A Normal Family

Two brothers and their wives meet at an expensive restaurant. The elder is a successful criminal defence lawyer, the younger a paediatrician rigid about principle. They are at the table because a violent crime committed by their children was caught on a security camera. Everyone's morality changes places as the evening goes on. Hur Jin-ho directed. The cast is Sul Kyung-gu, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Hee-ae and Claudia Kim. The source is Herman Koch's 2009 novel The Dinner, and this is its fourth screen adaptation: the Netherlands in 2013, Italy in 2014, the United States in 2017, and now South Korea. What the Korean version adds is family hierarchy and class difference turned into visible pressure. It screened in Toronto in September 2023 but only opened at home in October 2024, the gap caught up in distribution decisions. Who it is for: viewers who like conversation-driven thrillers built on a moral dilemma. Who it is not for: anyone after action; the film happens almost entirely at a table.