Actors in their 20s have been making their appearance on the big screen. With a growing number of youth-themed films these days, works of 20-something actors have stood out as well. In the middle of the trend is the film titled “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet.” It was followed by “We Called Him Heeya” and “Glory Day,” “Su saek” and “Cutter” are due in order.

It is rare to see that many young actors cast in Korean films at the same time. Whether these rising young actors can bring a new sensation to the Korean film scenes, which have been mainly led by actors in their 40s to 50s, and grow into full-fledged actors who can play a leading role in Korean movies, is yet to be seen.  
For starters, “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet” depicts the friendship and conflict between a young national independent movement activist Mong-gyu Song (played by Jung-min Park) and a major Korean poet Dong-ju Yoon (played by Ha-neul Kang). The actors who played the leading roles in the film earned favorable reviews for their outstanding performance. In particular, Jung-min Park, also known as “Gang-ho Song” in the independent film circle received positive attention for his greatest acting performance so far. 
Another film, “We Called Him Heeya” depicts the conflict and reconciliation between brothers, the troublemaker “Jinsang” and the high-schooler “Jin-ho” who wants to be a singer. Jinsang was played by Bo-hyun Ahn while Jin-ho was played by Hoya, a member of Korean boy group “Infinite.” Hoya made his screen debut with his real name Ho-won Lee. This film was Bo-hyun Ahn’s maiden work, too.

These rookie actors performed well enough to leave a good impression to the audience.
Another youth movie, “Glory Day” tells the story about four friends off to a trip and stars Ji-soo, Joon-myun Kim (EXO’s Suho), Jun-yeol Ryu (29 years old), and Hui-chan Kim. The movie premiered at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival and drew a lot of attention with its star-studded cast and because of the interesting combination of the acting prowess of the young actors.

“Su saek” depicts the friendship and explosive spirit of the four friends who could have been in peace even though they live in a poor town. Se-chang Maeng, Myung Gong, a member of Surprise, Tae-hwan Lee, and Jin-sung Lee (29 years old) appeared in the movie. Centering around Maeng, who played a central role, the film showed the charm and energy of the other three young actors.

“Cutter” tells a story about a high school student who was dragged by the dark forces targeting drunken women into a shocking murder based on a horrendous sex crime rumor as a motif. Tae-joon Choi, Si-hoo Kim, and Ga-young Mun starred in the movie. Choi made his screen debut with a leading role, playing a high school student who takes aim at drunken women, and Kim played a sensitive transfer student who got involved in a terrible case.