‘My Name Is Loh Kiwan’ Netflix Movie Review - Fulfilling Wishes

My Name is Loh Kiwan is a film that one must watch if they’re in the mood for a positive and light film with no heavy themes. Some scenes will make you emotional like the one in which Kiwan can be seen rubbing off the stains of his mother’s blood off the road. As his mother’s blood flows into the drain, he tries to stop it with his hands as a gesture of trying to hold onto his mother.

The film starts by showing us the journey of Loh Kiwan and how he landed in Belgium. After running away from North Korea, he and his mother end up in China. However, troubles in their life don’t seem to go away as Kiwan was noticed by the police officers. In the chase, Kiwan’s mother dies in an accident.

By the mother procuring by selling off his mother’s body illegally, he can go to Belgium to start a new life. The conditions in which he lived were terrible and the portrayal of the time he spent is excellent.

One day while Kiwan was lying down unconscious after getting beaten, Marie stole his wallet. This is where they meet for the first time and the rest is how they develop feelings for each other. Marie herself was not living life in good conditions. Falling prey to a gang, she was being exploited for her shooting skills and was forcibly drugged to deliver her best performance. She cut ties with her father and had no one until Kiwan came.

Song Joong-ki as Kiwan has won the hearts of the audience. His versatility is beyond words and after you’ve seen his other projects, it is proved how easily he molds himself as per the requirements of his role. After playing such a strong role in Vincenzo it was difficult to think of him as an emotional and timid boy in My Name is Loh Kiwan.

The journey of a North Korean boy to find his way to freedom and fulfill his wishes is heartwarming. The female protagonist, Marie, played by Choi Sung-eun also ruled the screen with her power-packed performance.

When we think of their characters, they have a lot of similarities including the mental turmoil they faced after the loss of their mothers. While Kiwan was determined to make his mother's last wish come true, Marie was tormented after knowing the reality behind her mother’s death. They both chose different paths, the former choosing to succeed while the latter making a foolproof plan of destruction.

Kiwan brought back Marie from the depths of darkness through his love which her father didn’t acknowledge in the beginning. This is the story of two lost souls supporting each other and is a must-watch for all the fans of Korean dramas which have again and again proven that if there’s a story, they can portray it the best. Without using any expensive sets, the film has proven that to make a successful project you need to have two main core ingredients that are versatile actors and fabulous writers.

Final Score – [8/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times