# Aema (2025)

> In 1981 Korea, a movie star and an ambitious starlet fight male-dominated industry rules and backstage corruption while making the provocative film Madame Aema.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/147934

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 59 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, comedy
- Created by: Lee Hae-young
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Lee Hanee, Bang Hyo-rin, Jin Sun-kyu, Cho Hyun-chul, Woo Ji-hyun, Lee Zoo-young, Kim Jong-soo, Hyun Bong-sik
- TMDB rating: 6.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29059394/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: sensual, glamorous, wry, defiant, retro

## Synopsis

Aema (2025) is a South Korean period miniseries created by Lee Hae-young for Netflix. Set in 1980s Korea, the six-episode drama follows movie star Jeong Hee-ran (Lee Hanee) and ambitious starlet Shin Ju-ae (Bang Hyo-rin) as they push back against a male-dominated film industry while shooting the provocative production Madame Aema. Jin Sun-kyu, Cho Hyun-chul and Woo Ji-hyun play key figures in the production world, where directors, producers and backroom power brokers shape what reaches the screen and who gets to decide it. Each episode is built around the pressures of a film set: negotiated scenes, censorship anxieties, and the constant friction between artistic ambition and industry corruption. The tone blends sensual, glamorous period styling with sharp, wry commentary and a current of defiance, so the drama feels both playful and combative. Its retro atmosphere and bold, behind-the-scenes look at how cinema was made under political control make it a natural pick for fans of Mad Men, Babylon and The Deuce. Viewers drawn to Korean film history and stories of women forcing their way into power will find much to enjoy in this compact, adult-oriented limited run.

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