I don’t usually watch zombie stuff since I’m not a fan of gore. Which some people find strange since I love horror movies, but supernatural themes and gore are very different genres! I have not even watched the most well-known Korean zombie film Train to Busan. That said, I was intrigued by the synopsis of this film, and the assurance that it wasn’t going to be a typical zombie movie, so I ended up watching it.

Some Like it Cold (directed by Hong Sung Eun) is set in a fictional era of a zombie endemic where zombies are trying to escape human persecution. Na-hee (played by Park Yu Rim) works as a temporary government official working for a zombie extermination team when she is almost bitten by a zombie, only to be saved by a “rational zombie” (played by Bang Won Kyou) who tells her he doesn’t want to die. After much thought (and persuasion by the zombie), she goes against the law and embarks on a journey to smuggle the talking zombie to safety in Alaska.

[WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD] 

This film is a project in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea… which may sound strange because what do zombies have to do with human rights? You’ll find out in the movie (maybe?)!

We begin the film with an announcement that the zombie endemic is over (COVID-19 pandemic vibes, anyone?)… only to next see a zombie extermination team kill a zombie who was living with his wife and kid. This is how we are introduced to Na-hee, whose job is to transport these dead zombie corpses to a disposal site.

In the next few scenes, we soon see a clearer picture of Na-hee’s life. She’s stuck in a shitty job with no future, has an annoying boyfriend who refuses to marry her (using the endemic safety distancing measures as an excuse), and no hobbies. Except she’s no longer stuck in the shitty job because she is told the next day at work that her contract will not be renewed so she has one month left.

But she has to keep working for now, so she goes to work… only to run into a zombie and almost get turned into one. Luckily for her, she is saved by a “rational zombie”, a zombie who can think and behave mostly like a human, the only difference being that his body needs to be constantly kept cold, and he moves in a strange “zombie-like” way. Initially wanting to kill him since “all zombies should be killed”, she ends up letting him go and following him to his hideout.

Unfortunately, the area he’s hiding in will soon be cleared out, and he’s at risk of being found and killed. Na-hee, feeling sympathetic for the zombie (especially since he saved her life), devises a plan to get him out of the area and to safety. Thus begins a journey of humans and zombies working together to get a group of zombies to safety in Alaska.

So going back to the question of – what do zombies have to do with human rights? There’s a line in the movie – “zombies have rights too!” which probably answers this question. Especially in the case of “rational zombies”, these zombies are basically just like humans (and they were humans not too long ago)… and we find out quite early on that zombies understand one another in their own language. I wonder if this is maybe a metaphor for humans who don’t speak the same language as us…? Maybe for the foreigners living in Korea. Just because they may not speak the same language, are they not as deserving of rights? It’s a thought.

Anyway, I wasn’t expecting to feel so much for a film about zombies, especially given my usual aversion to the genre, but I guess I’m quite a sucker for quirky romance films. Especially when you see the characters slowly and quietly falling for each other. Unfortunately their romance is short-lived since they have to part in order for the zombie (cutely named “Jo Eun Bi” by Na-hee because the name sounds like “zombie”) to have a chance at survival in Alaska. But don’t worry, it’s a happy ending. And it’s a really adorable one too, involving pretty scenery, a grand romantic gesture, and just a lot of heart.

I really enjoyed the film because it was well-paced, the choice of framing shots were great, the writing was a good balance of quirky and thoughtful, and the acting was so natural I almost forgot this was a make-believe world. By the way, this is the same director for Aloners, so I guess this is a reminder to myself to find out where I can watch that movie finally!

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This film was screened at the 2025 Jeonju International Film Festival.