Underplayed Gems

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng (2025)

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng poster
Country
South Korea
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A Korean language teacher is pulled into a secret government committee that writes the national college entrance exam. She spends 40 days locked away with strangers, and the pressure of the job starts to weigh on her.

darkly comictenseclaustrophobicabsurdsatiricalgroundedsuspenseful

What happens

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng (Korean: 수능, 출제의 비밀) is an upcoming South Korean black comedy film written and directed by Lee Yong-jae (marking his directorial debut). It stars Lee Sun-bin as the title character, along with Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min, and Jeon Seok-ho. The film follows Maeng Bo-ram, a Korean language teacher who is unexpectedly selected for the CSAT question committee, a Level 2 state secret. The story depicts her 40-day experience of isolation during the committee's secluded retreat. Distributed by By4M Studio, it is scheduled to be released theatrically in South Korea in October 2026. It will have its world premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival in October 2026 as part of the Korean Cinema Today - Panorama section. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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