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Night of the Living ¡®Duk-hu¡¯

Killing Romance

LEE Wonsuk

Korea2023107min

Synopsis

Yeo-rae is a top model and star who has taken South Korea by storm. But she learns that fame is a fickle thing, after her awkward performance and poor pronunciation in a big-budget space movie turns her into a laughingstock. Exhausted and distraught, she decides to leave Korea and take a vacation to Qualla, a small Pacific island nation. Her trip starts off badly, but then she meets global real estate developer Jonathan Na (“jon-na”, incidentally, is a somewhat rude expression in Korean), who saves her from a pack of thieves, falls in love with her and proposes marriage. Cut to seven years later, when the couple flies to spend some time in Korea. Jonathan, it turns out, is not the Prince Charming he once seemed to be. Yeo-rae is desperately unhappy and constantly pinned under Jonathan’s watchful eye. She also learns the depth of his cruelty and violence towards anyone who crosses him. Yet a window of opportunity opens when she discovers that her next-door neighbor Bum-woo, a young man studying to re-take the university entrance exam, is one of her biggest fans. Together they hatch various schemes to enable Yeo-rae to live a happy life – all of which involve killing Jonathan.

Program Note

Top star Yeo-rae, who became a national joke due to her over-the- top acting, visits the island of Qualla in the South Pacific in search of peace of mind. Here, she falls in love at first sight with the charismatic environmental activist, Jonathan, and they soon get married. However, Yeo-rae soon discovers that her seemingly charming husband is actually violent and savage. Determined to reclaim her life as an actress, Yeo-rae devises a plan with a self-proclaimed longtime fan and her next-door neighbor, Bum-woo, to kill Jonathan.
Among the recent Korean films, there is unlikely to be a work that displays more extraordinary individuality than this one. From the plan to execute her husband, Jonathan, to the bizarre acts that follow, it’s all quite surreal. The exchange of “Pook-Swing-Hwak-Koong”!, like a secret code on a fiery stage, and the “Doenjang (soybean paste) Pot Drinking”!, that aims to induce a peanut allergy, these audacious setups transcend the realms of ordinary imagination. Combined with the actors’ skillful performances, even the most sincere and discerning audience members will find themselves bursting into laughter at least once. If you reach the level of enjoying “Rainism” by the iconic singer Rain or “Happiness” by HOT, the old boy group as memes that repeat endlessly, it is a testament to fully embracing this film. The director of How to Use Guys with Secret Tips, Lee Wonsuk, directed this film, which was invited to the special gala program “Night of the Living ‘Duk-hu’” at BIFAN 2023. (PARK Got)

Diretor

LEE Wonsuk

He studied in film at the American Film Institute(AFI) while working in the advertising industry in the United States. From his debut feature film How to Use Guys with Secret Tips (2013), which received favorable reviews, to The Royal Tailor (2014), both of his films were recognized for their cinematic quality, winning the Audience Award at Udine Far East Film Festival. He served as an operating director of the Incheon Film Commission and while doing various broadcasting activities, he clearly shows his own attractive color through the short film Lala Land (2017) and the recently released Killing Romance.

Credit

Producer
KIM Sung-hoon, KIM Myung-jin
Screenplay
PARK Jung-yae
Cinematographer
KANG Min-woo
Editor
JUNG Ji-eun
Sound
KIM Suk-won
Music
Dalpalan
Production Design
SHIN Yu-jin
Cast
ÀÌÇÏ´Ì LEE Ha-nee, À̼±±Õ LEE Sun-kyun, °ø¸í GONG Myoung