My Name Is Loh Kiwan 2024 Movie Review

The film introduces Loh Kiwan, portrayed by Song Joong-ki, a North Korean defector striving to build a new life in Belgium alongside his mother. As they navigate the challenges of securing refugee status, Kiwan finds solace in his relationship with Mari, played by Choi Sung-eun.

Starring Song Joong Ki as Loh Kiwan and Choi Sung Eun as Mari, with supporting performances by Jo Han Chul, Kim Sung Ryung, Lee Il Hwa, Lee Sang Hee, and Seo Hyun Woo.

“My Name is Loh Kiwan,” the debut feature film from writer-director Kim Hee-jin, follows the journey of a North Korean defector seeking asylum in Belgium, who becomes entangled with a troubled young woman involved in the city’s criminal underworld.

With Song Joong-ki in the lead role, the film is poised to make a strong impression, focusing more on romance than political commentary within its chilly European setting.

Skipping the details of Kiwan’s daring defection, the story begins as he arrives in Brussels from China, facing uncertainty while awaiting refugee status. Alone and vulnerable on the city’s wintry streets, Kiwan encounters various unsavory characters and eventually falls victim to a mugging, losing his precious belongings, including a photo of his deceased mother.

Seeking justice, Kiwan discovers the culprit to be Marie (Choi Sung-eun), a Korean woman caught in a downward spiral of drug addiction and criminal activity. Despite her own struggles, Marie helps Kiwan secure a job at a meatpacking plant, but complications arise when he must prove his identity as a North Korean refugee to Belgian authorities.

The film grapples with identity, bureaucracy, and the harsh realities faced by refugees, yet struggles to find a cohesive tone, wavering between gritty drama and sentimental romance. While the plight of defectors is compelling, the narrative often prioritizes the relationship between Kiwan and Marie over deeper exploration of the political and social issues at hand.