Hong Sung-eun's feature directorial debut, Aloners, epitomizes the idea that cinema can be a universal language.

| Jul 12, 2024

With strong, well-developed writing from Hong (who also edited the film) and an impressive performance from Gong –for which she deservedly won two acting awards– Aloners is an astute meditation on loneliness, work, and modernity.

| Jul 5, 2024

As a character study Aloners is genuinely fascinating. Jin-ah makes no apologies for her own behavior in person, while constantly making meaningless disaffected apologies to customers over the phone.

| Mar 1, 2024

A subtle, heartfelt debut film that explores the rise in modern day loneliness.

| Feb 13, 2024

To Hong's credit, Aloners rarely comes across as depressing, though the subject matter might indicate otherwise. She has a light touch, and her cast does, too...

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 8, 2023

A sad portrait of solitude and loneliness.

| Original Score: B | Aug 12, 2023

Hong Sung-eun’s thoughtful first-time direction and Gong’s nuanced performance as a young woman waking up to the creeping dehumanization of herself make Aloners a genuinely thought-provoking reflection on 21st-century life.

| Original Score: 75/100 | Jul 27, 2023

Aloners forces the audience to feel the weight of the human condition. The pain, the joy, the sadness, the depths of our emotions. It’s not easy to choose to be present for life, but it is essential to being alive.

| Jul 25, 2023

Through the story of a girl who leads a repetitive existence, Aloners shows us that life can be meaningful if we’re brave enough to let ourselves be vulnerable.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jul 20, 2023

A social critique wrapped in a quiet drama and character study, Aloners is the incisive feature debut from South Korean writer-director Hong Sungeun and features a powerful lead performance from actress Gong Seung-yeon.

| Jun 22, 2023

A reflective interrogation into modern loneliness, as well as the silent brutalities of today’s urban life defined by competition, technology and nonstop productivity.

| Jun 12, 2023

While the message is pat, the way it’s presented is poignant, thanks to an arresting lead performance from Gong, who manages a tricky balance of chilliness and charm.

| Jun 12, 2023

It’s a moving drama with an excellent central performance.

| Original Score: 8.5/10 | Jun 9, 2023

Aloners, Hong Sung-eun’s debut feature, recognizes that isolation in the 21st century isn’t quiet or even really solitary; any emptiness is always full of something, and even if it’s little in substance, it can be large in quantity.

| Jun 9, 2023

The bittersweet Korean drama “Aloners” works best when it’s a character study about an isolated thirtysomething’s behavior instead of whatever her creators think should be done about it.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 9, 2023

Gong portrays an aspect of modern Korean life that you won’t find in K-pop sitcoms about golden children destined for glamorous futures...

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 9, 2023

Hong’s greatest strength is restraint. At every moment in which she could turn the film into an easier, feel-good story about a woman being taught how to wake up to life, she pulls back.

| Jun 8, 2023

For a directorial debut, Aloners showcases Hong Sung-eun as an exciting new voice—hopefully next go around she’ll give us a little more to chew on.

| Original Score: 5.0/10 | Jun 7, 2023

Aloners is more relatable because it is harder to connect in this era of constant contact, and by refusing to add adornment to Jina’s solitude, the film is an unhurried mediation that allows us to reflect on our own forms of exile.

| Jun 4, 2023

When we talk about a slice-of-life movie, we mean the kind of film that isn’t plot-focused, but immerses us into the particular life of a person. That’s what Aloners does so well.

| May 30, 2023