Always (Korea)
Opening Oct. 20
Drama. Directed by Song Il-gon. Former boxer Cheol-min (So Ji-sub) lives a mundane life after quitting the sport after an unfortunate event. While spending most of his time in a remote parking lot, he runs into Jeong-hwa, (Han Hyo-joo) a young and lively telephone operator who is always positive about life. While moved by Jeong-hwa’s passion for life, Cheol-min soon learns that she is slowly losing her eyesight. The film has been selected as the opener of the 16th Busan International Film Festival (Oct. 6- 14).
Scars (Korea)
Opening Oct. 13
Drama. Directed by Lim Woo-seong. Sun-hee, a quiet and unexpressive illustrator, is married to perfectionist primetime TV anchor Sang-hyup. Suffering from a traumatic experience from his past, Sang-hyup is obsessed with his career and the trappings of success. One day, it is revealed that he is having an affair outside of his seemingly perfect marriage. Yet Sun-hee is rather calm, not seriously affected by the event -- until she faces her inner wounds and long-held secrets. The film is based on author Han Gang’s novella “Baby Buddha.”
A Reason to Live (Korea)
Opening Oct. 27.
Drama. Documentary filmmaker Da-hye (Song Hye-gyo) lost her fiancé on her last birthday in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident. Shortly after he died, she had forgiven the 17-year-old driver of the motorcycle, thinking that would bring peace to everyone. However, as she unexpectedly discovers what the 17-year-old has been doing since the accident and her forgiveness, Da-hye goes through emotional turmoil and confusion.
Nader and Simin, A Separation (Iran)
Opening Oct. 6.
Drama. Directed by Asghar Farhadi. Simin (Leila Hatami) and Nader (Peyman Moaadi), a middle class married couple, live in Tehran with their 11-year-old daughter Termeh. While Simin wants to immigrate to another country to give more opportunities for their daughter, Nader insists he cannot leave his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi) -- who suffers from Alzheimer’s -- alone in Tehran. Realizing Nader will never leave Iran, Simin files for a divorce and soon moves out. In need of help, Nader then hires Razieh (Sareh Bayat), a young, married and pregnant woman from a working class family in the suburbs to take care of his ill-father. One day, however, Nader’s father is found unconscious at home, and it is revealed that Razieh left the house unattended for an unknown reason. Infuriated, Nader fires Razieh, not knowing he will soon be accused of murdering Razieh’s unborn child.
Ordinary Days (Korea)
Opened Sept. 29
Drama. Directed by Lee Nan. Han-cheol (Song Sae-byeok), who hates his job as an insurance salesman, is sick of his mundane and uneventful life. He even tries to commit suicide several times but those attempts fail. He decides to continue living his boring life until he receives an unexpected call from a woman he barely remembers from his past. Meanwhile, a young woman Hyo-ri (Han Ye-ri), gets into a car accident shortly after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend. She stays in her hometown in the countryside till she is fully recovered, and returns to her Seoul home feeling relatively content about her life and herself. Yet as she increasingly becomes an insomniac, she starts to realize she is maybe not quite right after all.
