Last year, 60% of Korean box office hits received passing marks for gender equality, and in Hollywood, 54 out of 100 box office hits were female-led, indicating that ‘female power’ is growing stronger in the film industry around the world. Amid this, highly anticipated Korean films starring female leads are garnering much attention from moviegoers.

The occult horror film ‘The Nuns’, starring Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Yeo-bin, which was released in January, succeeded in breaking the break-even point (1.6 million) by attracting a cumulative audience of 1.66 million, and interest in films starring female leads that will continue this momentum is growing even more.

The first film to take up the baton from ‘The Nuns’ is ‘Invasion’, which was released on the 12th. Not only do three female actors, Kwak Sun-young, Kwon Yu-ri, and Lee Seol, play the lead roles, but female director Kim Yeo-jeong co-directed the film with director Lee Jung-chan.

The film tells the story of a mother (Kwak Sun-young) whose daily life is ruined because of her daughter who was born with psychopathic tendencies, and a woman (Yuri) who is overcome with anxiety when an intruder suddenly appears 20 years later. It was officially invited to film festivals in Korea and abroad, including the Busan International Film Festival, Hawaii, and Florence, and received favorable reviews early on for “deeply capturing the relationships and rifts between characters that unfold over a 20-year gap.”

‘Breakthrough’, starring Lee Hye-young as the sole lead, will be released in theaters in May. Based on the novel of the same name by author Koo Byung-mo, the film is an action thriller that depicts the story of a legendary female killer, Jo-gae, who has been active for 40 years, being chased by a mysterious killer. It is an unprecedented and unique work that has attracted curiosity by featuring a middle-aged female killer character in her 60s.

Ahead of its release, the film was first screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world‘s top three film festivals, on the 2nd, where it drew rave reviews. In particular, the American film media outlet Screen Daily said, “The intense action and emotional elements are strangely blended, and the orchestral music is overwhelming,” and “The 60-something main character is especially impressive enough to catch the attention of the film industry.”

The film ‘Sugar’, scheduled to be released in the first half of the year and led by Choi Ji-woo, is also drawing attention. This film is based on the real-life protagonist, a story about working mom Mira who struggles to support her young son Dongmyeong, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and changes the world.

‘Gyeongju Travelogue’, which features the synergy of female actors and a female director, is also expected. This film depicts a special family trip of four mothers and daughters who go to Gyeongju for revenge after hearing the news that the killer of their youngest daughter has been released from prison. Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon play the lead roles. Director Kim Mi-jo, who received favorable reviews for the independent film ‘The Seagull’, took the megaphone.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.