Unforgivable: Understandable, Less So

Directed by Lim Kyoung-ho and So Jun-beum, Unforgivable is undeniably a message movie about homophobia but what exactly is it trying to say? The film seems to be taking a stance against LGBTQ-focused prejudice yet it also recoils from labeling anyone as gay with even the likeliest queer man (Yoon Dong-won) being defended by his mother (Gil Hae-yeon) as likely to grow up and get married with kids if given the chance. Delusional? Unquestionably. Does it make for a stronger message if we confront the label of gay without any acknowledged gay characters on screen? Unlikely. Furthermore, were there misssed opportunities to confront internalized self-hate in the LGBTQ+ community? Undeniably.

The lead detective (Kim Jung-hyun) might be gay. His statistician sidekick (Choi Chan-ho) might be gay. An old friend who's a bartender might be gay. Et cetera. And while you're trying to figure out if anyone actually is a friend of Dorothy's, who isn't gets unncecessarily complicated as the actors playing younger, flashback versions of the characters unnervingly bear no resemblance to the men they'll become. And while I'm unreservedly thankful that the film producers did not resort to bad gray wigs and/or digital toolboxes for youthenizing, I unreservedly wish the casting agency had spent more time and shown more care in pairing up performers who play the same role at different ages. I would, however, like to commend all involved here for detailing how teasing quickly turns to tormenting, and how a culture revolted by male intimacy negates the love of bromance as well as M4M romance in board rooms and prisons and boot camps and junior highs. For that alone, Unforgivable is unforgettable.

Hidden Face: Caged Heat

What up-and-coming conductor (Song Seung-heon) is going to hire a replacement cellist (Park Ji-hyun) based solely on the USB drive that she's brought with her to the audition? And who wants to see a pseudo-non-consensual sex scene between this now-drunk woman and her new boss with the surfer hair, regardless of how pretty they both are? Well, whoever falls into that latter demographic is definitely going to get a little bit of what they desire in Kim Dae-woo's teetering-on-softcore, pulpy suspense pic Hidden Face> Because the two beautiful actors get naked and fornicate a few times.

Does the movie improve or deteriorate when the conductor's nepo ex-girlfriend (Cho Yeo-jeong) resurfaces then turns out to be the sapphic lover of his now new girlfriend-cellist? And when the two women are revealed to have a long history of bondage and dominance that took place in a hidden, soundproof room with two-way mirrors are we mortified or amused? Sadly, the only person truly concerned about the first girlfriend's disappearance is her ultra-rich momma (Cha Mi-kyung) who, naturally enough, funds the orchestra. That's okay. Because you should never underestimate the resourcefulness of a mother. Or the healing powers of kimchi soup.

Harbin: Revolutionary Movies

As the U.S. government slides towards white-supremacist, patriarchal fascism, Hollywood is not exactly taking up the call to arms with escapist fare like The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the new Michael Jackson biopic. Which is why we'd do well to turn towards Korea for movies like Woo Min-ho's Harbin, a 2024 release that glorifies the resistance movement that followed Japanese occupation in the early part of the 20th century. This is no hagiography, however. The rebel leader (Hyun Bin) disastrously lets the enemy free without weapons so children won't die fatherless when his Japanese counterpart (Park Hoon) would have gladly killed himself to save face. Poor decisions lead to mass collateral damage and a basement of peers are eager to take on the parts of judge and jury.

How do you defend stupid actions in a war? You often can't. What can you do to make things right? Revenge, assassinate, self-sacrifice, the usual. Although Harbin is very much a movie about leaders pitted against each other within and without the resistance movement, this movie equally belongs to its supporting characters: Gong Boo-in (Jeon Yeo-been), Russian translator and dynamite resource; Kim Sang Hyun (Jo Woo-jin), bespectacled, former POW with PTSD issues; Woo Deok-soon (Park Jeong-min), the pragmatic soldier who just wants a drink; and Park Jeom-cheol (Jung Woo-sung), the one-eyed, furcoat model and munitions dealer. Perhaps the underlying message here is that sometimes a group has to pitch in to remedy a mess made by higher-ups; and that being a traitor never works in your favor. As one character puts it, "If Japan writes history, no one will remember us." Then another rejoins, "When you're dead, you're dead." You might as well be true to yourself while you can. Because "we live in place of our dead comrades." Always true. "Korea! Ura!"

Boss: Meth Acting

Being head honcho of a mob isn't the respectable job it used to be in Ra Hee-chan's jopok comedy Boss. High ranking gangster Soon-tae (Jo Woo-jin) would rather pursue his dream of being a chef with a restaurant franchise; recently released convict Kang-pyo (Jung Kyung-ho) fantasizes about going back to school to study tango. The only person who wants to be the new don is Pan-ho (Park Ji-hwan), the son of the old don (Lee Sung-min) but nobody wants to elect that clown. He's stupid and has anger management issues. Family lineage no longer holds the clout it once did.

Four senior hoods with an unofficial leader (Oh Dal-su) work to ensure a smooth succession for this crime organization. So does Kang-pyo's over-the-top mother Lady Hong (Gil Hae-yon). But apparently it's not as simple as letting the next-in-line step up since two out of the three nominees want nothing to do with the recently opened position. Throw in a bumbling undercover cop (Lee Kyu-hyung) with endless spyware, a disatisfied wife (Hwang Woo-seul-hye), a grifting daughter (Cho Si-yeon), and another underworld organization called The Triad, and this screenplay gets overly complicated. Would it have been such a crime to keep the story less layered? When this movie shifts from "stabbing to a catchy soundtrack" to "backstabbing to facilitate dealing meth," the "say no to drugs" message is about as ineffective as when Nancy Reagan first uttered the phrase. Except this time, we've got incredibly effective comic bits in the finale.