These Korean Films Show That Where There is a Wheel, There is a Way

How many of you have a thing for road trips? Do you like hitting the road without deciding on the destination? Simply taking in the journey, the experiences, and the unexpectedness that each milestone, and every nook and corner unfolds? Well, I do. But taking a detour, whether with or without people, is more my thing — not to avoid something, but to deliberately deviate from a direct course. Believe me, those are the most beautiful roads, the vistas of discovery.

As perfectly put by American journalist, sportswriter and novelist Steve Rushin, “You can be writing every day. When you go on a road trip, the trip itself becomes part of the story.” The stories that follow such ‘stories,’ in my opinion, are worth learning about. They are usually narratives concerning a ‘quest’ or an ‘outlaw chase’ (the two major subcategories of road movies). The idea here is that these films centered on travel are atypical eye-openers, typically shifting our vision of daily life. That is possibly why I’m so fond of the genre and so fascinated by the journey.

Now, Korean road movies are exceptional in and of themselves. They ingeniously blend with other themes to create subgenres, including road chase movies, road horrors, road film noir, road comedies, music concert tour movies, and the like. Through their innovative storytelling and treatment of situations, they deploy a vibrant visual extravaganza of rapidity, motion as well as emotions. So, if you prefer wide visual palettes, expansive scenery and enticing skylines interlaced with a compelling plot, try watching the following eight Korean road flicks.

Road Movie (2002)

Research indicates that road movies post-World War II tended to focus on male traveling partners. Women, however, were occasionally depicted as fellow travelers or as the male traveler’s love interest. As in Road Movie, the type can be spoofed or include characters who deviate from a heterosexual partnership or friendship. It is an intense love triangle between three social outcasts — a woman, a man in love with her, and a gay man in love with him — who embark on a road trip together.

Traces of Love (2006)

Quest road movies like Traces of Love ramble and explore the euphoric thrill of discovery. The story follows lovebirds Choi Hyun-woo (Yoo Ji-tae) and Seo Min-joo (Kim Ji-soo), who are engaged. Tragedy ensues out of the blue when Seo is slain in the Sampoong Department Store collapse (the largest peacetime disaster in South Korean history). Years later, Choi receives a diary written by Seo that details their honeymoon. He sets off to visit the places listed in the journal and meets another woman, Yoon Se-jin (Uhm Ji-won), along the way. Choi realizes that this encounter isn’t serendipity but something more.

Crossing (2008)

Helmed by director Kim Tae-kyun, Crossing was selected as South Korea’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards. It’s about a North Korean man who illegally flees the country to locate treatment for his sick wife, leaving their destitute son wandering in search of his father. The movie explores the myriad trials of North Korean civilians alongside well-shot moments that alternate between those of a distraught father and those of an alienated son. In line with one of the hallmarks of road movies that document nomadic journeys, the protagonists of Crossing are melancholic drifters attempting to cope with their wounds.

My Dear Enemy (2008)

A year after their breakup, two ex-lovers cross paths in Lee Yoon Ki’s film, My Dear Enemy. They are opposites in character since the man is flamboyant and the woman is restrained, but they are similar in circumstances since they are both financially broke. When the man who owes the woman a large sum of money says he can repay the loan by collecting cash from his acquaintances, comedy seeps in. What follows is a weird yet memorable adventure.

Maggie Lee, in her review piece published in the Hollywood Reporter, notes that the film, adapted from a Japanese novella, “translates beautifully into the Seoul urban-scape, as the narrative takes one through the city’s high rises and small alleys to absorb its mellow autumnal colors,” also adding, “This film is one journey that both protagonists and audience wish could go on longer.” In my mind, the journey is beautiful and effortlessly describes the resurgence of passion.

Sisters on the Road (2009)

After her mother’s demise, Myung Eun (Shin Min-ah) and her erratic older sister undertake a road trip in a bid to trace their father. In the process, Myung Eun and Myung Ju (Gong Hyo-jin) bicker about their differences, disclose secrets, hark back to their past, and ultimately bury the hatchet. The film, a poignant tale of two sisters on the road, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2008 and was released in South Korea the following year.

A Taxi Driver (2017)

This South Korean historical action-drama film, based on the true story of a taxi driver from Seoul (who unwittingly gets embroiled in the Gwangju Uprising of 1980), is directed by Jang Hoon and co-written by Eom Yu-na. While the film’s distinctive treatment of incidents and emotional impact received rave reviews, it was also selected as South Korea’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. A Taxi Driver is currently the twelfth highest-grossing South Korean film of all time.

Exchanges between German journalist Jürgen Hinzpeter (Thomas Kretschmann) and Korean driver Kim Sa-bok (Song Kang-ho) shape the cornerstone of the narrative. Point to be noted: because Kim’s actual identity and name were unknown at the time the movie was shot, a lot of his life and related events are imaginary.

The Box (2021)

The Box is about Ji Hoon (EXO’s Chanyeol), an aspiring singer, Min Soo (Cho Dal-hwan), a washed-up music producer, and their cross-country voyage set in South Korea. Ji Hoon, who has extreme stagefright, can only perform while wearing a box. His life begins to change, however, when he chances upon Min Soo. The Box is a jukebox musical road film, whose title track “Break Your Box” depicts Ji Hoon’s steady evolution through the course of the plot. The OST includes superhit songs by Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Louis Armstrong and others, as well as popular Korean hits.

K-pop: Lost in America (TBA)

It is reasonable to predict that more creative road movies will keep cropping up as the country’s film industry continues reimagining the essence of on-the-road cinema. In consideration of this, I’m quite intrigued by the upcoming movie K-pop: Lost in America. According to a source in Joongang Daily, the project of filmmaker Yoon Je-kyun and Hollywood producer Lynda Obst will begin production next year.

K-Pop: Lost in America is a coming-of-age road flick about a Korean boy band that travels to New York City for their American debut. Unfortunately, the band gets stranded in Waco, Texas, just days before their scheduled Madison Square Garden performance. Bereft of money or cell phones, the members must overcome their differences to get back to the city. Astro idol and popular South Korean actor Cha Eun-woo is being considered for the starring role alongside Hollywood actors Rebel Wilson and Charles Melton.