Female Korean directors are in short supply, but their ranks gained a valuable addition with director
Kim Hee-jung's debut feature film. "
The Wonder Years" (YeolSesal, Sooa) depicts a high school girl who is unsatisfied with her life and mother, and creates an alternative take on her life.
KIM's short films got her noticed by the renowned Cannes Residence Program which selected her for their 2005 edition. There she developed "
The Wonder Years", her first feature film.
The film premiered last week and offers an alternative for the big-budget summer fare. "...
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
A small gem of a film with subdued charms, "
The Wonder Years" portrays the peculiarities of adolescence with a keen eye. The family drama brings to life endearing characters as it intricately weaves together the mundane, comical and dramatic aspects of everyday life.
Sullen and silently rebellious, 13-year-old Su-ah (
Lee Se-yeong) is about to enter junior high school. Her mother, Yeong-ju (
Choo Sang-mi), widowed and desperately trying to make ends meet by running an eatery, does not have much time to tend to Su-ah's hushed dilemmas.
Each day is uneventful but life is otherwise good, until the two lose their restaurant which doubled as their house and are forced to move ...
MoreBy Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
A fight for love always sounds romantic, but what if the battle field is an elementary school and the two rivals in love are a female teacher and her 12-year-old student trying to win the heart of a good-looking teacher? A new local comedy successfully takes the funny factors from this exact situation and develops it as bitter sweet.
"Yosonsaeng VS Yojeja (
Lovely Rivals)", directed by
Jang Gyoo-seong, seems like a sequel for the director's previous comedy "
My Teacher, Mr.Kim", since it is also set in a primary school and is a...
MoreWhen 17-year-old
Moon Geun-yeong starred in "
My Little Bride", a romantic comedy, released in April, few expected she would steal the show. Her counterpart
Kim Rae-won was a sure to hog the spotlight as a proven heartthrob. But it turned out that young Moon out-charmed her co-star.
Moon is now a part of something much bigger: a wave of young-teen female stars featured on the silver screen. The concept usually refers to those in the 13 to 15 age group.
Although Moon does not strictly fit the definition, her image as an irresistible kid is inspiring other producers and directors to recruit young actresses.
For instance, "
Lovely Rivals" ("Yeoseonsang vs. Yeojeja") which will be released tomorrow nationwide, features
Lee Se-yeong as an elementary school student...
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