Film debuts at #3 on the Netflix chart
The superb Korean drama film My Name is Loh Kiwan premiered high up on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English Movies chart this week — just four days after it released on the streaming platform.
According to Netflix’s Tudum, My Name is Loh Kiwan debuted at #3 on the Top 10 Non-English Movies chart for the period February 26th to March 3rd due to being viewed more than 3.1 million times in just its first four days.
It was watched for more than 6.9 million hours worldwide during its first week on the chart.
The Korean film was also in the Top 10 in 12 countries — Morocco, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam and, as you might expect, in its home country of South Korea.
My Name is Loh Kiwan was pipped to the #2 spot by The Abyss, and to the #1 place by Through My Window 3: Looking at You.
Unlike Loh Kiwan, however, both films were available to watch for the entire seven days of the period.
What is My Name is Loh Kiwan about?
The film was directed by Kim Hee Jin in her directorial debut, and stars Song Joong Ki in the title role alongside female lead Choi Sung Eun.
Jo Han Chul, Ki Sung Ryung, Lee Il Hwa and Lee Sang Hee are part of the excellent supporting cast.
The Korean movie follows Loh Kiwan, a North Korean defector who somehow makes his way to Belgium in the dead of winter.
Once there, however, he finds himself homeless, penniless and desperately trying to prove to Belgian authorities that he is who he says he is — a true refugee from North Korea.
All the while determined to overcome any of the hellish difficulties he suffers.
Meanwhile, Marie (played Choi Sung Eun) is a Korean-Belgian former star shooter who cannot seem to find any meaning to her life. That is until she meets Loh Kiwan in a less than ideal (for him) situation.
The film follows the pair as they grow closer, and as they both become each other’s saving grace.
Check out the official My Name is Loh Kiwan trailer below.
The film is gorgeously shot, wonderfully acted (especially by the two leads), is nicely paced, with a gripping story and superb character development.
It has been out for less than a week, and two of those 3.1 million times viewed are mine. It’s that good.