Empowerd Women in Cinema

Nana "Hachi" Komatsu (Aoi Miyazaki) and Nana Osaki (Mika Nakashima) meet on a train to Tokyo, forming an instant connection despite their different dreams. Hachi hopes to start a new life with her boyfriend Shoji Endo (Yuta Hiraoka), while Nana aims to break into the rock music scene. After unexpectedly reuniting while apartment hunting, they decide to become roommates. As they navigate the challenges of city life, their friendship becomes a source of mutual support and strength. Each struggles to achieve her personal goals, facing the harsh realities of pursuing dreams in Tokyo. Their bond deepens as they share their hopes, fears, and experiences in the bustling metropolis. This is a 2005 Japanese drama film based on the manga by Ai Yazawa, directed by Kentaro Otani.

NANA

🎸 Black Stone Team 🌹

Noh Eun Hee (Kim Seo Hyung), a teacher with mysterious memory gaps, returns to her alma mater Gwangju High School as Vice Principal. She encounters Ha Young (Kim Hyun Soo), a student wrongly labeled as a troublemaker who is actually suffering severe bullying. Strange occurrences begin when Ha Young seeks refuge in an abandoned toilet, revealing a supernatural connection to Eun Hee's forgotten past. As an enigmatic high school student wearing only one shoe follows her, Eun Hee starts to unravel the dark secrets hidden within the school's walls. This supernatural thriller explores the haunting memories and unresolved trauma lurking beneath the surface of seemingly ordinary school life. "Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming" is a 2021 South Korean horror film directed by Lee Mi Young.

Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming

Spooky Scholars

Duk Hee (Ra Mi Ran), a hardworking single mother employed at a laundromat, becomes a victim of a devastating voice phishing scam that costs her 32 million won. Frustrated by the police's ineffective response, she decides to take action herself. Teaming up with two colleagues, Duk Hee embarks on a dangerous mission to track down the Chinese scammers. Along the way, she receives unexpected help from gang member Son Jae Min (Gong Myung), who provides crucial insider information about the criminal operation. Determined to recover her money and dismantle the fraudulent network, Duk Hee proves that an ordinary woman can become an extraordinary force against crime. This 2024 South Korean movie was based on a true story and was directed by Park Young Ju.

Citizen of a Kind

Jong Su (Yoo Ah In), a struggling introvert, encounters Hae Mi (Jeon Jong Seo), a childhood friend who reignites a romantic connection before leaving for Africa. Upon her return, she introduces Ben (Steven Yeun), a wealthy and mysterious man who becomes her new companion. Ben reveals a disturbing hobby of arson, which intrigues and unsettles Jong Su. When Hae Mi suddenly disappears, Jong Su becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering the truth behind her vanishing and Ben's dangerous predilections. His quest for answers leads him down a dark and uncertain path, blurring the lines between reality and suspicion. This is a 2018 South Korean psychological thriller directed by Lee Chang Dong, based on a short story by Haruki Murakami.

Burning

Popular YouTube influencer Yu Na (Park Ju Hyun) wakes up in the trunk of her car, kidnapped after a brand launch event. Her captor demands 1 billion won in exchange for her release, but Yu Na is unable to pay the entire amount up front. To raise the remainder of the money, Yu Na is given an hour to livestream from the trunk for donations, but her viewers think it's a tacky publicity stunt. Will she raise enough money or get saved by the police before it's too late? "Drive" is a 2023 Korean action film, directed by Park Dong Hee.

Drive

Yumi, an average office worker with dreams of becoming a writer, finally takes the plunge to pursue her passion. Quitting her job, she enters a writing competition, setting her brain’s myriad of cells into overdrive. “Schedule Cell” crafts the perfect writing plan, while “Writer Cell” seeks constant inspiration. Meanwhile, “Anxiety Cell” worries endlessly, and “Love Cell” struggles to recover from Yumi’s rocky relationship with Babi. Can Yumi’s cells navigate the emotional rollercoaster and help her achieve her dream? This 2024 South Korean animated film, directed by Kim Da Hee, is an adaptation of season two of the Korean live-action drama, originally based on Lee Dong Gun’s Webtoon.

Yumi's Cells: The Movie

Go Ju Yeon (Kim Hye Soo), a fading forty-something actress, finds her glamorous life feeling empty as her career declines and her younger boyfriend uses her for personal gain. Desperate to become a mother, Ju Yeon discovers she has reached menopause, crushing her dreams of motherhood. When she meets Dan Ji (Kim Hyun Soo), a pregnant teenager in need of help, Ju Yeon proposes an unconventional solution to her maternal longings. As their unusual arrangement unfolds, both women navigate complex emotional terrain, uncertain whether their risky plan will lead to the happiness they seek. This is a 2016 South Korean comedy-drama film directed by Kim Tae Gon that explores unexpected paths to family and fulfillment.

Familyhood

Hui Bao and Hui Xiang (both played by Shu Qi), identical twin actresses, pursue theater stardom with different levels of success. Bao performs in a play written by her lover Nan (Shawn Yue), but when she falls ill, Xiang replaces her and seemingly outperforms her sister. As tensions rise, a deadly love triangle emerges, driven by jealousy and rivalry. The sisters' complex relationship takes a dark turn when one of them mysteriously disappears, leaving everyone uncertain about which twin is missing. This 2012 Hong Kong suspense-drama film was directed by Carol Lai.

The Second Woman

👩🏻YouAreMe Team👩🏻

Ji Pei Zhen (Xu Fan) has devoted her life to her daughter Li Xiao Mei (Zhang Jing Yi) and husband Li Wen Fang (Xu Ya Jun), and her career as a teacher. However, Xiao Mei has long struggled under her mother's overbearing tendencies, fleeing their hometown of Qingdao to Beijing to pursue a career in TV production with limited success. After a last-minute change of plan, Xiao Mei returns to Qingdao to visit her family, but the family reunion quickly takes a turn when a CT scan reveals that Pei Zhen has an aggressive form of uterine cancer. With Pei Zhen's days numbered, can this family reconcile before it's too late? This 2021 Chinese film was directed by Zhao Tian Yu.

All About My Mother

It's All Greek To Me Team

Despite her amazing voice, Kang Hanna (Kim Ah Joong) has never been able to make her dreams of becoming a pop star come true, as she is too overweight to survive in the image-obsessed celebrity world. Instead, she secretly provides the voice for Ammy (Ji Seo Yun), who – despite her beauty – has no musical talent whatsoever. Hanna has a crush on Sang Jun (Joo Jin Mo), Ammy’s producer, but never considered confessing her feelings to him. However, Ammy has noticed the way Hanna looks at Sang Jun, and decides to make Hanna the butt of a joke at Sang Jun’s birthday party in a fit of jealousy. Devastated, Hanna decides to undergo extensive cosmetic surgery, returning under the stage name Jenny after a year of recovery. But will this physical transformation really bring Hanna happiness – and love? This award-winning 2006 South Korean movie, based on the hit manga “Kanna’s Big Success” by Yumiko Suzuki, was directed by Kim Yong Hwa.

200 Pounds Beauty

Team beyond standards

On the first day of their anatomy class, medical students Seon Hwa (Han Ji Min), Jung Seok (On Ju Wan) and Gi Beom (Oh Tae Kyung) are assigned to work on the cadaver of a young woman with a rose tattoo on her chest. Shortly after their first class, the students begin to experience the same nightmares and hallucinations featuring a one-eyed surgeon. Stranger still, Seon Hwa's classmates begin to show up dead – murdered, with their hearts removed from their bodies. Seon Hwa, convinced that these events have something to do with the cadaver she worked on in class, is determined to find out the woman's identity. Can she, Gi Beom, and Jung Seok find out the truth before it's too late?

Cadaver

🔪 First cut is the deepest

Lee Soon Young (Kim Sae Ron), a thirteen-year-old forced to be the head of her struggling household, cares for her mentally disabled father and sickly younger sister. Her uncle Mang Taek (Lee Chun Hee) sees an opportunity when he meets Steve, an American physician interested in adopting a healthy Korean girl. After signing a contract, Mang Taek plans to send Soon Young to America, which deeply troubles her. Her jealous sister Soon Ja (Kim Ah Ron) schemes to take her place, while Soon Young resists the idea of leaving her family. With Steve and his daughter Barbie's arrival, a critical decision must be made about which sister will go to America. This emotional journey explores family dynamics, sacrifice, and the difficult choices faced by a young girl bearing adult responsibilities. "Barbie" is a 2012 South Korean family drama film directed by Lee Sang Woo.

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