'A Trip to Gyeongju' Earns Global Acclaim Ahead of Korean Release
Kim Mi-jo's A Trip to Gyeongju, starring Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon, wins praise at major international film festivals.
Long before Korean audiences have the chance to watch it in theaters, A Trip to Gyeongju has already built serious momentum on the international festival circuit. Director Kim Mi-jo's family revenge drama is drawing attention across the globe, earning invitations and critical praise from major film festivals with a story that refuses to stay within the boundaries of a single genre.
Led by an acclaimed cast that includes Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon, A Trip to Gyeongju follows a mother and her two daughters who set out on a "killer" journey after waiting eight years for the return of their youngest family member, Gyeong-ju, who never came home from a school trip. The film blends grief, revenge, family conflict, and dark comedy into a narrative that keeps shifting beneath the audience's feet.
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Its international journey began at the 45th Hawaii International Film Festival, where the film celebrated its world premiere. Critics responded enthusiastically, describing it as "a work that exquisitely combines dark humor with emotional intensity." That early reception quickly established the film as one to watch before it had even secured a domestic release.
The momentum carried into the 24th Florence Korean Film Festival, where A Trip to Gyeongju continued to impress both critics and local audiences. Reviewers praised its fresh storytelling approach, noting how it breaks away from familiar revenge drama conventions while maintaining strong emotional weight. Sometimes the boldest stories are the ones willing to turn things upside down, and Kim Mi-jo's latest feature appears determined to do exactly that.
Interest in the film has continued to grow. A Trip to Gyeongju has now been invited to the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival, North America's largest genre film festival, which opened on July 16. The invitation places the Korean production alongside many of the year's most talked-about genre titles.
Nicolas Archambault, Director of Asian Programming at Fantasia, singled out the film as one of the festival's highlights.
"It is one of my favorites in this year's lineup," he said. "Every element is phenomenal, from the wide emotional range oscillating between laughter, fear, and touching moments to the actors' performances, direction, and screenplay."
The praise extends well beyond North America. A Trip to Gyeongju has also secured an invitation to the 6th Barcelona Korean Film Festival, which opens on September 2. Programmer Gloria Fernandez praised the production as "an intense and unpredictable dark humor thriller that allows no compromise for the audience amidst the entanglement of love, loss, and revenge."
Those endorsements underline why anticipation surrounding the film continues to grow. Rather than relying on straightforward revenge storytelling, the film shifts between emotional family drama, unsettling suspense, and moments of black comedy. That combination has become one of its defining strengths on the festival circuit.
The cast also adds considerable weight to the project. Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, and Lee Yeon bring together performers known for balancing emotional depth with powerful screen presence, giving the story a foundation that critics have repeatedly highlighted in their festival reviews.
After collecting praise across multiple international festivals, A Trip to Gyeongju is finally preparing to meet audiences at home. The film will open in South Korean theaters on August 26, carrying the rare distinction of arriving with global acclaim already behind it. Whether domestic audiences embrace it with the same enthusiasm remains to be seen, but its festival run suggests this is one release worth keeping firmly on the radar.
