In Love and the War (Korea)
Opening April 28
Drama. Comedy. Directed by Park Geon-yong. Just about two months ahead of the Korean War, a young communist military officer (Kim Joo-hyeok) and his soldiers arrive in a secluded country town in Chungcheong Province. Amid the intense political turmoil, the town, Seokjeong-ri, is peaceful. It is so remote that its people don’t even take the war rumor seriously. And when the soldiers arrive, the people openly accept them and let them stay as long as they want. Co-starring actor Kim Joo-hyeok and actress Jeong Ryeo-won, director Park Geon-yong’s upcoming film tells a tale of ideology-transcending friendship between communist soldiers and country farmers with caring hearts.
Gnomeo & Juliet (U.K.)
Opening April 14
Animation. Directed by Kelly Asbury. Though Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt) belong to feuding garden-gnome families, they run into each other and fall in love. But the clan’s shared animosity gets out of control when Tybalt (Jason Statham) dies partly because of actions taken by Gnomeo to protect a friend whom Tybalt was attacking. After getting some useful advice from a statue of William Shakespeare (Patrick Stewart), Gnomeo attempts to set things right, and win the heart of the lawn ornament he loves.
Paul (U.K., Spain, France, U.S.)
Opened April 7
Comedy. Directed by Greg Mottola. Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) are two British sci-fi nerds on holiday in America. After a trip to Comic-Con to meet their favorite author, Adam Shadowchild (Jeffrey Tambor), Graeme and Clive hit the road for a tour of some of the most famous UFO hotspots in the American Southwest. They believe we’re not alone in the universe, but won’t be satisfied until they get a firsthand glimpse of the famed Area 51. However, somewhere deep in the Nevada desert, the two UFO enthusiasts narrowly avoid crashing into a speeding car when they happen across a most unlikely hitchhiker. Paul (voice of Seth Rogan) is a pint-sized alien who has spent the last 60 years in Area 51. He’s been in the care of the U.S. Government for far too long, and he’s starting to get a little homesick. Though Graeme and Clive are more than willing to help their new friend get back to his mother ship, Special Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) of the FBI is closing in fast.
Antichrist (Poland, Germany, France)
Opening April 14
Horror. Directed by Lars Von Trier. While they make love in their apartment on a snowy winter afternoon, a husband and wife known only as “He” and “She” (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) fail to keep an eye on their young boy. In a horrific turn of events, the child wanders over to an open window, entranced by the snow cascading down, and falls to his death. Tormented by the tragic event, “She” gets hospitalized for over a month and receives psychiatric treatment. Once she gets released from the hospital, she starts to blame her husband for his apathy over the death of his own son. “He” takes her to a forest to provide a relaxing, soothing environment. Though she seemingly grows calmer in the beginning, “She” soon begins to completely lose her mind, to the degree that she physically tortures herself.
I Am a Dad (Korea)
Opening April 14
Action. Directed by Lee Se-young and Jeon Man-bae. Jong-sik (Kim Seung-woo) is a detective whose daughter is in need of a heart transplant. Finding it impossible to afford the expensive operation for his daughter, Jong-sik receives a bribe from illegal human organ traders and drops the murder charges against them. A man named Sang-man (Sohn Byeong-ho) is falsely charged instead and tried. After he spends two years in jail, the court finally acquits Sang-man and releases him. Enraged, Sang-man plans to find Jong-sik and take revenge. Meanwhile, Jong-sik has been looking for a possible donor heart for his little girl. But when the hospital finally informs him they’ve found one matching heart for the procedure, Jong-sik also finds out the heart belongs to Sang-man’s wife.
