Eungyo (은교) with Park Hae-il

In person: actor Park Hae-il

In person: actor Park Hae-il

In the early 20th century, the last princess of the Korean royal family under Japanese rule is forced to move to Japan to attend school, leaving behind her family, friends, and the only home she has ever known. Kim Jang-han (Park Hae-il), a childhood friend and Japanese army officer, helps to plan an escape route for her. This film, based on the real story of Princess Deokhye (Son Ye-jin), weaves fact with fiction to retell the story of a once-lost princess who stopped at nothing to return to the home she yearned for. –note written by Hannah Farkas. 

Bong Joon Ho’s phenomenal breakthrough film stars Park Hae-il as an enigmatic young loner and observer whose innocent demeanor seems too wholesome to be true. Inspired by a true story, Memories of Murder centers around the gruesome serial killings of women in South Korea in the 1980s, investigated by Doo-man (Song Kang-ho), a detective who relies on instinct rather than fact. Bong’s vision, which challenges conventional components of storytelling and blurs the boundaries between genres, is meticulously orchestrated in this crime thriller, and Park’s elegantly simple depiction of a complicated character is phenomenal.

Park Hae-il’s big-screen debut is Yim Soon-rye’s second feature, which received critical praise upon its 2001 release, establishing Yim as one of Korea’s most significant directors. Seong-woo, lead singer and guitarist of Waikiki Brothers—a band formed with his friends back in high school—returns to his hometown with his bandmates in hopes of repairing their fragile relationship. But the band stagnates, and Seong-woo is torn between a dream that’s out of reach and his thin grasp on reality. Park, who portrays the teen version of Seong-woo, generates youthful energy, evoking the purity that Seong-woo and his bandmates once carried and now long for. Yim’s insightful and humane perception of the cruel split between dreams and reality in modern Korea permeates this portrayal of her sympathetic and intricate characters.

Hae-guk (Park Hae-il) receives word that his estranged father has passed away, bringing him to an unusual village for the funeral. Sensing his presence is unwelcome, Hae-guk grows suspicious and begins to sense a deeper truth behind his father's death. Adapted from a Korean webtoon, Moss submerges audiences in a dark and thrilling mystery, blending suspense and horror to create a world of uncertainty. –Note written by Hannah Farkas.

Park Hae-il plays Lee Won-sang, the hero of Park Chan-ok’s debut feature, in his second big-screen appearance. Lee is a 27-year-old graduate student in literature, finishing up his thesis before he leaves for London. When he starts writing an article for a magazine as a favor, he realizes that the head editor, Han Yun-shik, is the reason his girlfriend left him. Lee’s complicated feelings toward Han, a mixture of admiration and jealousy, brings more confusion when he is introduced to a mesmerizing photographer, Park Sung-yeon, a cool, down-to-earth woman who is also having an affair with Han. Calm on the surface but roiling underneath, the story explores human emotions in a macro lens, excavating endless variables that shape characters while they struggle to stay composed. Park’s undefinable approach to Lee allows his character’s purity and honesty to roam free.