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While “The Breaking Ice” paints a picture of cold landscapes, it radiates surprising warmth, underscored by the beautifully executed cinematography and montage. The movie deliberately contrasts these snowy images with its characters’ intense and emotional journeys. Indeed, the wide shots of the icy scenes are mixed with intimate close-ups, capturing the expansive yet personal feel of the narrative.  The individual … Read More

Loneliness is a prison that we all yearn to escape—or accept. The Breaking Ice asks the question: how do you find yourself after life leaves you behind? What if your dreams fail you? Maybe you find all the success you desire, and it’s still not enough, what then?   The Breaking Ice follows three emotionally and psychologically lost twenty-somethings in Yanji, … Read More

Weather is always emotional and sensual. In The Breaking Ice, weather becomes an integral part of the film’s narrative. Set in a small Chinese border city of Yanji, the film’s snow-covered cityscape and icy surroundings function as a chilling metaphor for loneliness and alienation. The bleak, white landscape of Yanji brings to screen the anxiety and emotional exhaustion that young … Read More

Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice introduces a visually captivating yet imperfect journey through the states of matter – ice, water, and steam. The film extends an invitation for reflection on the nature of human existence through the intimacy shared by its main characters: Haofeng, Nana and Xiao.  Haofeng, a young man embodying the rigors of traditional Asian upbringing, mirrors a … Read More

Dancing on the edge of crime and action, with a frequent glimmer of comedy, is Ryoo Seung-wan’s newest cinematic offering, Smugglers. Set in South Korea during the 1970s, Seung-wan grants the audience a riveting and immersive glimpse into the era, using a vibrant colour palette and a retro soundtrack to aid in its facilitation. It’s the 1970s, and South Korea’s … Read More

Ryoo-Seung wan trained his flashlight on a familiar sunken treasure chest, scraped off the barnacles, and crowbarred it open. After nearly a decade, the South Korean filmmaker decided it was time to rekindle the youthful exuberance that catapulted him to action-auteur status. The shadow of twentieth century atrocities that darkened his previous two films has been replaced by soft summer … Read More

Smugglers is director Ryoo Seung-Wan’s fresh attempt at a crime thriller and action-comedy that captures many of the desired characteristics of the genre that fans are looking for: well-placed comedic moments and expertly choregraphed action sequences that are not for the faint of heart. Do not be fooled, however, as this is not your typical heist film. Smugglers diverts from … Read More

Occasionally, I will watch a scene in a film and think, “this is something I never knew I needed to see, but I am very glad I did”; and I am sure, like myself, many people had this exact thought when watching the final underwater fight scene in Ryoo Seung-Wan’s crime-drama-action film, Smugglers.             Set in the 1970s in a … Read More

Ryoo Seung-wan Smugglers blew me away. With the combination of the film’s mise-en-scene, cinematography, and captivating storyline, I was left inspired by Ryoo Seung-wan’s attention to detail. In a way I find that many action/thriller movies lack; Smugglers was able to make this genre of movie artful. Along with these elements, Ryoo Seung-wan accompanied a violent crime film with a clever, … Read More

From ILO ILO to his latest film, The Breaking Ice, marks Anthony Chen’s tenth year in the industry and showcases his ability to capture and convey the subtle nuances of everyday emotions. Throughout his career, Chen has demonstrated a talent for depicting ordinary life with delicacy and a slow, flowing pace, and this film is no exception. In The Breaking … Read More