somehow live without his nosy teacher Dong-joo (Kim Yoon-seok), who gives him too much unwanted attention. Without even asking Wan-deuk, Dong-joo visits his place out of the blue and has drinks with his father and uncle, embarrassing him in front of his classmates by revealing his family history. Wan-deuk even thinks of running away from home to avoid Dong-joo, when the teacher suggests he look for his long-lost birth mother.
