Every August 15th in South Korea, national flags wave from apartment balconies and memorial ceremonies fill television broadcasts across the country. This is Gwangbokjeol, or Liberation Day, commemorating Korea's freedom from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule that ended in 1945. For a nation that suffered through forced labor, cultural suppression, and the devastating impacts of wartime mobilization, this day represents a profound source of national pride and remembrance.

Korean cinema has provided a powerful lens through which to examine this dark yet defiant period in the country's history. Three films in particular offer compelling perspectives on how ordinary citizens became extraordinary heroes under Japanese occupation. These movies, ranging from intimate biographical drama to action-packed espionage thrillers, demonstrate the various ways people resisted oppression and fought for their homeland's freedom.

Director Lee Joon-ik's 2016 film "Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet" takes a remarkably restrained approach to this turbulent era. Known for his bombastic period dramas like "The King and the Clown" and "The Throne," Lee strips away his usual theatrical flourishes for something more solemn and devastating. Shot entirely in black and white, this biographical film follows the final years of poet Yun Dong-ju, when simply writing in Korean became an act of rebellion against Japanese authorities.

The narrative unfolds through flashbacks as Dong-ju, played by Kang Ha-neul, faces intense interrogation by Japanese officials. Viewers witness his transformation from an idealistic student into a young man torn between artistic expression and political reality. His cousin Song Mong-gyu, portrayed by Park Jung-min, represents the path of active resistance as a fiery revolutionary who tries to pull Dong-ju toward more direct action. Meanwhile, Dong-ju wrestles with whether poetry alone can serve his country's cause.

This film deliberately avoids typical resistance drama heroics, instead choosing restraint and subtle emotional impact. Director Lee and screenwriter Shin Yeon-shick allow the oppressive weight of the colonial era to accumulate through carefully chosen details: the moment when Korean becomes a forbidden language in schools, the mounting pressure on citizens to adopt Japanese names, and the way even studying Korean literature requires moral compromise. Kang Ha-neul, better known for lighter commercial roles, delivers a remarkably nuanced performance, particularly during scenes where Dong-ju's poems are recited against the backdrop of the brutal reality that inspired them.

The film refuses to offer clear-cut answers through either pure heroism or violent resistance. When Dong-ju and Mong-gyu finally reunite in a Japanese prison, the revelation lands with quiet devastation that speaks volumes about the human cost of oppression. It's ultimately a portrait of how systematic oppression crushes not just bodies but spirits, while also showing how art can endure even when the artist doesn't survive. "Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet" is currently available with English subtitles on Amazon Video.

If "Dongju" whispers its message, Kim Jee-woon's 2016 espionage thriller "The Age of Shadows" delivers its story with a thunderous roar. Set in the 1920s during the height of Japanese occupation, this lavish cat-and-mouse game follows colonial police captain Lee Jung-chool, played by Song Kang-ho, as he navigates the treacherous space between his Japanese employers and Korean freedom fighters seeking independence.

The film opens with a spectacular sequence that immediately establishes its cinematic ambitions. Korean freedom fighters flee across moonlit rooftops while Japanese forces swarm the buildings below in hot pursuit. This bravura opening sets the tone for what follows: two hours of double-crosses, shifting allegiances, and gripping set pieces that recall the best work of directors like Carol Reed and Alfred Hitchcock. Song Kang-ho, reliably excellent as always, plays a man whose moral compass spins wildly as he engages in increasingly high-stakes deception that puts everyone around him at risk.

Director Kim Jee-woon never lets narrative clarity get in the way of pure momentum. While viewers might occasionally lose track of who's betraying whom in the complex web of loyalties, the sheer craft and technical excellence keep audiences thoroughly engaged. At 140 minutes, the film is deliberately maximalist in its approach, but that ambitious scope is part of its considerable appeal. "The Age of Shadows" represents blockbuster filmmaking at its most audacious, with Kim shooting even throwaway dialogue scenes with the same intensity reserved for climactic confrontations. While the Japanese characters may come across as somewhat cardboard cutout villains, when the filmmaking displays this level of confidence and skill, nuanced characterization takes a backseat to pure cinematic pleasure. The film is available with English subtitles on both Apple TV and Prime Video.

Choi Dong-hoon's 2015 film "Assassination" walks a careful tightrope between historical gravitas and pure popcorn entertainment. Set primarily in 1933 during the height of Japanese occupation, it follows a covert agent from Korea's Shanghai-based provisional government who assembles a team of three specialists to carry out a dangerous mission. The team includes sniper Ahn Ok-yun, played by Jun Ji-hyun, and their target is both a high-ranking Japanese commander and a Korean collaborator operating in Seoul.

The plot quickly spirals into deliciously complex territory, featuring hired hitmen targeting the assassins, turncoats revealing their true colors, and even a separated-at-birth subplot that somehow manages not to derail the entire narrative. Director Choi stages all of this with genuine enthusiasm and skill, making excellent use of spectacular set pieces ranging from an explosive ambush at a gas station to a wedding ceremony that erupts into gunfire instead of celebration.

Jun Ji-hyun, also known internationally as Gianna Jun and recognized as one of Korean entertainment's most bankable stars, brings real steel to her role as the sharpshooting Ahn Ok-yun. The film surrounds her with a colorful cast of supporting players, including Ha Jung-woo as a suave contract killer and Lee Jung-jae as a slippery double agent whose loyalties shift like quicksand throughout the story.

With 16 million admissions at the Korean box office, it's crystal clear that "Assassination" was designed as a crowd-pleaser from the ground up. This commercial ambition shows in both the lavish period recreation and the occasionally broad emotional beats that aim for maximum audience impact. Despite its unabashedly commercial intentions, when the film clicks into gear—which happens frequently—it delivers the kind of old-fashioned Saturday matinee thrills that have become increasingly rare in Korean cinema. While it's undeniably commercial in its approach, the film is executed with enough style and technical proficiency to sustain its entertaining formula. "Assassination" is currently available with English subtitles on Amazon Prime Video.