What a refreshing change of pace. I’ve seen the future of Korean cinema and one of it’s leading lights is director Hur Jin-ho.

Simply put, this a powerful character study of an ordinary man living his life in South Korea.

Spoken in Korean with English subtitles, Christmas in August stars Han Suk-kyu as Jung-won, the sole owner of a photography shop and studio.

We are introduced to his world and are immediately immersed in it.

In meeting his old school friends and his ex-girlfriend we gain a further insight into Jung-won’s past life and see the high regard in which he is held.

We discover he is suffering from a terminal illness and at this point, only his family knows.

When we meet his family, his sister (played by Oh Ji-hye) and his dad (played by Goo Shin), it’s clear they have a very close bond.

The impending situation has caused them to rally round ever tighter and you can’t help but feel for their situation.

One thing in particular I liked about this film was just how we see everyday life taking place as normal.

This film was shot in the regional city of Gunsan and after a while I felt I knew the area intimately. Beautiful in it’s simplicity.

This was in part due to the work of the legendary Korean cinematographer Yoo Young-kil who died shortly after the film was completed. He was honoured posthumously at the 1998 Pusan Film Festival.

This is director Hur Jin-ho’s first film and his aim of ‘portraying tragedy with warm tones’ works perfectly.

By casting two of Korea’s most popular stars, Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha, in the lead roles, he ensured that the heart of the film was strong.

I enthusiastically recommend this film to all, especially those who have yet to see a Korean film.