My Name is Loh Kiwan (2024) Movie Review – A moving tale of survival, love & redemption

A moving tale of survival, love & redemption

My Name is Loh Kiwan is Song Joong-ki’s latest movie, and he definitely gave us all the feels in this beautiful film. The movie is written and directed by Kim Hee-jin and stars other notable Korean actors such as Choi Sung-Eun, Jo Han-chul and Seo Hyun Woo, among others. 

My Name is Loh Kiwan takes us into the life of Loh Kiwan, a North Korean defector who arrives in Belgium after a huge sacrifice and tries to seek refugee status. Unfortunately, this battle proves to be hard and painful. While going through numerous ups and downs in Belgium, he coincidentally meets Marie. Marie is originally from South Korea but is now a Belgian citizen.

What is interesting about their meeting is that they are two different people in two completely different mind spaces about life. Marie is on the verge of giving everything up, while Kiwan wants to honour his mom’s sacrifice and lead a better life. 

My name is Loh Kiwan was shot in Belgium and does a great job showcasing the beautiful country. The movie employs excellent shots to bring out the depth of each scene. This makes for an engaging film as viewers delve into the emotions of the different characters. The plot flows perfectly, even with multiple flashbacks. If anything, these flashbacks intensify the emotional scenes and accentuate the plot.

Speaking of characters, we have Loh Kiwan, our handsome protagonist. We meet him at a difficult time in his life. He and his mom are struggling in China, hoping to save enough money to leave the country. They are illegal immigrants in the country, and getting jobs and staying below the radar takes work. Following his mom’s sudden death, Kiwan travels to Belgium, hoping for a better life; instead, he finds more challenges. Nonetheless, Kiwan is not a quitter; he fights tooth and nail to get his refugee status. 

Song Joong-ki has long established himself as an illustrious actor, and his performance in this movie elevates his career further. By the time the credits roll, he manages to emotionally wreck us with his portrayal of Kiwan. He certainly brought his own je ne sais quoi to the character, and it is seriously about time we gave this man his flowers! 

Another notable actress who did a fantastic job is Choi Sung-eun. We last saw her in the South Korean movie Gentleman and Netflix series Sound of Magic in 2022. This time, we meet her as Marie, a young woman struggling with some personal demons. She has a fallout with her dad shortly after her mom passed and gets mixed in with the wrong people.

For her, life is an uphill battle she no longer wants to participate in. This is until she meets Kiwan in one of the most unexpected ways. Their enemies-to-lovers story is nothing short of beautiful and sorrowful. They find a way to look past their pain and choose to be happy, but life keeps giving them lemons. 

Sung-eun did an amazing job portraying Marie’s character. One can’t help but feel how helpless she felt and how she struggled to forgive her father and herself. She tries to protect herself by acting tough but is soft-hearted and kind. It is only that the world crushed her beautiful spirit, and she is having a hard time finding her purpose. Kiwan helps her find herself again, and slowly, her walls come down. 

As much as My Name is Loh Kiwan is a love story, it is also a tale of survival. Kiwan is struggling to survive in a new country. He is betrayed and hurt since he is seen as an outsider, but he doesn’t let all these break him. Instead, he chooses to continue having faith in humanity and hang in there, praying for better days. Even Marie is trying to survive after a terrible loss rocked her world at a young age. 

Ultimately, My Name is Loh Kiwan is a masterpiece that everyone should watch. Yes, it will be a heartbreaking emotional rollercoaster, and you will cry, but it is worth it. It is a poignant gem that touches on fundamental issues such as identity, an immigrant’s struggle, loss, redemption and love. I know it is too early to call it, but My Name is Loh Kiwan deserves to be among the best films of 2024!


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  • Verdict - 8/10
    8/10
8/10

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