'One Win,' 'Firefighters' and other films to see in Korean cinemas (2025)

One Win (12)
Drama / 107 min. / Korean / Dec. 4

Overwhelmed by a sense of defeat, a ragtag volleyball team’s goal is not to be No. 1 but just to win one game.

Jeong-won, a member of a chaebol family, buys a professional volleyball team named Pink Storm, which was on the verge of disbandment. Hepromises to give out 2 billion won ($1.43 million) to the first 100 fans who purchase season tickets on the condition that the team wins just one match in the entire season.

The team, having lost its star players and the confidence of the rest of the squad, is feeling uncertain, as are the fans. However, head coach Woo-jin is determined to make it work one last time, aiming for that one critical win.

Song Kang-ho, famous for his role in “Parasite” (2019), portrays the volleyball team’s head coach, Woo-jin, and Park Jeong-min, known for “Uprising” and “Smugglers” (2023), takes on the role of Jeong-won.

Director and screenwriter Shin Yeon-shick, Best Screenplay award winner at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet” (2016), directs the film.

Firefighters (12)
Drama / 106 min. / Korean / Dec. 4

What does it mean to be a firefighter?

A novice firefighter, Cheol-woong, is navigating the early stages of his career with the guidance and support of his experienced colleagues. During his first mission to extinguish a fire, he starts to panic when his oxygen alert system begins beeping.

Overwhelmed by fear, Cheol-woong breaks down a door, allowing oxygen to rush in, causing an explosion. Adding fuel to the fire, the gas tanks in each room of the building begin blowing up, resulting in the death of his colleague. Haunted by guilt, Cheol-woong blames himself, thinking that he is the main contributor to this incident.

A few days later, an arsonist sets fire to an old building in Hongje-dong, a neighborhood in western Seoul. As six firefighters work to extinguish the flames, the building unexpectedly collapses, requiring additional rescue personnel and equipment. The newly dispatched rescue teams face significant challenges due to illegally parked cars and narrow alleys, making their efforts increasingly difficult.Can Cheol-woong overcome his fears and perform his duties?

Joo Won, known for his roles in “Carter” (2022) and “Fashion King” (2014), will take on the role of novice firefighter Cheol-woong. Actors Kwak Do-won and Yoo Jae-myung play Cheol-woong’s colleagues Jin-seop and In-ki, respectively.

Director Kwak Kyung-taek, known for making films based on true stories such as “Dark Figure of Crime” (2018) and “The Classified File” (2015), takes the helm.

Hidden Face (19)
Thriller / 115 min. / Korean / Nov. 20

Trapped in a hidden room behind the mirror, a cellist is forced to observe her fiancé's growing lust for another woman.

Soo-yeon, the cellist in an orchestra conducted by Seong-jin, disappears after leaving behind a video in which she expresses uncertainty about marrying him. Heartbroken over his fiancée's sudden disappearance, Seong-jin finds himself emotionally drawn to Mi-joo, who steps in as the new cellist in the orchestra. This emotional connection eventually leads to intimacy between Seong-jin and Mi-joo in the room of his missing fiancée.

Behind the bathroom mirror is Soo-yeon, who is thought to be missing, watching them engaging in physical intimacy. Not knowing the details behind how and why she was locked up in the secret room, Soo-yeon keeps yelling and knocking on the glass to be heard. Initially not too worried about her disappearance, Soo-yeon’s mother starts suspecting Seong-jin as the perpetrator. As tension rises, the truth begins to emerge.

Song Seung-heon, known for “Obsessed” (2014) and “Wonderful Nightmare” (2015), takes on the role of orchestra conductor Seong-jin and Cho Yeo-jeong, who rose to global stardom in “Parasite” (2019) and “The Servant” (2010), plays the missing cellist Soo-yeon.

Kim Dae-woo, who has worked both with Song and Cho before in “Obsessed” and “The Servant,” directs the film, which is based on a Columbian film released in 2011.

Wicked (ALL)
Fantasy / 160 min. / English / Nov. 20

The first half of a story where a courageous and resilient witch, undeterred by discrimination, embraces her identity as the Wicked Witch while uncovering an inconvenient truth.

Elphaba arrives at Shiz University, where she encounters prejudice because of her appearance. Glinda, initially one of the people who bullied Elphaba, begins to rethink her actions after witnessing her courage in standing up to discrimination. Moved by Elphaba’s resilience, Glinda acknowledges her faults and befriends her. As their friendship deepens, Elphaba and Glinda navigate the growing darkness in Oz.

They later discover that The Wizard of Oz is a fraud, manipulating the people of the town. Feeling betrayed and disillusioned, Elphaba embraces her destiny as the Wicked Witch. She uses her magic to fight against oppression and tries to reclaim her identity.

Pop star and actor Ariana Grande portrays Glinda, while British actor and singer Cynthia Erivo, acclaimed for her performance in the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple” from 2015 to 2017, takes on the role of Elphaba.

Jon M. Chu, who directed the Oscar-winning film “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), helms the film.

Part two of the movie is scheduled for Nov. 21 next year.

Sons (15)
Thriller / 98 min. / Danish / Dec. 4

A prison officer confronts a turning point in her life after encountering the inmate who murdered her son.

Eva, a friendly and optimistic prison officer, is faced with a dilemma when Mikkel, a young prisoner who murdered her son, gets transferred to the prison where she works. Without revealing her secret, Eva asks to be moved to the young man’s ward, which is known to be the toughest and most violent in the prison. There, Eva starts to pursue her revenge on Mikkel, resulting in an escalation of tension between them that spirals out of control.

Sidse Babett Knudsen, known for TV series “Borgen" (2010), portrays Eva, and Sebastian Bull, known for “Out of Tune” (2019), takes on the role of inmate Mikkel.

Gustav Möller, known for his acclaimed 2018 thriller "The Guilty,” helms the film.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[emailprotected]]

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