Michelle Topham 
My Name is Loh Kiwan climbs to #1 from last week’s #3
The South Korean romance drama My Name is Loh Kiwan has hit #1 on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English Movies chart this week.
According to the official data from the world’s most popular streaming service released earlier today, My Name is Loh Kiwan hit the #1 spot during the latest period March 4th to March 10th, 2024.
The top spot for the Korean film was due to having been watched for a total of 5.1 million times, for a total viewing time of 11.2 million hours.
The Korean movie was in the Top 10 in 31 countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, Portugal, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and South Korea.
It is the second week the Song Joong Ki-led movie has been on the chart, as it premiered at #3 on the chart just four days after the film released on the platform.
Song Joong Ki talks about the reviews for My Name is Loh Kiwan
My Name is Loh Kiwan is written and directed by Kim Hee-jin, and stars the aforementioned Song Joong Ki alongside Choi Sung Eun.
The film is based on the 2019 novel I Met Loh Kiwan by Cho Hae Jin, and tells the story of North Korean defector Loh Kiwan who travels to Belgium seeking asylum.
Once there, and suffering under incredible difficulties, he meets former professional shooter Marie (Choi Sung Eun) during less than ideal circumstances.
But, while Loh Kiwan is desperate to survive and be successful, Marie seems to have no interest in living.
Oddly, and I say oddly because the film is one of the best I have seen in a long time, while My Name is Loh Kiwan received overwhelmingly positive reviews in the west, some Korean outlets and viewers were less than complimentary.
So much so star Song Joong Ki talked about the mixed reactions to the film in a recent interview with Korean news media.
I understand that there are some people who don’t like or dislike the romance part. I also rejected it at first for that reason.
the 38-year-old Korean actor said.
He went on to clarify,
However, after a while, I was able to empathize with it and appreciate the work, just as I was able to empathize with the lack of it, so a movie is not a paper cup that you throw away after watching it once.
Even if you don’t enjoy it now and don’t empathize with it, you might change your mind again with another watch. Meanwhile, I hope you will watch the movie beautifully. Of course, if it doesn’t change over time, that’s out of my control. Opinions are not something I can force.
Yes, there was definite disappointment in the Korean actor’s comments, but that is to be expected when what is such an incredibly fine piece of work was dismissed by some as not of much value.
Song Joong Ki, then, must be thrilled at My Name is Loh Kiwan being #1 on the Netflix Top 10 Non-English Movies chart this week, as that’s quite nice validation, isn’t it?
The superb Korean film is streaming internationally on Netflix.
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