[Movie 2007] Secret Sunshine 밀양 Milyang

[rubie]

 

 

Secret Sunshine 밀양 2007 (Milyang)

Nationwide & Cannes Release

2007.05.24

 

Best Actress at the 60th CANNES Film Festival 

~ JEON DO YEON ~
 

 

 

 

 

Director : LEE Chang-dong (이창동 / 李滄東)
Main Cast : SONG Kang-ho, JEON Do-youn
Scheduled Release Date : MAY 24, 2007
Production : Pine House Film
International Sales : CJ Entertainment Inc.
Genre : Drama

March 6, 2007 LEE Chang-dong's New Film Opens In May

Director LEE Chang-dong's next film is in the post-production stage after filming finished on February 10th. The film will be released in Korean cinemas in May. The Korean title has been changed from Secret Sunshine to Milyang, after the place where the love story unfolds. JEON Do-yeon plays a woman who settles in Milyang with her young son after her husband's death. SONG Kang-ho is the head of a car center who develops an interest in her and assists the two when they endure hardship. Previously, LEE directed three critically acclaimed films: Green Fish (1997), Peppermint Candy (2002) and Oasis (2003). He’s also the writer of the PARK Kwang-su films To the Starry Island (1993) and A Single Spark (1995). Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)

Screencaps & related movie sites
 

Spoiler

SONG KANG HO
b. January 17, 1967

Complete filmography
The Good, the Bad, and the Weird (2008)
Secret Sunshine (2007)
The Show Must Go On (2006)
The Host (2006)
Antarctic Journal (2005)
The President's Barber (2004)
Memories of Murder (2003)
YMCA Baseball Team (2002)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Joint Security Area (2000)
The Foul King (2000)
Shiri (1999)
The Quiet Family (1998)
No. 3 (1997)
Bad Movie (1997)
Green Fish (1997)
The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996)


JEON DO YEON
b. February 11, 1973

Complete filmography
Secret Sunshine (2007)
You're My Sunshine (2005)
My Mother, the Mermaid (2004)
Untold Scandal (2003)
No Blood No Tears (2002)
I Wish I Had a Wife (2001)
Happy End (1999)
Harmonium in My Memory (1999)
A Promise (1998)
The Contact (1997)

VODS
Secret Sunshine Press Conference (10 Apr 2007)
http://vod.innolife.net/2007/04/0411_1.wmv
Secret Sunshine VIP Premiere & Interview with JDY-SKH (5 May 2007)
mms://newsvod.kbs.co.kr/news/news_8am/2007/05/02/300k/110.asf
http://vod.innolife.net/2007/05/0502_1.wmv
Korean films in Cannes 07 [which include the premier of Secret Sunshine and interview with JDY]
mms://newsvod.sbs.co.kr/nw/0123/nw0123c152592.asf
ETN Cannes clip - http://vod.innolife.net/2007/05/0528_1.wmv

ARTICLES & REVIEWS
Page 1
Apr 10, 2007 - Minister Returns as Director of 'Sunshine'
Apr 13 - Koreans avoid Hollywood victory (Distributors wary of high-profile summer competition)
Apr 20 - Two Korean Films to Be Shown in Competition at Cannes
Apr 20 - Two Korean films to compete in Cannes Film Festival
Let the Sunshine in - review by Scott Foundas
May 2 - 'Secret Sunshine' Asks Existential Questions
May 7 - Korea Herald Review: 'Secret Sunshine' sheds light on hope, redemption
May 8 - Jeon Do-yeon Warmed by the Glare of Publicity

Page 2
May 9 - 'Spider-Man 3' entombs Korean prey
Excerpt from Darcy Paquet at koreanfilm.org
May 14 - 'Miryang' to Be Released at Home, Cannes May 24
May 15 - Faces for the festival future
May 16 - Actress without ambition gets it all
May 16 - Diaphana basks in "Secret Sunshine"
May 16 - 'Love affair' with Asia will be felt at Cannes fest
Secret Sunshine Seoul Schedule
May 19: KOFIC Publishes New English-Language Book on Lee Chang-dong
May 21: French Portal Gives 'Milyang' Full Marks
http://www.commeaucinema.com/film=80407.html
May 21: SKH's comments on Secret Sunshine
http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/2007-05-22/10451563863.html
May 23: Cannes - 'Secret Sunshine', a mysterious journey of faith

Page 3
FESTIVAL DE CANNES (May 16-27, 2007)
Festival Hot List: 10 Foreign-Language Films to Watch For in Cannes
May 23: Secret Sunshine Movie Review by luna6
Cannes news update + photos
May 24: Star heats Korea's "Secret Sunshine" at Cannes
May 25: Competition-Shy Director Braves Competition at Cannes
May 25: Emotionally complex tale of a woman's confrontation with the worst of fates By Kirk Honeycutt
May 26: Festival Distinguished by Its Strong Actresses By A. O. Scott
May 26: Korean films set to be clobbered by Hollywood this summer
May 27: 'Secret Sunshine' Impresses at Cannes
May 27: 'Secret Sunshine' Steals Limelight in Cannes
May 26: 'Hi' Hopes
May 27: South Korea's Jeon wins Cannes best actress prize

Page 4
Secret Sunshine excerpts from LA Times, NY Times, TIME, Variety, Chicago Tribune (thanks to joynara)
PHOTOS from Cannes Awards Night
May 28: Jeon Do-yeon Wins Best Actress at Cannes
May 28: Jeon Do-yeon Wins Best Actress Award at Cannes
May 28: S. Korean wins best actress award at Cannes Film Festival
WINNERS' LIST OF THE 60th CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
May 28: Korean wins best actress award at Cannes Film Festival
May 28: Jeon Do-yeon shows off talent at Cannes
May 28: Korean actresses cleaning up at filmfests
May 28: Jeon Shines on Nation With Cannes Award
May 28: After 10 years of local stardom, Jeon Do-yeon finally wins nod at Cannes
May 29: Jeon wins Cannes best actress prize
May 28: Roh congratulates actress Jeon over Cannes award
May 29: Milyang in Festive Mood After Cannes Win
May 29: Jeon Do-yeon turns "Secret Sunshine" into hot property

Page 5
May 29: Return home of Cannes heroine (VODs + photos at JDY thread)
May 29: Hollywood Blockbusters Deepen Korean Cinema Woes
May 29: Cannes' Best Actress - Award for Jeon Should Bring Shine to Film Industry
May 29: Actress Jeon Do-yeon returns home from Cannes Film Festival
May 28: JEON Do-youn Crowned Best Actress at Cannes
May 29: Cannes top prize goes to Korean film actress
May 30: Jeon Says Her Cannes Win is Near Miracle
May 30: Cannes Award Doesn't Make Me Global: Korean Actress
Darcy Paquet's review - http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm07.html#secretsunshine
Jun 3: Lee reinvigorates Korean cinema
KOFIC-Korean Films Observatory
May 31: A Tribute to Jeon Do-yeon By Kyu Hyun Kim

Page 6
Jun 4: President Roh Enjoys Film 'Secret Sunshine'
Jun 9: "Ties" and "Beauty" ring up top honors at Grand Bell
Jun 13: Hollywood dominates Korean B.O.
Jun 15: An Intimate Glimpse: Lee Chang-dong and His Films
Jun 19: Hollywood Sequels Take Over Korean Screens
Jun 22: Pruning the Grapevine in Competition at Karlovy Vary
Jun 28: Culture Ministry to Award Medal to Actress Jeon
Jun 29: Honored Queen of Cannes
Korea Weekend Box Office - June 22-24
Korea Weekend Box Office - June 29-July 1
Korea Weekend Box Office - July 6-8
Jul 16: Korean movies falter in first half of 2007
Jul 17: She's most blissful star in Korea

Page 7
Jul 30: Jeon Do-yeon; Actress nabs Korea's 1st acting award at Cannes
Aug 2: Actress Jeon Do-yeon One of 50 Most Influential Women
Aug 3: Actress Jeon Named Leading Lady of Entertainment

2007 PHOTOS & SCREENCAPTURES

Apr 10 - Secret Sunshine Press Conference Photos Page 1
May 1 - Press Conference at Seoul Theater in Jongno, Seoul
Behind the scenes from Cine21 Page 2
May 22 - JDY & SKH airport departure to Cannes
May 24, 25, 26 - Dir. LCD, JDY & SKH in Cannes photo-call and red carpet Page 3
May 27 - JDY wins Best Actress Award at 60th Cannes Filmfest Page 4
May 30 - Secret Sunshine-Cannes press conference at CGV Apgujeong in Seoul Page 5
Jun 2 - Secret Sunshine Stage Greeting Page 6
Jun 7 - JDY at Korean Actor Association event to celeberate her win as best actress in Cannes
Jun 8 - JDY presented with Special Achievement Award at 44th Daejong Awards

Gratitude
KOFIC, CINE21, koreanfilm.org, JDY soompi thread, Shirley for website links & trailer, joynara for various Cannes updates

 

[rubie]

04-10-2007

Minister Returns as Director of 'Sunshine'

By Bae Keun-min
Staff Reporter

A piano teacher and her son come to her husband’s hometown in a province after the death of her husband. However, she even loses her son in the town. She is cornered into great grief and feeling of loss. How can she live her life when she loses the people she loves the most?

Director Lee Chang-dong's new film "Miryang," or "Secret Sunshine," portrays the woman, Sin-ae, in despair and a man, Chong-chan, owner of a car service center, who comes to love her despite her rejections.

"I made this film with a burning heart," said Lee in a press conference in Seoul yesterday. "As I made the film, my first in four years, my body, mind and senses were just like a player’s who participates in a game after a long hiatus."

The movie is his first since "Oasis" (2002), which gave him the Special Director's Award at the 59th Venice International Film Festival. "Secret Sunshine" is his fourth film.

"You may think it is a melodrama or a love story, but it is not the love story you commonly think of," the 52-year-old director said. "The audience will evaluate the film. But I kept thinking that I have to make it not to be ashamed of (myself and the movie)."

The title Miryang is the name of the town in South Kyongsang Province, where the movie was filmed. But the name can also mean a secret sunshine or a town with a lot of sunshine, Lee said, adding that the title is related to the film’s theme.

Great interest in the film was aroused when Lee announced his new project but not only because it is Lee's first flick since he resigned as Minister of Culture and Tourism. It also features two sought-after movie stars, actress Jeon Do-youn and actor Song Kang-ho, who perform in the same film for the first time. Lee held the post from February 2003 to June 2004.

"Every time I make a film, I get tired, pressured and nervous as if I’m doing it for the first time. I want to communicate with the audience, which does not necessarily mean communication with the larger group of audiences but an understanding in depth," Lee said. "I made the film, targeting neither the box-office profits nor international film awards."

In "Secret Sunshine" Lee and Song work together again for the first time since Lee's debut movie "Green Fish" (1997). "He (Song) is like a relative or psychological brother to me, thus although it has been 10 years since we worked together I have felt as if he and I have been together," Lee said. "He is an actor of great, keen sense."

The film is a new challenge for Song as he has never been in a melodrama. Song won the Best Actor Award at the Asian Film Awards last month with the film "The Host."

"Jeon and I debuted around the same time and have been good friends for the past 10 years. I am glad that we are finally in the same film," 39-year-old Song said. "The movie is mainly about Jeon’s role and her story."

Jeon, 34, who recently married, said she had decided to play in the film even before she read the script mainly because it was Lee's film. But she considered changing her decision after she read the script, wondering whether she was capable of performing the role, Jeon said, adding she had hard time acting for this film.

"There was a scene that I had to ask to stop filming and postpone it, which was the first time in my acting career, as I couldn't figure what was the emotion that I had to portray," Jeon said. "Although it hurt my pride, I think I made the right choice." The scene was when Sin-ae receives the first phone call from a kidnapper of her son.

Jeon appears on the screen with almost no make-up and disheveled hair to show an ordinary person in the real world. "I tried hard to erase 'Jeon Do-youn' from the character as much as I could."

The film industry is keeping an eye on "Secret Sunshine" to see if it indicates that Korean films can take the initiative back from Hollywood blockbusters. Korean films have recently been struggling at cinemas, largely because many of them are poorly finished.

"The film industry has grown so much compared to what it was some four years ago. However, I wonder if the growth has been based on economical efficiency," Lee said. "I believe the industry will be on the right track soon."

"Secret Sunshine" will open nationwide on May 17.

kenbae@koreatimes.co.kr

Source: The Korea Times

[rubie]

Apr 13, 2007

Koreans avoid Hollywood victory

Distributors wary of high-profile summer competition

By DARCY PAQUET

SEOUL Korean distributors are considering their options in the face of a potentially bruising summer, given the large number of high-profile Hollywood films lined up for release.

With "Spider-Man 3" (May 4), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (May 23), "Shrek 3" (June 6), "Ocean's Thirteen" (June 7), "Die Hard 4.0" (June 28), "Transformers" (June 28), "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (July 12), "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (July 26), "The Simpsons Movie" (July 27), and "Ratatouille" (July 27) all having staked out their spots in the release calendar, distributors are being selective in choosing which local films to throw in Hollywood's path.

Several mid-sized local titles originally scheduled for late spring, including Hur Jin-ho's love story "Happiness," will skip the summer months and debut in the fall. Although Korean cinema has maintained a 50%-60% market share in recent years, crowded summer release schedules have often resulted in disappointing performances, making distributors wary of May and June in particular.

The highest profile Korean films lined up for the summer are Cinema Service's costume drama "Hwang jin yi," CJ Entertainment's "May 18," and potentially Showbox's "D-War."

"Hwang jin yi" is based on a famous real-life gisaeng (the Korean equivalent of a geisha), however Chang Yoon-hyun's film takes as its source an award-winning novel from North Korea. The film also carried out a segment of its shooting in North Korea, at the Mt. Geumgang resort area that has been open to South Korean tourists since 2000. Featuring starlet Song Hye-gyo taking her most daring role to date, "Hwang jin yi" faced off against "Shrek 3" and "Ocean's Thirteen" on June 3.

The big-budget "May 18" from CJ Entertainment takes as its source the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, which is often compared to the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 1989. With hundreds or perhaps thousands of civilian protestors having been killed during clashes with elite military units, the issue remains an open wound for many in South Korea. CJ has recently confirmed that the film will be released in July, which would put it in competition with "Harry Potter."

Meanwhile, Showbox is holding off scheduling a release date for its $70 million English-language f/x extravaganza "D-War," hoping to first strike a deal with a U.S. distributor at the Cannes Film Festival. Nonetheless, the effects-heavy film is said to be most likely to bow locally in July.

Other films tentatively skedded for the summer months are Kwak Jae-yong ("My Sassy Girl") comedy "My Mighty Princess" from Prime Entertainment and period mystery "Goong-nyuh" from Cinema Service. High-profile arthouse title "Secret Sunshine" by Lee Chang-dong will also look to capitalize on a potential Cannes selection by opening May 17, a week before "Pirates."

Aside from bigger-budget productions, Hollywood can also expect competition from the annual crop of Korean horror films. Now a summer tradition, horror films are seen to have their strongest potential during the heat waves of June and July. This year looks to have an unusually high seven or eight scarefests on the way, including CJ Entertainment's "Black House" based on a Japanese novel; the Vietnam-set co-production "Muoi," hospital-set shocker "Epitaph" and fairy tale adaptation "Hansel and Gretel."

Source: VARIETY.com

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111796306...d=1019&cs=1

[Guest Epikt]

Thanks Rubie

It's been a long time since the last Lee Chang-Dong's movie. I hope it will be good.

[Guest Epikt]

I didn't know where to post it, there is no tread for Lee Chang-Dong.

But waiting for Secret Sunshine, you can preorder a DVD-box including his previous movies Green Fish, Peppermint Candy and Oasis (for only 32$ !!!)

source : twitch

[rubie]

Hi Hi Epikt, good to see you here.

No problem at all with posting and sharing about Dir. Lee Chang Dong at Secret Sunshine... I'm sure fans of his movies will appreciate the wonderful info. Keep on posting, yeah.

[Guest love.]

jeon doyoung is so pretty!<3

[rubie]

Apr 20, 2007

Two Korean Films to Be Shown in Competition at Cannes

Two Korean movies will be screened in competition of this year's Cannes Film Festival. "Secret Sunshine" by Lee Chang-dong and "Breath" by Kim Ki-duk were invited to the 60th anniversary extravaganza.

Since the first Korean movie, "Chunyang," was introduced in competition in 2000, there have been a string of Korean movies at Cannes, with "Strokes of Fire" in 2002, and "Old Boy" and "Woman Is the Future Of Man" in 2004. The Korean film industry welcomed the news since no Korean movies entered the competition last year. Industry sources expect the two movies to give a much-needed boost to the Korean movie industry, which some say is in crisis.

Meanwhile, Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon will take her first steps on the red carpet in Cannes, while Son Kang-ho notches up his second invitation to the French city in as many years. Last year, "The Host," in which Song starred, was screened as part of the Director's Fortnight at the festival.

"Secret Sunshine" gained a publicity boost from the news. It is to be screened on May 24. Director Lee Chang-dong and stars Jeon Do-yeon and Song will go to France on May 15th. "Breath" is screened on May 26, and director Kim Ki-duk and star Chang Chen will arrive in Cannes on May 16, before the festival kicks off.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0704200013.html

April 20, 2007

Two Korean films to compete in Cannes Film Festival

Two homegrown films about love have been invited to compete in this year's Cannes International Film Festival, the films' distributors said Thursday (April 20).

The two are "Secret Sunshine," the fourth feature film directed by Lee Chang-dong, and "Breath" the fourteenth film of director Kim Ki-duk.

The two films will compete with 19 other films for the coveted Palme d'Or, the highest honor of the festival.

The last Korean film invited to the festival's competition section was director Hong Sang-soo's "Tale of Cinema" in 2005.

"Secret Sunshine" is a love story depicting a young widow and a car mechanic in the small town of Milyang in Korea's Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang Province).

Director Lee, a former minister of culture and tourism, produced the film after a five-year hiatus as a director. Lee won the award for best director at the 59th Venice Film Festival in 2002 for his film "Oasis." ]

"Breath" shows the love between a death row inmate and a despairing woman who has witnessed her husband's infidelities.

Kim has also won awards in Berlin and Venice film festivals, but he has never won an award in the Cannes Film Festival.

This year's festival is scheduled for May 16-27.

http://www.korea.net/news/news/newsView.as...Day=&page=1

[rubie]

04-20-2007

Two Films Go to Cannes

By Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporter

Films by two renowned South Korean directors are heading to this year's competition section of Cannes Film Festival, arguably the world's most prestigious film festival.

The two films are Lee Chang-dong's "Miryang," the English title of which is "Secret Sunshine," and Kim Ki-duk's "Sum," or in English "Breath."

The selection of Korean films for the competition, to which about 20 films are invited annually, comes two years after director Hong Sang-soo's "Tale of Cinema" was showcased at the festival in 2005. The selected films will vie for the prestigious Palme d'Or, the most-coveted award at the French film festival.

"Secret Sunshine" marks Lee's comeback as a director after a five year hiatus. The highly acclaimed director, whose previous works include "Peppermint Candy" and "Oasis," served as the minister of culture and tourism in 2003-2004.

The cast in "Secret Sunshine" features top local stars like actor Song Kang-ho and actress Jeon Do-youn. It portrays an unusual love story between a woman who has lost her husband and a man who owns a car center in the husband's hometown. The film is due for release in South Korea on May 24.

Kim, whose credits include "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring" and "Bad Guy," underwent a crisis last year as a critically-acclaimed director who was popular abroad but not so at home _ he declared he would no longer release his films in Korea. But with ``Breath,'' which deals with a relationship between a criminal on death row and a woman whose husband is having an affair, the director is said to have become milder than in the past, both in his work and in person.

If Kim wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes, it would mean a triple crown for the 46-year-old director. In 2004, he won two of the Best Director awards at two other prestigious film festivals _ at the Berlin International Film Festival with "Samaritan Girl," and at the Venice Film Festival with "3-Iron."

"Breath" is set to be released in South Korea next Thursday.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/a...ategoryCode=141

[rubie]

En route to Cannes 2007, review by Scott Foundas at blogs.laweekly.com (Secret Sunshine-related excerpt only)

Thanks to edo at koreanfilm.org for the highlight -

Let the Sunshine in

Of course, most of those movies will remain tightly under wraps until the Cannes curtain rises on May 16. But in Paris last week, I was able to attend a small advance screening of one competition entry, and I am happy to report that it is nothing less than superb. The film is called Secret Sunshine and it is the fourth to be written and directed by South Korea’s Lee Chang-Dong, whose first three films — Green Fish (1997), Peppermint Candy (2000) and Oasis (2002) — pegged him as one of leading figures in his country’s recent cinematic renaissance. Those movies are too little known in America — only Oasis, which told of the unlikely romance between an ex-con and a young woman stricken with cerebral palsy, earned a U.S. theatrical release — but on Lee’s home turf, they established the director as that most unusual of cinematic hybrids: an uncompromisingly intelligent, personal filmmaker whose work is also accessible and even appealing to a sizable popular audience, no matter that it lacks bodily dismemberment, elaborate revenge schemes or the consumption of live squids.

Probably Lee’s most ambitious and fully realized film yet, Secret Sunshine is that rare movie that possesses that fullness and complexity of a great novel — one that keeps revealing new layers to us the deeper we move into it, and where it is as difficult to predict what will happen ten minutes in as it is two hours later. When the movie begins, it suggests an Asiatic Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, with a recent widow (Jeon Do-yeon) and her young son moving from Seoul to the small town of Milyang (the film’s Korean title), where the woman hopes to establish herself as a private piano tutor. En route, her car breaks down and when the local Milyang mechanic (The Host star Song Kang-ho) comes to her aid, we see the first sparks of a hesitant romance between two shy, lonely people. And so Secret Sunshine proceeds for a while, as the widow adjusts to her new surroundings and takes stock — prompted by the evangelical proselytizing of a born-again pharmacist —of her faith (or lack thereof) in some higher power. Then, abruptly and without warning, the film becomes something of a thriller, and some time after that a nearly Bressonian study in human suffering. If it is hard to imagine how one movie could possibly be all of those things (and quite a few others too), it may be even harder to conceive of the agility with which Lee guides Secret Sunshine through these switchblade reversals of comedy and despair, darkness and light. For in the end, the movie is all of a piece and impossible to imagine any other way — a secular hymn to the small triumphs and cavernous tragedies of the everyday, and to our awesome ability to cope.

To say much more would be to compromise the surprises of Lee’s film, and surprises at the movies these days are an endangered natural resource. But a few words are owed to the film’s remarkable actors, without whom Secret Sunshine might still have remained so many disparate pieces in search of a whole. Song, who is one of the biggest male stars in Korea at the moment, seems to relish playing the sort of taciturn, anti-heroic supporting role that big stars aren’t supposed to play at the peak of their careers. (Think George Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck). Jeon, meanwhile, is a revelation — to me, at least, since I haven’t seen any of her previous films (although she is said to have been excellent playing an AIDS-stricken waitress in Park Jin-pyo’s 2005 drama You Are My Sunshine). On screen in nearly every scene, she is fearless in her navigation of the movie’s turbulent emotional currents and gives the kind of un-stylized performance that hardly seems like “acting,” slowly revealing to us the extraordinary inner strength and grace of this seemingly fragile, uncertain woman, until it is as if we are beholding a saintly figure cast out of the heavens. This is the kind of performance that great directors inspire in great actors, and it sets a high standard by which all others at Cannes 2007 shall be judged.

[shirley]

offiical website

http://www.secretsunshine.co.kr/fla/index.html

i shall hope to hear news of jeon do yeon as the best actress at cannes .

[Guest Epikt]

Let the Sunshine in

Thanks ! It looks good.

By the way, the Lee Chang-Dong Collection DVD box is out.

The cheaper I saw is on DVD from Korea (32$) but it doesn't include shipping fee. If your living in the US it might be cheaper at DVD Asian (39$), particuliary if you bye something else (shipping is free if you order for 39$ and the box cost 38.95$ ).

[rubie]

Secret Sunshine - Official Trailer [HD]

[rubie]

May 2, 2007

'Secret Sunshine' Asks Existential Questions

“Secret Sunshine,” which opens May 24, asks the fundamental question, "Is life understandable?" The movie is already attracting plenty of hype, not just because it is director Lee Chang-dong’s first movie in four years but because it will be screened in competition at the Cannes International Film Festival. Ostensibly a melodrama, it repeatedly asks questions about the nature of human beings. Can human beings understand the truth, other human beings and God? Why is it so hard to find an ultimate answer despite all our efforts? The answers depend on the audience, though Lee's movie certainly does not seem to have a happy ending. 

The film follows Jong-chan, played by Song Kang-ho, a confirmed bachelor who owns a car repair shop and falls in love with Shin-ae, played by Jeon Do-yeon. He starts to follow her around. The two could not be more different: Shin-ae moved to the town only because it is the hometown of her dead husband, for whom she still grieves. Jong-chan is an ingratiating snob.

The turning point is the abduction of Shin-ae's son. The little boy, who is everything his mother has left, is kidnapped by the principal of a tutoring institute he attends, and dies. Shin-ae becomes a devout Christian after the tragedy and decides to forgive the murderer. But she is utterly shocked when she visits a prison, where the murderer makes his confession with a smile, saying, "God has already forgiven me." The movie, in other words, focuses on a woman who has been betrayed by both life and religion.

Lee has coaxed great performances from actors including Han Suk-kyu in “Green Fish,” Seol Kyung-gu in “Peppermint Candy” and Moon So-ri in “Oasis.” With Song Kang-ho and Jeon Do-yeon, he once again has two unforgettable leads. Song Kang-ho gives a fine performance, complete with convincing dialect, and Jeon Do-yeon proves her reputation by projecting the whole range from innocence to sensuality and horror.

The supporting cast are excellent. Mostly unknowns, some of them theatre actors from the Ulsan and Daegu region, they were selected through auditions.

At the end of the movie, Shin-ae's brother comes to visit and asks about the town. Jong-chan answered in his rough dialect, "Not much different from other places. Milyang is the same as other cities where people live." The movie induces a kind vertigo with a sense of how difficult life is to understand.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0705020014.html

[rubie]

Secret Sunshine 5/1 VIP Premiere & Interview with JDY-SKH

- lots of movie industry top directors & actors attending the premiere; directors Park Chan Wook, Kim Ji Woon... actors Choi Min Sik, Sul Kyung Gu, Shin Ha Kyun, Moon So Ri, Lee Byung Hun and many, many more.

- let's share pics of the premiere here and names of those attending too. Thanks! ^^

VOD download link - thanks to ylin & Hyc at LBH thread
mms://newsvod.kbs.co.kr/news/news_8am/2007/05/02/300k/110.asf

[shirley]

trailer

mms://movie.film2.co.kr/movie2/trailers/T0004733.asf

wow i am already pulled into the movie by the trailer ~ the cries of a mother . omg ...JDY is just marvellous .~

it so great raelly to see her with mr song together in a movie .it feel like magic .and i am sure this going to be a wonderful movie ..

from film2.0

another offiical website link : www.secretsunshine.co.kr [it will end up at the same link i give before ]

==========================

Based on the reviews from the press conference premier of the movie ..Jeon Do Yeon amazing and awesome performace had won overwhelming praises from critics and the media ....! ^^ .and Mr Song Kang Ho said that he was moved to tears with her performance .but it is a secret how many times he had cried ..lol mr song is so cute . JDY said that she has always been a fan of mr song kang ho ..that with this collboration ..her respect for mr song had grown so much more

[rubie]

May 7, 2007

[movie REVIEW]

'Secret Sunshine' sheds light on hope, redemption

In his latest film, set to compete at Cannes, director Lee Chang-dong achieves a thought-provoking drama that asks if hope exists

Life, they say, is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think. "Milyang (Secret Sunshine)" amplifies the extreme tragedy of one vulnerable Korean woman's life; the movie also pushes viewers to think hard about life's cruel arbitrariness and an elusive, almost secretive, ray of hope.

The sheer dramatic power of "Secret Sunshine" comes from director Lee Chang-dong's ever-evolving storytelling techniques. The former culture and tourism minister is not unfamiliar with the dark side of life, as his much-celebrated films "Oasis" and "Peppermint Candy" richly testify. This time, Lee seems to have pushed his own limits with a plot and characterization that border on a mind-boggling turn of sad events that threaten to overwhelm and destroy the human spirit.

The fragile mind beset by a mercilessly harsh reality is represented by Shin-ae (Jeon Do-youn), a piano teacher who is already struggling to stand on her own feet emotionally after the death of her husband. To escape from her predicament, she moves to Milyang, North Gyeongsang Province, her late husband's hometown.

In Milyang (which translates as "secret sunshine"), Shin-ae has a brief chance to brighten up her depressing life when she meets Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho), a local car repair shop owner. Jong-chan falls in love with her and helps her settle down smoothly in Milyang.

But their romance does not get a chance to develop further when Shin-ae's son is kidnapped and she has no one to turn to. She tries everything she can to get her son back, but life is cruelly indifferent to her wishes again.

In utter despair, she seeks solace at a local church and finds her troubled soul beginning to heal when she devotes herself to Christianity.

At this seemingly religious moment, director Lee questions the purpose of religion. The answer seems perplexingly mixed. For a kidnapper now behind bars, religion is indeed a reason to keep living. For Shin-ae, God should know when to intervene. For when Shin-ae visits the kidnapper in prison, he calmly tells her that he sought and received forgiveness from God and is now perfectly at peace. Shin-ae is not, and her religious conviction turns into a sense of betrayal and hopelessness.

Falsely -- or rightly -- believing that God has betrayed her, Shin-ae seduces a pharmacist's husband, and expresses her disillusionment publicly when a pastor delivers a sermon to locals. It is Jong-chan who continues to stay around her, secretly caring about her constantly, subtly suggesting that after all a tiny bit of sunshine is available for a deeply wretched soul.

Despite the gloomy plot and religious skepticism, the movie has won wildly positive reviews from most Korean newspapers and film critics.

The fact that "Secret Sunshine" has been invited to compete at the forthcoming Cannes Film Festival is also fueling a torrent of coverage after a press preview on May 1.

"Secret Sunshine," to be released nationwide on May 24, is winning critics over largely because of Jeon Do-youn's emotionally supercharged and impressive performance. Song Kang-ho's natural performance, which compensates for the main protagonist's tragic aspect, is also getting high marks.

Asked about the scene where Shin-ae despairs over God, director Lee said the movie is not to portray religion negatively. "This story is not about God but about human beings," he said at a post-screening press conference, adding that "it is Shin-ae herself who interpreted God, resorted to God and then felt betrayed by God."

Whether she can get even a glimpse of hope in life is far from certain, given the inconclusive ending of the film. What's certain, however, is that life is a tragedy for her because she has been feeling it all by herself -- all the way to the abyss of despair.

By Yang Sung-jin

(insight@heraldm.com)

Source: The Korea Herald, CINE21

https://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/htm...00705080010.asp

[rubie]

May 8, 2007

Jeon Do-yeon Warmed by the Glare of Publicity

Monday afternoon in Samcheongdong, Seoul is already showing signs of summer, and tiny droplets of sweat appear on Jeon Do-yeon’s forehead. The actress is very much in the spotlight, what with her new movie “Secret Sunshine” getting accolades and an invitation to the Cannes Film Festival and having just embarked on her married life.

In the film, Jeon plays a woman who turns to Christianity after she loses her husband and only son and then even feels betrayed by God. When complimented on her acting, Jeon smiles. "To tell the truth, I can’t hide the expressions on my face." Although it’s a few weeks yet until the movie’s release on May 24, compliments and encouragement are pouring in. But Jeon confesses she couldn’t understand the extreme emotions of the character when she first read the screenplay. The actress had a love-hate relationship with the director Lee Chang-dong while filming. "Even if the famous Lee Chang-dong directs a movie, an actor can’t just be a puppet and not understand what’s going on,” she says. 

"Secret Sunshine" may be interpreted differently according to the viewer. When asked about the impressions of her husband after watching the movie, Jeon quotes him as saying, "I’d have never watched it unless my wife was in it." "My husband is the kind of person who enjoys movies as entertainment,” she explains. But what really rewarded Jeon was the reaction of her mother, who is in her 70s. Jeon’s mother said she couldn’t breathe even the day after she watched the movie because she felt so sorry for the character. 

Jeon looks cheerful when the conversation turns to her new role as a wife. Despite what some may think, she is a morning person. She gets up around 7 or 7:30 a.m., prepares breakfast, mostly salad and bread, for her husband and herself, and cleans house when she doesn’t have work. "You can't imagine how hard I work. My shoulders ache. Before getting married, a day was very long, but now it’s too short."

Jeon can’t wait to walk down the red carpet in Cannes for the first time. "A lot of stars will be there for the 60th anniversary of the festival and will stay at the same hotel. Will I have to get their autographs? I should preserve my dignity as a Korean actress, right?"

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/new...0705080015.html

[rubie]

 Secret Sunshine (VIP Screening)

[Guest curuma11]

Rubie, thank you so much!! You always supply us great stuff!!

Finally!! another great movie from Lee?..

I can see the confidence and excitment from actors and the director in the press con pics.

"A lot of stars will be there for the 60th anniversary of the festival and will stay at the same hotel. Will I have to get their autographs? I should preserve my dignity as a Korean actress, right?" <=== I love JDY's humbleness.

She shines as an actress, hope she wins award in Cannes.

SKH has a beard now. Is that for his new movie?? He looks cool in his new look.. hahaha!