Korean dramas teach viewers life lessons that often move them to tears, but Korean movies are no less. Aside from providing inspiring storylines and excitement, these movies change how we see the world providing us with deep gratification, making life a little brighter. Whether it's a familial bond, friendships, relationships, or finding yourself and meaning in life, these shows can help us gain insight. These movies provide an escape while also providing a reality check that helps people grow. Here are Top 10 Korean movies that will give you valuable life lessons.
1. More Than Family
More than a family is a movie about To Il, an undergraduate student who finds out that she is pregnant with the child of her student and boyfriend, Hohoon. After five months, she reveals the secret to her mother and stepfather only to get a scolding. She must now find the birth father without the help of her fiancé, who had vanished. This movie teaches us about family, love, respect, and togetherness.
2. Josée
Joséeis a heart-warming film adapted from a Japanese short story written by Seiko Tanabe Josee, the tiger, and the fish. The movie follows the story of Joséeand young Seok, Joséeis a girl who uses a wheelchair and spends the majority of her time studying while Young Seok is a college scholar. With their encounter, Josée’slife slowly begins to change. The movie teaches us not to be afraid of changes and how to find ourselves even in the darkness.
3. The Himalayas
The Himalayas is based on the real-life experiences of a former mountaineer, Um Hong Gi. The movie follows Um Hong Gil’s team’s expedition to recover the body of their friend on Mount Everest. Despite the objections because of his leg injury he decides to ascend Everest for his friend’s body. This is a movie about friendship and how the right purpose can overcome all odds.
4. New Year Blues
New Year blues is a film about four different couples and shows their challenges, desires, and concerns as they spend a week over New Year’s Eve. The movie has an exciting mix of characters. It includes a Paralympic snowboarder to a police detective who faces different problems in their relationship during the last week of the year. This is a light-hearted movie but also accentuates small yet significant details of life like human emotions, relationships, and the true meaning of life itself.
5. Inseparable Bros
This movie is about Se Ha, a brainy person who is disabled with a wheelchair, and Dong Goo, who has an intellectual disability, both of them being as different as sky and water yet making a perfect pair for each other. They get patched because of a friend who gives them a boost in exploring the world without reservation. The twist is marked by the return of Dong Goo’s biological mother, who had abandoned him, and threatens their brotherhood. The movie teaches us a lot about the pure relationship of friendship and exceeding prejudice.
6. Little Forest
Little forest follows Song Hye won who returns to her childhood home in the countryside after failing to pass the qualification exam to be a teacher. She starts to reconnect with her childhood friend and tries to find purpose in her life. This movie carries a simple yet important message about life, that when things don’t go as planned it’s crucial to take a step back and reflect on what to do next. The importance of cherishing small things was highlighted in this movie.
7. As One
As one is a movie based on the first South and North Korean table tennis team that competed in the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. With the Chiba tennis championship just weeks away, South Korean table tennis player Hyun Jung Hwa hears that a combined Korean table tennis team will be formed and she opposes the idea. She and the top North Korean player Lee Boon Hee along with their respected teams don’t seem to get along at the training centre. Eventually, they set aside their differences and play as one team. The movie teaches us the importance of brotherhood.
8. Punch
Punch is a movie based on unconventional and unorthodox themes circling intercultural marriage, rigid education system, economic vulnerability, etc. the story is about a high school student, Do Wan Deuk, who lives with his father Jeong Bok and Uncle Min Gu. His homeroom teacher, Lee Dong Ju, also lives as his neighbour on the rooftop. The movie spirals around the student-teacher relationship and how his teacher inspires Do Wan Deuk to be a better person. It’s based on the novel Wandeuk by Kim RyeoRyeong.
9. The Sound Of A Flower
The sound of a flower is a movie based on the life of JinChaeSeon. It’s a historical movie about JinChae's son, who was the first Pansori singer in the Joseon Dynasty. She grows up enjoying pansori performances. But at that time, females were not allowed to learn Pansoriand perform in public. She finds a teacher, Shin Jae Hyo, who agrees to train her for the national Pansori contest organized by the king’s father. But people should not discover that she is a woman or both of them would be executed. Starring Bae Suzy as Chae Soon, this movie teaches us to be resilient and work hard for our goals even if we face many hurdles.
10. Minari
Minari is yet another masterpiece that taught us life lessons. This movie follows a story about a Korean American family that moves to an Arkansas farm searching for their American dream. The family changes with the arrival of their grandmother. Amidst all the challenges, they learn the importance of one’s roots and family. Minari teaches us how important one’s families roots are.
