Hotel at 00:00– directed by Nam Gi-nam. Starring Baek Il-seob, Choi Hee-jin, Kim Dong-hyeon, Kwon Soon-yeong, Lee Eun-sook and Byeon Hee-bong. Running time: 101 minutes. Original Release Date: May 20, 1983

My internet TV provider had added recently added Hotel at 00:00 to its horror/thriller menu. Before deciding whether or not to watch it, I checked with the KMDB to read what they have to say. Here is a description of the according to the Film Archives:
“Wu Nam-ho is the second son of the head of Wuil Corporation. Nam-ho and his bride Hye-won stay at a hotel before leaving for the Canadian branch and their honeymoon. However, the bride is murdered. At this time, Sung-min, after his release from jail, kidnaps the popular singer Mun Hi-seon and brings her to the hotel. The investigators look into Hye-won’s personal life. Of the three men she dated, they suspect Dong-gu and arrest him. He confesses that he went into the room to kill Hye-won but she was already dead. It is revealed that Nam-ho is actually the murderer. A complicated relationship between Nam-ho, Hye-won, and Nam-ho’s brother became the impetus for murder.”

The Korean version of the above is an abbreviated description of a plot synopsis I read published 1985 and basically says the same thing. However, that is not what happens in this film. Yes, Nam-ho marries Hye-won and they are celebrating with their friends at a pre-honeymoon party at the hotel they will be staying at before embarking on their trip. However, it is not Hye-won who is murdered. She is not in the room when someone enters the hotel suite, interrupting Nam-ho’s shower, and slashing the handsome, young man’s throat while he gawks in surprise at his attacker. The vicious attack happens so quickly that hardly any struggle is involved. Hyewon later brings her brother in-law and his wife up from the hotel nightclub to have them say goodbye to Nam-ho, intead they find him sprawled in the bathroom, quite dead.

The police are promptly called and they begin an investigation into the unfortunate victim’s death. However, it is here that the movie gets derailed. This is namely because it gets too distracted by unrelated side plots. The most major of these is the kidnapping of the night club singer Moon Hee-seon (or Mun Hi-seon as written above). Threatened with an old-syle, straight-edged razor, Hee-seon has little choice by accompany her attacker back to his room where he reveals himself to be her ex-boyfriend. Out of prison, he has hunted her down and confronted Moon with her perceived betrayal of the love they shared when they were both youngsters on Jeju Island. He even goes so far as to insinuate that it was this betrayal the led him to a life of crime. There are a couple of reasons to have this incident taking place in the very hotel where a murder was just committed. One is to provide a red-herring suspect. The razor Seong-min is wielding as he kidnaps and continues to theaten Hee-seon looks exaclly the same as the murder weapon. The blade is the only thing we see as Nam-ho is killed.

The other reason the kidnapping case goes on far too long and we spend too much time away from the main plot is more unfortunate. The threat of rape becomes constant for Moon about halfway through the film. In her first escape attempt, Hee-seon’s dress is torn off in the most improbable and lurid fashion. For the majority of her scenes afterwards, Hee-seon is in her underwear until a kindly policeman covers her near the end. This type of uncomfortable sexual situation is what I feel often marks Korean films from this periods and makes the ’80s– and early 90’s– my least favorite period of Korean cinema. Moon’s situation is not the only example of sexual perversion in the film but the other, although more important to the film, is thankfully carefully edited and mostly implied. Apparently, Nam-ho had a fetish for whipping which turns out to be the reason for his death. It is a credit to Nam Gi-nam that, despite the sometimes uncomfortable shots of the shivering Hee-seon, she is rescued before she can be raped and that Nam-ho’s turn-on is handled with some restraint. I have not been a huge fan of director Nam’s work, but I think that is probably because most of the things I have watched from him were primarily aimed at children. For example, he was the original director of Shim Hyeong-rae’s Young-gu films and his most recent movies have featured the cast of Gag Concert (a weekly comedy series) and are also meant for much younger audience members than I.

Hotel at 00:00 (which is a title I opt to read as Hotel at Zero Hour since it sounds dramatic) is rather bland as it meanders around its plot. I mentioned the kidnapping incident, but we visit several other hotel rooms and spend a little too much time in each and this distracts from the plot which should have been the center of the film. The closing scene where the police inspectors wax profound at the slice of humanity they witness in the course of that evening seems an loose attempt to justify spending so much time away from the murder mystery, but it is too little, too late. Calling it a thriller is certainly a stretch. However, few people will be able to judge because this movie is not available on DVD.

I would give it a rating of four stars out of ten. The KMDB and Daum offer no ratings, but 4 Naver users gave it an average rating of 6 out of ten stars.. overly generous I think.

Films with Release Dates– Updated October 31, 2015… More to follow

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THAT MAN– Thriller– Starring: Joo Won, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Yoo Yeong– Directed by Yoon Joon-hyeong (Mokdugi Video)– October 28, 2015.

THE LIAR– Drama– Starring: Kim Ggot-bi, Jeon Shin-hwan, and Lee Seon-hee– Directed by Kim Dong-myeong (Locker Room)– Opening October 29, 2015

CRUEL STATE– Documentary– Directed by Kim Jin-yeol (Forgotten Warriors) — Opening October 29, 2015

SUMMER SNOW– Drama– Starring: Ji Jin-hee, Kim Seong-gyun, and Seong Yoo-ri– Directed by Jeon Yoon-soo (Le Grand Chef)– Opening October 29, 2015

LOST CHOICES– Crime/ Thriller– Starring: Yoon So-yi, Shin Hyeon-bin, and Kim Hyeok– Directed by Ahn Yong-hoon (debut)– Opening October 29, 2015

CRYBABY BOXING CLUB– Documentary– Directed by Lee Il-ha (debut)– Opening October 29, 2015

NO TOMORROW– Thriller– Starring: Park Hyo-joo, Bae Seong-woo, and Lee Hyeon-wook– Directed by Lee Ji-seung (Ajuma)–Opening date October, 2015 (delayed)

A KOREAN IN PARIS– Drama– Starring: Jo Jae-hyeon, Paeng Ji-in– Directed by Jeon Soo-il (I Came From Busan)– Opening date October, 2015 (delayed)

THE PRIESTS– Mystery/Drama– Starring: Kim Yoon-seok, Kang Dong-won, and Park So-dam– Directed by Jang Jae-hyeon (director of many short films including The 12th Assistant Deacon)– Opening November 5, 2015

WILD FLOWERS– Drama– Starring: Jo Soo-hyang, Jeong Ha-dam, and Kwon Eun-soo– Directed by Park Seok-yeong (Steel Flower)– Opening November 5, 2015.

OLD BICYCLE– Drama– Starring: Choi Jong-won, Park Min-sang, and Park Sang-myeon– Directed by Moon Hee-yoong (I Love You)– Opening November 12, 2015

“LOVE AT THE END OF THE EARTH“– Romance/Drama– Starring: Han Eun-jeong, Jo Dong-hyeok, and Kong Ye-ji– Directed by Kim In-shik (Road Movie)– Opening November 12, 2015

INSIDE MEN– Crime/Drama– Starring Lee Byeong-heon, Jo Seung-woo, Baek Yoon-shik– Directed by Woo Min-ho (The Spies, Man of Vendetta)– Opening November, 2015

ALICE: THE BOY FROM WONDERLAND– Fantasy/Horror/Romance–Starring Jeong So-min, Hong Jong-hyeon, and Jeong Yeon-joo– Directed by Heo Eun-hee (My Heart Beats)– Opening November, 2015

TIMING– Animation– Directed by Min Kyeong-jo (Audition)– Opening November, 2015

LIKE A FRENCH FILM– Drama– Starring Kim Da-Som, Shin Min-cheol, and Steven Yeun– Directed by Shin Yeon-shik (Russian Novel, Rough Play)– Opening November, 2015

CEYLON SERENDIPITY– Drama– Starring Kim Min-che, Kwon Joong-mok, and Lee Min-seo– Directed by Kwon Joong-mok (Midnight in Seoul)– Opening December 10, 2015

Running Man– Directed by Jo Dong-oh. Starring Shin Ha-gyun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Sang-ho, Jo Eun-ji and Oh Seong-je. Running Time: 127 minutes. Release Date: April 4, 2013

Cha Jong-woo finds himself in more trouble than he can handle when a mysterious passenger whom had hired him as a driver winds up murdered in the back of Cha’s car-but not before accidently sending an encoded message onto Jong-woo’s phone. Now Cha is on the run from not only the local police, but also secret agents who want the secrets the phone contains and a mysterious assassin who will do anything to ensure that Cha does not get out of this alive. However, Cha has a ragtag collection of allies who believe in his innocence despite the circumstantial evidence that he is a killer. Among the core members of this group are Cha’s troubled teenaged son, Ki-hyeok, a quirky and tenacious reporter whose antics sometimes cause one to question her sanity, and a low-level police officer who has unfortunately lost the respect of the entire precinct. Together they race to try save Cha before he has nowhere left to run and it’s up to Cha to keep alive until then.

I was at first curious about this film because Shin Ha-gyun who plays the lead role of Cha Jong-woo, is one of my favorite actors. However, I have to admit that I never considered him as an action star. I was pleasantly surprised in the first half of the film where he does a credible, albeit a less powerful, version of some early Jackie Chan stunts which were genuinely fun if you can suspend your disbelief regarding the possibility of pulling off such stunts in real life without loss of life. I wish the film had managed to keep the Jackie Chan homage up for the duration of the movie, however the story undergoes a tonal shift and becomes much darker about halfway through the rather long running time. Actually, it becomes darker both figuratively and literally. The turning point is not the death of someone close to Cha at the hands of the ‘Dark Man’ (as actor Jo Woon is credited)—a rather fun escape scene follows at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Instead it comes after a family member’s life is threatened. However, it becomes more literal as most scenes following this point take place at night. In fact, may major complaint is this point. The last twenty or thirty minutes of this film are so ill lit that It was difficult to tell what was going on and who was present during the action.

While Shin is generally an excellent actor, his character does seem to chew up the scenery a bit in this film and it would have benefited the movie he had shown a little restraint. Even so, he is still enjoyable to watch and I have always felt that he dives whole-heartedly into each role he takes. But how do the other actors fair?

There is Lee Min-ho as Ki-hyeok.. not the Lee Min-ho who starred in Men Over Flowers, this is a younger actor. Lee does a good job with what he is given but, as I mentioned with some of the action scenes, you need to check your disbelief at the door in regards to Ki-hyeok. The writing hurts this character tremendously, saddling him with mother-abandonment issues as an excuse for his dour and disrespectful personality. Prudent editing of that whole subplot, as well as his brutal beating of an underserving classmate that frankly should have landed him in jail would have improved the character immensely and would have served the dual function of whittling down the running time. While 127 minutes may not more than average for a film, I was checking the clock on and off through some of these unnecessary scenes involving the younger Cha wondering when the movie would finish.

Some of the supporting characters were much more interesting. Kim Sang-ho as Officer Ahn gives a solid performance and Jo Woon as the ‘Dark Man’ merely has too look menacing as in most of his movies, but he does that extremely well. However, one of the best characters was the unusual reporter , Park Seon-yeong played by Jo Eun-ji. Jo’s birdlike motions and features add a strange, quirky and sometimes quite uncomfortable feeling to the character. She is someone I loved watching but wouldn’t really want to be associated with in real life as she was too unpredictable and her immaturity sometimes comes across as if she is not playing with a full deck. She does, however, manage to steal most scenes that she is in.

What is my final evaluation of the movie? It is watchable if not particularly memorable. Like I said earlier, I wish it had stuck to the comic action in the style of an early Jackie Chan film instead of trying to get all dark and gritty which unfortunately has made it blur into one of a thousand of shoot-‘em-up action films that I have watched over the decades and it is unlikely I will remember plot details this time next year. Daum web browser has it rated at 8.0 out of 10 while Naver gives it a similar 7.98 from internet users but a 6.4 from film critics and reporters. I would have to agree with the latter and I would rate it about 6 out of ten stars.. but that is mostly because of Shin Ha-gyun’s effort.

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There will be five movies available for purchase, although the first of the films pictured above can hardly be called a new movie and was likely released a decade ago. However, Pisces will be available once again. The other movies you can buy this week are all smaller, indie films. If I were able to only choose one, my pick this week would be torn between Perfect Number and Paradox Circle. It may be worth your while to check out this film. The details for each DVD are listed below– not all the films available this time have English subtitles..

Pisces– directed by Kim Hyeong-tae and starring Lee Mi-yeon and Choi Woo-je. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean, English and Japanese/ Rating: suitable for ages 15+/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 98 minutes/ Suggested Retail Price: 9,900 KRW/ Available: February 13

Dirty Blood– directed by Kang Hyo-jin & starring Yoon Joo and Im Dae-il. Number of Discs: 1/ Subtitles: None/ Rating: for mature viewers/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: 133 minutes/ Suggested Retail Price: 22,000 KRW/ Available: February 14

Paradox Circle– directed by Kim Seong-hoon, starring Kim Jeong-hak and Jeong Wook. Number of Discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: suitable for ages 15+/ Format: 16:9 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 102 minutes/ Available: Febuary 14

Peach Tree– directed by Ku Hye-seon and starring Jo Seung-woo and Ryu Deok-hwan. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean/ Rating: suitable for ages 15+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 106 minutes/ Available: February 15

Perfect Number– directed by Bang Eun-jin, starring Ryu Seung-beom and Lee Yo-won/ Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: suitable for ages 15+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 119 minutes/ Available: February 15

Usually the Lunar New Year is a great time to open new films, but with the holiday falling on the weekend, it has shortened the time off from work that people usually have resulting in just one actual day off. That day will probably be spent travelling back from meeting with family. Not a lot of time to watch films. So this holiday, we have just one new film opening. South Bound was directed by Im Soon-rae and stars Kim Yoon-seok, Oh Yeon-soo and Han Ye-ri. Here is the trailer:

Miracle In Cell No. 7 <2013>– Directed by Lee Hwan-kyeong. Starring Ryu Seung-ryong as Yong-gu, Park Shin-hye as adult Ye-seung, Kal So-won as young Ye-seung and Oh Dal-soo as ‘the gangster’

This past weekend, I took a rare trip up to Seoul to visit a friend. While there, we decided to see a movie and, since neither of us had seen The Berlin File, that is what we opted for. However, going to the theater in Seoul is far different than going to see a movie in Jeonju. Here, you usually do not need to make a reservation. If a movie is sold out, you simply walk across the street to another theater..and each theater has enough screens so that popular films will be on more than one screen in each multiplex and staggered so you don’t have to wait long. In Seoul, you must make a reservation and, since we had decided this course of action on the spur of the moment, there was no way we were going to be able to see Berlin File. We were in Myeongdong at the time where my friend will be opening a health club and the CGV there has quite a limited number of screens. Berlin File was sold out for the next two screenings so, instead of going to some other place, we chose to watch Miracle in Cell No. 7. I was unsure about this decision, but I had been hearing some good things about movie so I thought I would give it a chance.

One of the things I had heard was that it was like the film I Am Sam but not having seen that film, that didn’t mean much to me until I looked it up on the internet. After reading about I Am Sam, I have to disagree with the assessment that the two films are similar. In the Miracle in Cell No. 7, the father and daughter are separated by the fact that he is in prison, not because anyone is challenging his parenting skills based on his mental capacity. Instead, this new movie reminded by of the Korean film Harmony with one major difference. I spent most of my time sobbing while watching Harmony while the Miracle in Cell No. 7 divides its time between comedy and drama and leans more heavily to the comedic side.

The story is about the love Yong-gu and his daughter Ye-seung. When Yong-gu is arrested and charged with murdering a child for her bag that he wanted to give to his daughter, the pair of devastated. An elaborate plan is hatched by Yong-gu’s cellmates to find a way to reunite the two. It’s a story where it is necessary to suspend disbelief and accept some coincidencs.

I loved the opening scene of the adult Ye-seung leaving the prison in the snow and the yellow balloon floating above the grounds, symbols of new purity and memories respectively. And I became engrossed in the story as it unfolded, so much so that I failed to realize that two hours had already passed by the time it was finished. One of the interstesing things about the story is the big question, Did Yong-gu kill the little girl?

Well, I am not going to tell you here. I may write spoilers on twenty or thirty year old movies but I am not going to do it for a film that is still in theaters, and doing very well thank you. So, if you get the chance, head out to the movies during this coming long weekend and give it a chance. It is very good and a movie that I would not mind watching again. Maybe I will if Berlin File is sold out again…

There are three Korean movies opening for the first weekend in February. The first of these is opening today (January 30th) and has an incredible cast which includes Ha Jeong-woo, Han Seok-gyu, Ryu Seung-beom and Jeon Ji-hyeon! The title of the movie is The Berlin File and it is directed by Ryu Seung-wan.

The second film is a romantic comedy entitled The Etudes of Love by director Lee Yoon-hyeong. It stars Jeong Da-hye and Yeon Je-wook

And then there is the mystery A Fish, starring Lee Jang-hoon and Kim Jeon-bin, directed by Park Hong-min.

There are a total a five movies being released on DVD this week. They are listed below.

Both of the movies in the image above are documentaries. The one pictured left is The Forgotten Bag by director Kim Sang-cheol and features Kwon Oh-joong and Lee Hyeon-woo. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: None/ Rating: suitable for all ages/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: 70 minutes/ Available: January 29

The second film in that image is Red Maria directed by Kyeong Soon and features ‘Grace’ and ‘Rita’ Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Format: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0/ Running Time: 98 minutes/ Available: January 29

A Company Man was directed by Im Sang-yoon and starred So Ji-seob and Lee Mi-yeon. Number of Discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: suitable for mature audiences/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 96 minutes plus 56 minutes on the second disc/ Available: January 30

Spy stars Kim Myeong-min and Yoo Hae-jin. It was directed by Woo Min-ho. Number of discs: 1/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: suitable for ages 15+/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorophic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 115 minutes plus 82 minutes of extras/ Available: January 30

The last Korean movie on DVD this week is Traffickers starring Im Chang-jeong and Daniel Choi. Number of discs: 2/ Subtitles: Korean and English/ Rating: suitable for mature audiences/ Format: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen/ Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1/ Running Time: 111 minutes plus 40 minutes of extras/ Available: February 1

ANOTHER’S NEST <1982&gt;– directed by Lee Gi-hwan. Starring Kim Mi-sook as Soo-hee , Ha Myeong-joong as Byeong-no and Ahn Seong-ki as Min-wook. Running Time: originally 105 minutes–see below. Originally released on November 20, 1982>

Soo-hee wants a baby more than anything in the world. She is not feeling fulfilled as a housewife and has filled her side of the bedroom with baby dolls..the larger of which she knits clothes and booties for. Her husband, Byeong-ho has filled his side of the room with cacti, a symbol of the fact that he is unable to father a child. This unfortunate condition constantly preys on his mind and he searches desperately for a cure through both ordinary channels and the extreme, like drinking fresh snake’s blood. He clearly loves his wife and sympathizes with her desire for a family. He tries to distract her by providing her with anything she wants..new clothes, a beautiful, modern apartment.. to no avail. Whenever Soo-hee sees children at play, her mind wanders away and she becomes sullen and distant. This distance is growing into an insurmountable gulf with her husband and Soo-hee is soon seeking attention from men outside of the home…and with one man in particular..Min-wook. The two meet with growing frequency and both start to become careless in keeping their relationship a secret from Byeong-no. One especially close call sends Min-wook out of the window on a tiny ledge some 10 or 12 stories above the ground.

This narrow escape does nothing to diminish Min-wook’s desire to be with Soo-hee and he all but confesses to Byeong-no that he has been sleeping with his wife. Soo-hee, for her part, becomes cold and suspicious towards her husband, creating scenarios in her head in which her jealous husband murders both herself and Min-wook. Then one day, Soo-hee’s prayers are answered when a visit to her doctor confirms that she is pregnant, but when she tells her husband it does not have the desired result. First of all, she is no longer in love with Byeong-no and the thought of raising a child with him no longer interests her. Secondly, it makes Byeong-no very suspicious of his wife’s behavior. Despite all the treatements and tonics he has been trying, Byeong-no knows that he will never be able to father a child and he starts paying closer attention to what his wife is up to. Her late night disappearing act from the home is no longer going unnoticed and Byeong-no eventually learns the truth about his best friend and his wife. Rather than confront the pair, he starts playing mindgames with them like frightening his wife with a box of snakes. His torment of Min-wook is a little more serious when he nearly has him crushed under a hydraulic press they are working on.

Although Soo-hee never learns of her lover’s near-death experience, she begins to fear for both of their lives and makes a plan to run away with Min-wook. In spite of some snags along the way, the pair are able to escape and wind up at a seaside villa. There they passionately confirm their love, blissfully unaware that Byeong-no has located them and is on his way for a final confrontation.

It is hard to stay interested in the film when you begin to really hate the main character. Her treatment of Byeong-no was terrible. I am not saying that it was necessary for her to stay with him especially when it is clear that she no longer loves him, but she had no basis for creating scenarios in her head in which Byeong-no is a vicious killer. Also, her motive for cheating was rather shallow. She is bored. She knits baby clothes for a child whom she doesn’t have and stares out the window at the children playing outside her apartment complex. It is also strongly suggested that sex with Byeong-no is not very satisfying as the rather stubby, malformed cactus he is nursing when we are introduced to him not-so-subtly indicates. So she seeks sexual satisfaction outside of the house. Although she is meeting Min-wook from the very beginning of the film, there is no indication that she knows who he is or his connection with her husband. Their secret meetings are done entirely in pitch blackness from the moment she walks in the door of Min-wook’s home. The only way Min-wook learns more about her is by following her out.

Once the two realize that they are connected through Byeong-no, Min-wook seems to take this as a new and exciting challenge. He flirts with danger by strongly dropping hints to Byeong-no about his relationship with his wife. Prior to that, he often filled in his friend and co-worker on his sexual escapades with a mysterious girl. Later, he convinces himself that Soo-hee needs rescuing from her husband whom we have seen up to that point showing nothing but kindness to Soo-hee. In his mind, Soo-hee moves from being a fantasy sexual adventure to a real-life adventure where he must save the damsel in distress. Does he really love her? Despite what he may say to Soo-hee, I think that he does not. Once she becomes available, the adventure will be over. I think it was telling how distant he was during the final, anti-climatic confrontation in which all of Soo-hee assumptions and fears about her husband and what he is capable of prove to be false. By the end, she is free to go with Min-wook and have their child together, but I wonder how long their relationship will last now that it is not forbidden and dangerous anymore. And that is not just because of Min-wook.. even Soo-hee continues with her coy ‘turn off the lights’ game prior to sex, re-creating the atmosphere of forbidden love when it is no longer necessary.

After watching the film, I read what was written about it on the KMDb. To my surprise, there was an extra sentence that implied Byeong-no kills himself, however this does not happen in the movie. I then did some checking and found that a scene had been removed from the original script in which Byeong-no does indeed kill himself after admitting to himself that Soo-hee and Min-wook are in love and that he has lost his wife forever. The version I saw was apparently from the VHS release which was a full 15 minutes shorter than the theatrical release. I, for one, am glad that was left on the cutting room floor when the video version was made. It makes Byeong-no more sympathetic and courageous and less in need of our pity.

Another’s Nest is not available on DVD. I was able to view this film via HanaTV.

We have three new Korean movies opening in theaters for the last weekend of January. Normally movies open on Thursday in Korea, but there have been a couple of films that are getting released today, a day early. One of them is the Spanish/Canadian co-produced horror film Mama, whose trailers have gotten me curious.  The other is the Korean film Miracle in Cell No. 7. <the official English title is not ‘a gift of seven room’ as the Youtube trailer seems to indicate>

Next we have a film that is actually from 2007 and was on the film festival circuit. The poster has the English title Busan Flounder- Redux . This film is likely to have a limited release. Because of the age and nature of the movie, I was unable to find a trailer. However, there is a music video featuring scenes of this film that effectively serve as a trailer.

Finally, there is a documentary entitled Sea of Butterfly which was also screened quite successfully at many film festivals.