User reviews

I feel disappointed.

" The story was flowing along intrestingly and pretty good showing the male lead's hardships. I was hoping it would continue that way. His struggles for work and warmth and a roof over his head were authentic. " "The movie seemed to have spent more time on the "love" story and Marie's drama than on what should've been the focus of the story, Loh's journey to freedom. "

The Fl sounded like a spoiled brat. I didn't like her character. Plus, Their love plot sounded illogical.

The gangster scenes was just laughable and the European gangsters very stereotyped.

Song jong ki's facial expressions were almost the same. He could have done better.

The Fl's acting was okay. I think she deserves more recognition.

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.

My name is Loh. Kiwan is an emotional rollercoaster that promises to take you on a thrill-filled journey of Loh Kiwan and Marie. Movie rotates smoothly from sadness to action, romance, Melodrama and beyond realism. The plot is well-paced, with the main characters developing progressively. Even though the changing timeline, it is never confusing and keeps the you (Watchers) entertained. Every one character's actions are legitimate and dependable. The Loh Kiwan movie carries a wide range of all genres that can be really liked by anyone (watchers). The cast of each characters truly symbolize their specific roles, delivering how the characters feel to life. Loh Kiwan triggers an indication on other cinematic brilliant works of the Korean film industry.

--> Outstanding Soundtrack, top quality Cinematography (Loh Kiwan Close-up shots, Belgium long shots 👌🏻) Visually amazing; the film displays beautiful atmospheres that reflect each character's existential experience.

--> Song Joong-ki's physical appearance conversion, and emotionally charged makeover are certainly the film's standout paths. His physical appearance is the centerpiece that allows ourselves to emotionally. Engage with the story in a deeper way. He again shown the versatility of his acting with this movie.

--> Ki-wan's transformation from at risk to strength is prominent, while Marie's struggles with addictions and issues with her family throw depth to her character. Their on-screen chemistry surpasses geographical. Boundaries, and narrates overwhelming feeling of mutual suffering and redemption that connects with watchers.

Strong Points

• Acting.

• Stunning Cinematography.

• Soundtrack.

• Direction and Story telling.

• Best adaptation, skillful writing.

• Perfect balance melodrama and realism of story.

DIRECTION - WRITTING

Director Kim Hee-jin utilised cast perfectly within the small look big story, i really appreciate her work of Loh Kiwan. Although it's an adaptation the movie writer brilliantly delivered the script with heart touching lines. Loh Kiwan standout with unique mix of traditional story telling with amazing scenes that make you enjoy and emotional feel in every moment. Magnificent performances by supporting characters.

Finally:- South Korean Film makers never fail to deliver a movie from Intense battles to emotional tales, and western entertainment media appreciate Korean Film Makers as " South Korea is a goldmine of original ideas and storytelling talents ". And we can saw it from Loh Kiwan.

Definitely one of the most memorable films I've seen. This movie may inspire, sometimes horrify, or send you into an existential crisis, but it will make you think about something new by the time you finish it. Despite its dark underlying themes, the film ultimately delivers an appealing message of hope and endurance, leaving viewers with a sense of satisfaction and emotional ride.

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.

This came out of nowhere and genuinely became one of the best movies I've ever seen. I didn't expect it to be this good. By the end of the movie I was almost crying. The very first thing I noticed that got me hooked right from the begining was how easy it is to empathize with and root for the main character. You feel the harrowing journey he's going through, and his incredible resilience. The writing and character arcs are brilliant. There are things that happen between characters that are built up in such a way where you start to fall in love with them as it's happening. Everything feels earned and the romance is incredibly strong by the time it gets there. These actors have AMAZING chemistry and are perfect in their roles. Lots of great performances and I even liked the villainous French guy who had a very strong and commanding presence on screen. I'd love to see more of these actors!

When researching the film, director Kim Hee-jin likely considered real-life cases and events to give My Name is Loh Kiwan more depth. However, despite the sensible nature of the subject matter, My Name is Loh Kiwan focuses more on the experiences and challenges its main character faces in China and Belgium than on the political and military context of Korea. The film is told from the perspective of an immigrant during an emotional search. My Name is Loh Kiwan also includes a love story between Loh and Lee.

My Name is Loh Kiwan is Based on a Book

Although My Name is Loh Kiwan is not inspired by a true story, the film is based on a 2011 short novel called Me with Loh Kiwan by Cho Ha-jin. The 136-page book is told from the perspective of Kim, who writes for a South Korean television program. After learning about Loh Kiwan's story on television, Kim begins to research her story and they recount her discoveries. Netflix's adaptation of My Name is Loh Kiwan uses the same storytelling tools, although the film makes sure to put Loh Kiwan's perspective front and center to make the story as personal as possible.

This tale will tear at your heart but also soar you to heights of happiness. This movie captivates, draws you in and enable you to feel the pains, hardships and joy that Lo Kiwon faces.

A must see. It takes us through a journey forged in pain and desperation and ends with love and hope.

There is no added fluff. This is a gritty tale that is probably all too real.a tale that comfortable people may find very uncomftable to learn.

Sitting in a warm spacious room in Maryland USA, it's hard to imagine what emigrants face. This movie is a first person rendition of the terrible plight of the immigrant, even in enlightened countries.

Don't we all deserve the freedom to live a full life?

The characters were very real, from his mom, friends and relatives, to the people who harbored him, fed him, worked with him, to the woman who entered his life as a villain and became a love.

Please watch this movie. It's making me be more proactive and human.

A film about illegal immigration, seeking refuge, and the right to live, 'My Name is Loh Kiwan' aims at showing us the grim reality of immigration and life as a nomad. Loh Kiwan, played by Song Joong-ki, is a young North Korean defector who is forced to enter Belgium in a desperate attempt to survive. Enduring harsh conditions as the Belgian government determines his fate, he meets Marie, a drug addict seeking refuge from her troubled reality. Their survival amid the odds serves as the basic premise of the film.

The film masterfully juxtaposes the main plotline with a secondary narrative involving Marie's entanglement with nefarious elements. While this subplot adds depth to her character, it occasionally falters in its execution, with certain aspects feeling less compelling than others. While grappling with technical shortcomings, the film's central message of hope and resilience shines through, leaving viewers with a profound sense of reflection and empathy for the struggles of refugees. My Name is Loh Kiwan stands as a testament to the power of love to transcend barriers and illuminate the darkest corners of the human experience.

My Rating : 7.5/10.

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"

No words can describe this masterpiece. Couldnt cross my mind that Song Ki could surpass himself after Vicenso and reborn rirch but here we are at his best performance ever..His co-star is a perfect match and wonderfull actress also.. A magical movie which portraits perfectly the true challenges-barriers of an immigrant-the reaction he gets from society -a love story which proggresses so smoothly and with realness,world class script which challenges all ur emotions-and directed with perfection..Its one if the rare movies where u watch the time and never want to and for sure u ll want to watch it again.. For the oscars..

It's masterpiece the reason is first of all it's a survival story second the exact portrayal of North Korean defector neither over hyped nor under hyped it's exactly shown as it is nd second the actors they all nailed their characters nd another funny thing is they have shown romance bcoz to give people hope that there is something you can stick in to some people say why love story it's bcoz the love story makes it complete to watch otherwise it would be too boring nd everyone knows how much struggle an immigrant have to put to get a legal status in a different country nd I have liked the end quote of the movie is that i wanted to do all this it's not bcoz I want to live well in Another country it's bcoz I can live whenever I wants to love from 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿

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.

I loved this movie, the plot the story it really portrayed the real life challenges faced and the love story it all runs in a proper manner. I really loves such kind of genres. It was worth watching and such a wonderful time to spend watching. This story was really about moving on when we feel hopeless, and taking life of misery. How he lived his life , moving on carrying on with the thing , the lifes journey meeting everyone, bad , good and some are there who really cheer us and help us when we are in dire need . Meeting someone at a unexpected place, and at life that may become a half Ur world , and live for eachother.

I think it has a nice story line, and you get to follow through emotions and feelings. When a movie is based on a book u know it's going to be a great movie. They have done a great work on the acting, it feels so real and you are really feeling a part of the movie. This movie made me tear up, smile, be angry and happy at the same time. It was dragging me around and all across if the movie! It was super fun! I have only positive things to say about this movie and I think this movie deserves more attention! It is very good mix with drama, action and Love! And the whole scenario feels so realistic, in my opinion!

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 doubt u can find American movie in such quality nowadays, thank you Korean for still spending budget on such category of drama movies.

I also wounder what happened to American movie industry? I believe they need to go back and give more value to their work , we cant just keep watching super heroes stories every year with a complete nonsense logic, i dont even remember when was the last time i watch American movie make me happy.

Infact if i have to spend money at cinema and feel happy for spending my money i would go to that kind of movies

They are still giving value for family. Which it the core of our life if i must say.

All respect.

... And that's NOT meant to be a good thing.

LLV is close to 30 years old now, and it spawned (or popularized) the whole depressive, bleak, love story genre. Unfortunately, for many of us (me included), we don't want to waste 2+ hours of our lives watching a slog fest of one bad event, one poor choice, one chance encounter after another. The world has changed. A lot of folks are stuck in situations similar to this. We don't need movies to show us. We could watch the news. We watch movies to escape reality, not be subjected to a fictionalized version of day-to-day news reals.

This genre is (or should be) dead. You'll feel no better, informed, entertained, etc. After sitting through it.

Other gripes: The typical "leg-up" events that occur during the story that are needed to keep you watching. They make no sense and are out of place. This culminates in a "happy ending" which is so obviously Scotch-taped, tacked-on at the end, that you feel you got from Point A to Point Z without ever travelling through B thru Y.

Additionally, the lead love interest is so un-fleshed out, you have a hard time believing she goes from self-destructive druggie to reliable upstart, friend, and lover. Just another example of the jarring transitions in character, setting, situation, all of which aren't developed...they just...happen, and make this hard to watch with any interest.

To the folks that profess this is a "character development study". What character development are you speaking of? The random changes in mood, motivation, and behaviors? That ISN'T character development. That's lazy writing.

Ok almost Never beause mostly I review on other platforms. This show tho I looked to FIND somewhere to review it because it was THAT GOOD , the actors are really compelling and have great chemistry but it was the STORY that got me - I am starting to get sick of love chemistry being the ONLY thing to hold some shows up, Which is why i like this show because the story-line is where it's AT with this show. Tho yes there is a love story but seriously if you want something grittier watch this. Tear jerking show!

88 Characters short of being able to post my review LOL oh well let me woffle on some more then - This show is about North Korean defects and some drug issues too tho I wouldn't say that's the main focus. I personally am aware of what some North Korean's have had to go thru it is shockingly horrible (and abusive) and whilst this movie does not capture the full (or even half) extent of that - it does have some tear jerking moments and I hope it helps people to understand why North Korean's NEED OUR AID. Because guys... they REALLY do! I implore you to look further into researching this topic yourselves. <3 Hugs.