Exhuma and 4 Other Best Korean Movies Released in 2024 That You Could Miss

Korean cinema has long been on the international scene, but many films still escape the attention of audiences.

Here are five notable Korean films from the past year: the list includes both action movies and independent films with romantic and crime stories about people in big cities.

1. Exhuma, 2024

A wealthy Korean family in Los Angeles suffers from a family curse. They hire a group of shamans to remove the coffin containing the body of their great-grandfather and cremate him without opening it. But a hospital employee opens the coffin for selfish reasons, with terrible consequences.

This mystical horror is one of the top five highest-grossing films of all time in its home country. From the brief description, it might seem that this is just another variation of the usual horror story about a crazy evil spirit.

However, director Jang Jae-hyun makes the story visually rich and meaningful. As it should be for a modern horror, the movie deals with trauma.

2. Love in the Big City, 2024

The story of a long-standing friendship between eccentric college student Jae-hee and shy queer guy Jang Heung-soo. Both exist on the fringes of Korean society in the 2010s, alienated from their peers.

They are destined to become best friends and move into the same apartment. As Jae-hee and Heung-soo enter adulthood, the movie follows their journey to find love in the big city.

The independent romantic comedy gained international attention after its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The film was praised for both its original storyline and deep emotional impact.

3. The Plot, 2024

Yeong-il and his team of killers disguise their murders as accidents. Things get complicated when one of the gang members dies under the same circumstances as the victim of their last staged murder.

Yeong-il is sure that the members of the rival organization, who are almost impossible to find, are behind the incident. Will he be able to get out of the labyrinth of his own suspicions?

The Plot is a puzzle movie. In an hour and a half, the viewer will have time to get lost in speculation more than once, and it is not a fact that he, like the main character, will be able to find all the answers.

4. Revolver, 2024

Police Sergeant Soo-young agrees to take the blame for the crimes of her corrupt colleagues in exchange for financial compensation. After serving two years, Soo-young is released from prison, hoping to receive the promised reward.

However, the lover who dragged her into the case has shot himself, and her former colleagues remain silent. In order to get back what is owed to her, Soo-young buys a revolver and descends into the criminal underworld of Seoul.

Revolver is perfect for fans of slow paced action movies. One in which the action does not flare up as fast as in a typical revenge movie and the eyes do not get tired from the editing jumps.

5. Following, 2024

Realtor Gu Jeong-tae's hobby is breaking into people's homes and spying on their lives. One day, a female blogger becomes his client. He starts visiting the woman's apartment until he stumbles upon her dead body.

Soon, Jeong-tae is being blackmailed by someone who took a photo of him at the blogger's house. The situation is complicated by the appearance of a detective who suspects the real estate agent of murder.

It is a paranoid thriller with many twists and a dynamic plot. Director Kim Se-hwi explores the intersection of perversions and social networks and once again diagnoses the blurring of boundaries between public and private life.