Asian cinema isn’t particularly well-known for its Christmas movies. We discussed some extraordinary options in our newsletter this week but it’s not like we’re spoilt for choice.
While the New Year season as a cinematic subject isn’t nearly as popular as its Christmas counterpart (in any country), there are still some excellent Korean films that spark that all-important sense of optimism and renewal. Back in 2021, Korea decided to release not only one but two wonderful New Year-themed movies that are definitely worth watching on the cold days before the 1st of January: Kwak Jae-yong’s A Year-End Medley and Hong Ji-young’s New Year Blues.
These reviews are spoiler-free. I hope you enjoy them! If you don’t have time to read them all, make sure to pin our summary at the bottom!
A Year-End Medley: A Wholesome Tale of Love and Hope
Following the Love Actually formula (and improving on it tenfold), A Year-End Medley was directed by Kwak Jae-yong of My Sassy Girl fame and written by Yoo Seung-hee (who also wrote the excellent I Can Speak (2017), directed by Kim Hyun-seok). It tells the story of 14 different people who are somehow connected to the luxurious Hotel Emross in Seoul. From the CEO to the porter, the narrative weaves together their hopes, struggles, and romances, creating a lighthearted yet relatable whole.
In A Year-End Medley, the hotel itself functions as a microcosmic depiction of human life, each character symbolising the diversity of human experiences. A Year-End Medley isn’t just about the magic of falling in (or out of) love under the mistletoe. It’s about the people who actually dread the possibility of an entire new year of the same old repetitions and failings. It’s about the people who need to balance their dreams with the reality of bills to pay and short-term working contracts. It’s about love as much more than its famously romantic description. Here, romance isn’t allowed to take the spotlight because the film makes excellent use of the camaraderie between siblings and friends instead.
Left: Poster of A Year-End Medley (Credit: Hive Media Corp., CJ Entertainment, and TVING)
Most importantly, A Year-End Medley reminds us of our self-love that often wavers at the end of the year. After all, the new year implies that we’re getting older and that our lives are still not exactly what we’d hoped for. Would a mere celebration change the everyday challenges we face? A Year-End Medley succeeds in striking the perfect balance between gaiety and depth, comforting its audience and sharing a warm sense of optimism and hope. By showing a wide range of relationships and realities, the film dodges an obviously sugary tale to propose a touching and wholesome experience that will leave a big smile on your face.
Kwak Jae-yong directs A Year-End Medley with contagious joy โ which is probably why you can’t really feel its plentiful runtime (2 hours and almost 20 minutes). The film boasts colourful cinematography, with medium and wide shots that emphasise connections between characters and the beauty of the season. The production design was also done with detailed care. Despite some clichรฉd choices in the score, the original soundtrack counts on some addictive (diegetic) tunes that are very well placed in the script.
Of course, we need to talk about the absolute dream cast that Kwak managed to put together. Counting on the sharp acting chops of Han Ji-min, Lee Dong-wook, Kang Ha-neul, Won Jin-ah, Lee Hye-young, and many others, the feature shines with an endlessly talented cast playing a group of endlessly lovable characters. Even though this is an ensemble film, most roles are given enough background to deliver rounded characters whom we can relate to and honestly root for. Since we’re talking about a cheerful holiday film, the present-day carries most of the weight โ so if you’re expecting character studies or a profound exploration of past traumas or motives, this film won’t deliver.
It won’t deliver any overly dramatic plotlines or stressful antagonists either. However, it does deliver exactly what it promises: A Year-End Medley is a heartfelt, comforting, and incredibly merry watch that you can share with your loved ones as we all wait for the end of the year.
The film was so popular that TVING released A Year-End Medley: Extended Version, transforming the film into a six-part series.
You can watch A Year-End Medley on:
New Year Blues: An Uplifting Tale of Romance and Resilience
Meanwhile, New Year Blues was written by Ham Hyun-kyung and directed by Hong Ji-young (who has just directed Love in the Big City for TVING). New Year Blues is more of a romantic film, as it presents us with four different couples navigating all sorts of challenges: from abusive relationships to breakups; from communication struggles to prejudice. The connections between these couples are loose so their stories play alongside each other, with a common theme tying them all up together.
At the same time that New Year Blues feels somehow sillier than A Year-End Medley, it also feels a lot more serious. The narrative not only provides a tale of meet-cutes and charming proposals but also allows for a much more complex dynamic to arise. New Year Blues tackles language barriers, divorce, (physical and emotional) abuse, and most significantly, prejudice. The narrative shows prejudice as the sneaky little monster it is, an intrinsic presence in the social fabric that we often fail to perceive if not targeted at us.
Left: Poster of New Year Blues (Credit: Soofilm and Acemaker Movieworks)
Prejudice arises in New Year Blues when a talented disabled athlete is ignored during an interview about his own life and then has his life sensationalised by the media. To follow his dreams, he has to face people who use his disability to limit how far he can go and what he can do. Also, in an argument between an interracial couple, the Korean fiancรฉ keeps asking his Chinese fiancรฉe if “that’s how Chinese women are” while failing to understand that the real problem is his own inability to communicate honestly with her.
These intricate topics are shown superficially but are clear enough to make the audience reflect on them. New Year Blues wraps its narrative up in the allure of romance but ultimately delivers a story about self-discovery, reconnections, and resilience. It reminds us that we can recover from our pains and traumas, that we can change and grow, and that we can start again. Because that’s the spirit of the new year: a new year is a new cycle that can be created and re-created with our own hands.
The stories of New Year Blues are always told in a positive, bright light, offering an uplifting and joyful experience appropriate for the holiday season. Hong Ji-young presents these tales in very realistic but warm cinematography. Even though her cast is significantly smaller than the one from A Year-End Medley, it’s still overflowing with talent. Teo Yoo, Kim Kang-woo, Yoo In-na, and Yoo Yeon-seok are just a few names in this captivating group. Chinese actress Chen Du Ling is also an absolute joy to watch. With an undeniably charismatic delivery, they all give their characters strong personalities and allow this script to work. The cast, as a whole, lightens the heaviness of the themes while respecting the nuances of their circumstances.
Of course, all’s well that ends well, and New Year Blues offers a journey of sweet and hopeful moments galore, leading to a lovely ending. Slightly more thought-provoking than A Year-End Medley, New Year Blues is an honest tale of new beginnings, inspiring us to make changes in our lives for the new year.
And if you’ve been watching When the Phone Rings, New Year Blues offers enough Yoo Yeon-seok (speaking Spanish!) to weather the week!
You can watch New Year Blues on:
Why Should You Watch A Year-End Medley & New Year Blues?
A Year-End Medley and New Year Blues work very well as a double feature. If you want to start with something sweeter, go for A Year-End Medley first. If you want to start with something a bit more serious, watch New Year Blues first.
While A Year-End Medley is also set at Christmas, New Year Blues gives Christmas a very small role and focuses on the week before the last day of the year. Both are beautifully shot and exude the cosy atmosphere that we need in this period. Even though they do take advantage of some classic romantic tropes, they never allow the clichรฉs to become overbearing and boring. On the contrary, their stories resonate and engage as they explore different kinds of relationships with others and within themselves.
A Year-End Medley and New Year Blues are two heartwarming and meaningful films that emphasise the beauty of human connections, personal growth, and new beginnings. They both offer a relaxing watch that will comfort and entertain you while reminding you of the magic and hope of the New Year season.
No time for the entire review? Why not pin our spoiler-free summary?
What would you like your 2025 to be like? Let me know your New Year’s resolutions and the films you’d like to watch next year in the comments below!
Happy New Year! May 2025 be an amazing year for all of us!
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