Je m'appelle Loh Kiwan

All the potential is there for a great story to be told. A real story, inspired in real people, and a cruel reality (trust me, I am Belgian and have worked with refugees). Two main actors that at least know how to act, and even some side roles can stand the heat. Instead, Netflix decided to shoot this one in a country faked as Belgium (hard to watch), with second rate Western actors, second rate set dressing, horrible music and worst of all the worst script and dialogues ever.

I truely hope that somehow the Korean spoken by the main character is truly resembling the North Korean speach. Shame on Netflix, far below mediocre.

To clear an conceptions out of the way, the acting was rather perfect.

The movie started really strong and the things that Kiwan went through was super intriguing. I was invested and in the edge of my seat for loh kiwans in the first half of the movie.

Then, the girl's story came with its all sub-plots and forced drama. The gun gangs was weird and unnecessary. The love story was misguided and yeah Tragic romance is not my thing specially with this level of emo fanfic subplots?!! The drug scenes was a second hand embarrassment.

I CRINGED FROM THE VERY EXPECTED ENGING.

Ps: he was an ass hole with that factory lady and super forgiving with the female protagonist , it was irritating to watch.

"The amount of mid movies I watched for SJK should be studied"

The story behind this movie has so much potential- it's already a set of heartbreaking circumstances. Yet, it feels like the sentimentality is forced, especially in the last section of the movie.

The acting performances are quite good, though the dialogue is many times lackluster. Especially the scenes where Marie says goodbye to her father and Kiwan the dialogues are on the extra level of lackluster. These scenes are supposed to make you cry- but they don't. The actors do what they can when they can, but they shine in scenes where they don't speak much.

Some parts of the story are told through the dialogue as well, but the way they are told is just really flat. I cannot help but believe the scenario writing could have been so much better.

This movie in its entirety, based off of story alone, is supposed to make you sob- but it doesn't. Still, the story itself and the acting performances save the movie, so it's watchable and decent.

I don't get the hate it gets. Sure people thought it would focus on more in the part how did he get out of North Korea, but from the trailer and the info we got I knew it would focus more on how he lives in Belgium. I think it was interesting story and the acting was great. Only the drug parts kinda threw me off but it was only small parts. I have been waiting for a realistic, not over dramatic and romantic movie and I think this was it. Normally I don't even watch movies but this was the only exception. All together I think it was touching story and didn't have those awkward over acting scenes so it gets 8/10.

This movie should have two specific ratings. The main actors (korean) are outstanding, moving and can play. The love story is on point and I loved it. However living in Belgium I'm sad to say that the story happening in Brussels and imagined to create some twists and turns is nothing more than laughable and makes no sense. The actors are (almost) all bad bad. The way they talk is weird. The situation in which the main actors are trapped seems directly invented by an 8 years old. It's almost as if this movie was directed by two different persons. One is a genius and handles the Korean part of the movie, and one handles the Belgian part of the movie and should find himself a new occupation. That being said I loved this movie and would totally watch it again. You just have to disregard 30% of it and let the wonderful 70% steal your tears.