A dark thriller exposes the underbelly of monarchical splendor
Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)
The time is the Joseon dynasty -- unspecified but presumed to be around 18th century. The place is the women's quarters inside the court, entirely staffed by women and governed by their own inhumanly strict rules. In this world completely devoid of a male presence, a simple act of stealing might result in amputated hands, while falling in love with a male court officer might lead to a Grand Guignol-like semi-public execution.
A royal maid, Wol-ryung (
Seo Yeong-hee, "
Jealousy Is My Middle Name"), is found dead by hanging in a room, an apparent suicide. However, the medical officer, Cheon-ryung (
Park Jin-hee, "Spy Lee Chul-jin", "
Love Talk"), uncovers that not only was Wol-ryung murdered, but also that she recently gave birth to a child.
The supervising officer, ...
MoreBy Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
South Korea's esteemed 45th Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Festival held in southern Seoul, showcased the latest local box office trends, with its stronghold of original thrillers, stylistic period pieces and experimental projects. While superstars grabbed the limelight as expected, hitherto overlooked veteran actors and young debutant directors shined the most, suggesting that blatant star power, be it a reputed director or ravishing screen beauty, don't always guarantee ticket sales or awards.
The red carpet event took place outside the COEX Convention Hall in a sea of blinding camera flashes as glamorous cineastes filed in. Screen beauties like
Han Chae-young,
Park Jin-hee and
Sin-ae were elegant in cleavage-bearing, long evening gowns while others such as
Kim Yoon-jin and
Ko Ah-ra chose mini-dresses to show off their figures.
Actress
Kim Ah-joong, who won last year's award for Best Actress ("
200 Pounds Beauty"), and popular announcer Choe Gi-hwan hosted the show. To add more sparkle to the star-studded event, pop group the Wonder Girls took to the stage to deliver bubbly dance music.
"The Chaser", the featu...
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"Dream" (Korean title: "Bimong"), the fifteenth film by director
Kim Ki-duk, has been selected to compete at the 56th San Sebastian International Film Festival, to be held from September 18-27.
The film, which stars Japanese heartthrob
Joe Odagiri and Korean actress
Lee Na-young, centers around...
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"
Shadows in the Palace" (Goongnyeo) is a movie with an identity crisis.
It had the potential to weave in the flavor of "CSI" with the intriguing inner workings of a Joseon Dynasty palace.
The backstabbing, the petty fighting, the balance of power between the various concubines: That's what I imagined when I read the storyline.
Unfortunately, the end result was a lot of wasted potential.
The intrigue begins when Cheon Ryeong (...
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