Movie poster for "Unbowed" (left) and "A Reason to Live" (right) [Aurora Pictures/Film Camp]

Korean filmmakers Chung Ji-young's "Unbowed" and Lee Jeong-hyang's "A Reason to Live" have been noted in a list of the 10 best Asian films of the year by the prestigious Wall Street Journal.

An article by the Wall Street Journal's senior editor Dean Napolitano showed that "Unbowed" and "A Reason to Live" were chosen as part of his top 10 choices for most notable Asian films of the year.

He explained how director Lee "took on the heavy subjects of capital punishment and South Korea’s male-dominated culture...... doesn’t so much as judge the status quo, as she looks for a path out," and said that Chung "makes a sharp critique of the country’s legal system" through his feature.

Other notable features on the list included “Busong,” “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,” “Inseparable,” “Life Without Principle,” “A Simple Life,” “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale” and “Wu Xia.”

"Unbowed" is based on the real-life case of the 'crossbow terror incident' in which a professor (played by actor Ahn Sung-ki) is put on trial for allegedly using a crossbow to assault a judge.

It was first introduced at last year's Busan International Film Festival and scheduled to open in local theaters on January 19.

"A Reason to Live," starring actress Song Hye-kyo, tells the story of a producer named Da-hye that decides to shoot a documentary based on 'forgiveness' to overcome the death of her fiancee who died in a car accident.

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