STRONGBERRY/MATCHBOX MOVIES REC! & Review -update- 2020
Now that Strongberry has put out a bunch of queer movies I thought it’s a good time to make a compilations list and give short reviews of their content.
I’m ranking them after my personal preference, but all movies are sweet and I highly recommend them. All of these are indie productions with mostly amateur actors so my rating will be a little bit more lenient.
Greatest thing about Strongberry movies: no bad endings!
Everything is available on vimeo with english subs (and sometimes even more).
I am going to add Matchbox movies as well!
1. LONG TIME NO SEE 롱타임노씨
Chisoo (Tak Wooseok) who is a renown hitman called ‘Flying Dagger’ only finds freedom and peace in writing. Gitae (Yeon Seungho) quickly becomes a loyal fan of his online novels and after texting for some time they decide to meet in real life. But not only does Chisoo’s foster father and mobster ‘Black Leopard’ pose a threat to their relationship: Gitae is hiding a secret of his own.
duration: 1 h 27 min
genre: action, romance
director: Kangwoo
What a great queer movie! The acting is good and the chemistry is through the roof. Despite being an indie production Long Time No See convinces with professional stunt scenes, great cinematography and an engaging script. While the movie addresses bullying and homophobia it manages to do so in a good way that ties in perfectly with the story. The story is absolutely wholesome despite the grim set-up and the violence. Tak Wooseok and Yeon Seungho are phenomenal and manage to give off an intense feeling of intimacy and deliver great kissing and sex scenes. Gitae’s sister is also a beacon of light and hopefully a good role model to people with LGBTQI+ family members.
Story ★★★★★
Acting ★★★★★
Chemistry ★★★★★
Cinematography ★★★★★
Something Special a gay action romance is a rare treat!
a wholesome one even more so!
Dongsu (Park Chanung) hurts his leg while riding his bike in the countryside. Local farmers Inpyo (Kim Junbeom) and Sangbae (Seong Yeonho) care for his injury and take him in until he is well enough to ride his bike again. Far away in the remote countryside sparks fly between Dongsu and Inpyo in this summer romance.
duration: 27 min
genre: romance
director: Kangwoo
The director manages to make an escapist fantasy feel real and delivers a summery feel-good movie which I can only highly recommend. Acting is good, chemistry is on point and there’s some cheesy fun in this. The cameraman knows what he’s doing and what he captures can only be described as gay summer magic.
Story ★★★★☆
Acting ★★★★★
Chemistry ★★★★★
Cinematography ★★★★☆
Something Special darker skinned love interest presented as attractive, butts!
3. Don’t Say Sorry 미안해하지 않았으면 좋겠어
Transfer student Choiyeon (Choi Woojeong), isn’t fazed by getting called a lesbian at school. She is more surprised to find her friend Ha-Gyeong (Kim Dasol) stick with her despite the rumors.
duration: 23 min
genre: romance/ coming of age
director: Lee Dayeon
This short film is very warm and tranquil even though you can sense the romantic tension between the two leads throughout the whole movie. I was happy to see Choi Woojeong back in another wlw movie. The actresses have not only very good chemistry and act well off each other, but also manage to portray the transition between puberty and adulthood naturally in a realistic, sometimes hurtful but grounded way. This short movie does fantastic in its portrayal of young women coming to terms and finding strength in their sexuality while not omitting the difficulties of it. Also: fate has its own sense of humor.
Story ★★★★☆
Acting ★★★★☆
Chemistry ★★★★☆
Cinematography ★★★★☆
Something Special wholesome wlw, female director, great kisses
4. Perfect One-night Stand / 완벽한 원나잇
Ji Hye (Jeong Eunseon) is shocked to find out that her best friend Yoon Gyeong (An Eun-A) lost her virginity at age 18 and is now determined to have her first time in one day. As she’s scared to go on the dates alone she asks Yoon Gyeong to accompany her as a 21st birthday present, who is reluctant but decides to indulge her.
Together they meet a variety of possible one-night partners and Yoon Gyeong realizes why Ji Hye is suddenly so set on loosing her virginity.
duration: 21 min
genre: romcom
director: An Jihee
This short film starts of with a silly premise with two disaster friends but develops surprising depth over just 21 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am happy that many of the actresses of An Jihee’s first romcom make cameo appearances. Acting starts off a bit awkward but the two main leads actually have wonderful chemistry.
Story ★★★★★
Acting ★★★☆☆
Chemistry ★★★★☆
Cinematography ★★★★☆
Something Special wholesome wlw, female director, surprising depth
Seyoung (Kim Yura) works late in her office when her girlfriend Hyemi (Choi Woojeong) steps by to pick her up. Suddenly, the new employee Joo-Ah (Choi Minje) returns to the office and chaos ensues.
duration: 16 min
genre: romcom
director: An Jihee
Very short so not much plot, but a fun and cute story. Especially Kim Yura as Suyeong convinces and I might have a crush on her now. Slightly awkward chemistry at first but bold moves follow early on with comedic episodes. Just the pure joy of this lesbian couple gives me life. Kang Suyeon as assistant manager Na completes this lesbian office that I’d love to work at.
Story ★★★★☆
Acting ★★★☆☆
Chemistry ★★★★☆
Cinematography ★★★★☆
Something Special wholesome wlw (sad that that alone is already special…),
sex positivity, female director
On Minjae’s (Jeong Junhwan) birthday, his lover Geonwoo (Kim Dogeon) books a restaurant not knowing that Minjae’s ex Hyunsu (Jeong Yohan) is helping out in the kitchen that day.
duration: 22 min
genre: slice-of-life drama/romance
director: Kim Mingyu
Personally I thought that Minjae wasn’t a very likable character however the overall acting and chemistry was very good and it turned out to be a nice slice-of-life drama. Surprisingly good acting by Kim Dogeon whom I had written of as eye-candy and good kisses. Shin Sarang as owner of the restaurant and friend to both Minjae and Hyunsu was a hoot.
Story ★★★☆☆
Acting ★★★☆☆
Chemistry ★★★★★
Cinematography ★★★★☆
Something Special -
7. My Pistacchio 마이 피스타치오
Muyeong (Park Hyeonjun) recently joined his university’s drama club and unsuccessfully tries to get a role in the newest play. It doesn’t help that he has a hopeless crush on his senior Hanbit (Kim Hyeonjun) who is also directing the play. Can Muyeong find the courage to confess?
duration: 19 min
genre: romance
director: Choi Jaeyeong
The overall dialogue is slightly awkward and we don’t get much information as to why Muyeong crushes on Hanbit. Park Hyeonjun as Muyeong is quite good and while Kim Hyeonjun can’t quite keep up acting-wise their chemistry is good and they’re very cute towards the end. Imo the break-out star of this is Im Daseul as Jisu - she only has few lines but her acting is on point and I like her character: would love to see her in a future wlw project.
Story ★★★☆☆
Acting ★★★☆☆
Chemistry ★★★☆☆
Cinematography ★★★☆☆
Something Special -
Sohee’s (Han He-In) ex-girlfriend Areum (Cha Jiwon) is going to live abroad and suddenly decides to leave the cat, whose custody they once shared, in her care. But Sohee’s current girlfriend Yujin (Kim Yunha) sees the cat Momo as a reminder of Areum and isn’t quite happy with that choice.
duration: 16 min
genre: slice of life
director: Jang Yunju
This short movie doesn’t have much of a story and is more of a character study. What I appreciate is that we get to see the day to day life of three women who are in same sex relationships. There’s a cat! - and the acting is very good for an indie production. I am looking forward to the next wlw work of this director and hope that it will have more of a story, since the technical parts were excellent.
Story ★★☆☆☆
Acting ★★★★☆
Chemistry ★★★★☆
Cinematography ★★★★☆
Something Special female director
Jinho (Kim Su-A) is 29 and has never had sex. Every online hook-up ends in failure sooner or later. Luckily he has a bunch of supportive friends, one of them -Taewoong (Kim Henry) - even offers to take his virginity. Will Jinho take Taewoong up on his offer or will he continue to search for true love?
duration: 28 min
genre: comedy
director: Byeon Cheon
The acting is terribly awkward at times but got surprisingly (what a plot-twist) really good during the romantic and sexual scenes. They could’ve aimed for an even louder and more over-the-top script as sadly this short movie ends up in a slightly awkward place between a slice-of-life-story and a comedy without combining the two more organically. Nevertheless great fun and the ending was surprising to me in a good way.
Story ★★★★☆
Acting ★★☆☆☆
Chemistry ★★★★☆
Cinematography ★★★☆☆
Something Special different body types, sex positivity, gay diversity
10. Secret Spectacles 비밀의 안경
Jingyu (Jingyu) is shocked to discover that a pair of glasses he ordered online seem to have some strange ability. Chaos ensues when his crush Sun Tae (Choi Woo Jae) comes over to work on a group project and Jingyu isn’t sure whether his glasses are trying to be helpful or not…
duration: 14 min
genre: romcom
director: Jun Beom
The chemistry isn’t too great but Jingyu convinces with his acting and carries the otherwise hilariously silly short movie.
Watch it for the fresh storyline with a cup of hot chocolate (go for a cold glass of chocolate milk if Sun Tae makes you feel too hot and bothered).
Story ★★★☆☆
Acting ★★★☆☆
Chemistry ★★☆☆☆
Cinematography ★★★☆☆
Something Special out of the box storyline which had me cackling
