Kim Ji-young, Born 1982
- Director: Kim Do-young
- Main Cast: Jung Yu-mi (Kim Ji-young), Gong Yoo (Jung Dae-hyun), Kim Mi-kyung (Ji-young’s mother), Kim Sung-cheol (Ji-young’s younger brother), Gong Min-jeung (Ji-young’s younger sister)
- Release Date: October 23, 2019
Inspired by the best-selling novel that shook Korean society, the film follows Kim Ji-young, a seemingly “ordinary” woman: a wife and mother who gives up her career to care for her child. Beneath the surface, however, are simmering cracks. Ji-young begins to show unusual signs, speaking as if she were her own mother or grandmother. This is the result of long-term repression in a male-dominated society and the expectation that mothers must be perfect in every way.
The convincing performances of Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo serve as the emotional anchor of the film. More than just a story about motherhood, the work is a broad social portrait, exposing the silent sacrifices of women in general and mothers in particular. “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982” is regarded as a film with far-reaching impact, sparking widespread debates about feminism and the role of mothers in modern society.
Three Sisters
- Director: Lee Seung-won
- Main Cast: Moon So Ri (Mi-yeon), Kim Sun-young (Hee-sook), Jang Yoon ju (Mi-ok), Jo Han-chul (Mi-yeon’s husband), Hyun Bong-sik (Hee-sook’s husband)
- Release Date: January 27, 2021 (premiered at Busan International Film Festival, October 2020)
Three women, three mothers, three seemingly separate lives, yet connected by an invisible thread-childhood memories and unhealed wounds. The film follows three sisters during a family reunion as painful memories of a domineering mother and a pressured childhood resurface. Even as adults, they struggle with their own roles as mothers, wanting to break from the past yet fearing to repeat it.
Moon So-ri, Kim Sun-young, and Jang Yoon-ju portray three very real types of women: one is suffocatingly perfectionist, one hides in alcohol, and the other withdraws into silence. These personalities intersect and contrast, reflecting one another and creating a multi-dimensional portrait of mothers shaped by trauma.
“Three Sisters” is understated, avoiding melodrama, but touches deeply on memories and emotions many thought they had forgotten. International media have especially praised the film as a prime example of Korean cinema’s minimalist yet sophisticated storytelling.
Our Season
- Director: Yook Sang-hyo
- Main Cast: Kim Hae Sook (Park Bok-ja), Shin Min Ah (Bang Jin-joo), Kang Ki-young (the guide), Hwang Bo-ra (Mi-jin)
- Release Date: December 6, 2023
A film full of longing, blending gentle fantasy with deep emotion. “Our Season” tells the story of a mother who has passed away and is given the chance to return to the mortal world for three days to see her daughter. This brief time becomes a catalyst for mother and daughter to express long-hidden feelings: sadness, misunderstandings, and unspoken love.
Veteran actress Kim Hae-sook breathes life into the mother character with gentleness, compassion, and underlying regret. Shin Min-a, as the grown daughter carrying many burdens, creates a strong emotional counterpoint. Snow-covered scenes and the film’s slow pace resemble a sad poem about a belated reunion-but also a final chance for healing.
“Our Season” is not just a family story but also a call to cherish loved ones while we still can. It’s a must-watch for all generations, especially on Mother’s Day-when unsaid words can be voiced through cinema.
Kill Boksoon
- Director: Byun Sung-hyun
- Main Cast: Jeon Do Yeon (Gil Bok-soon), Sul Kyung-gu (Cha Min-kyu), Kim Si-a (Gil Jae-yeong), Esom (Cha Min-hee), Koo Kyo-hwan (Han Hee-seong)
- Release Date: March 31, 2023 (released globally on Netflix)
Not your typical gentle mother, Boksoon is a cold-blooded assassin in the underworld. But at home, she is a single mother struggling to raise her teenage daughter. These two opposing worlds-killing and nurturing-exist simultaneously within one person, and it is this contradiction that creates the film’s unique appeal.
Veteran actress Jeon Do-yeon delivers a character who is both tough and deeply emotional. Boksoon is imperfect-she doesn’t even know how to say “I love you”-but is willing to do anything to protect her child, even kill. The film poses an important question: Can a mother be both an assassin and someone who loves her child unconditionally?
“Kill Boksoon” was released globally on Netflix and received much praise from international critics for breaking traditional cinematic stereotypes about mothers. It’s an action film filled with psychological depth, suitable for viewers seeking a very different, very modern portrait of motherhood.
Moonlit Winter
- Director: Lim Dae-hyung
- Main Cast: Kim Hee Ae (Yoon-hee), Yūko Nakamura (Jun Katase), Kim So-hye (Sae-bom), Sung Yoo-bin (Kyung-soo), Hana Kino (Masako)
- Release Date: November 14, 2019 (premiered at Busan International Film Festival, October 2019)
Beneath the white snow of Otaru (Japan) lies an old love story never told. “Moonlit Winter” follows mother and daughter Yoon-hee and Sae-bom on an unexpected trip, where the daughter accidentally learns her mother once loved another woman in her youth. Without intense conflict or dramatic tears, the film unfolds at a gentle, unhurried pace, like the first snow covering old scars.
Kim Hee-ae plays the mother with a steadfast exterior but sorrowful eyes. Kim So-hye, as the daughter, acts as the key to unlocking her mother’s suppressed emotions, helping the two women from different generations see each other anew. Motherly love in “Moonlit Winter” is one of understanding-transcending prejudice and unnamed pain.
The film is an outstanding representative of Korean drama-romance, chosen as the closing film of the Busan International Film Festival and praised by international media as a “cinematic poem about memory and forgiveness.”
These five films not only portray the sacrifices and inner worlds of mothers but also reflect the evolving views of Korean society on motherhood and women. Each is a must-watch, especially for those who want to understand and appreciate the depth of maternal love.
