Closing Film

The 12th Suspect

KO Myoungsung|Korea|2019|102min |World Premiere |Color |15+

Code Time Theater Rate GV
801 7/5  19:00 City Hall, Main Theater(2F) 15
917 7/6  15:30 - 17:12 City Hall, Main Theater(2F) 15 GV
801 7/5  19:00 - 17:12City Hall, Main Theater(2F)
15
917 7/6  15:30 - 17:12City Hall, Main Theater(2F)
15  GV

Unless following Subtitle code is marked, all films will have English subtitles

Notice of No English-Subtitle

Program Note

The 12th Suspect is a full-length feature film directed by KO Myoungsung, who also directed a documentary titled Good Bye (2009) about Korean immigrants living in Japan who went to North Korea. Set in a teahouse in Myeong-dong, Seoul right after the end of the Korean War, The 12th Suspect follows the suffocating psychological showdown that takes place between a detective and the 11 suspects who find themselves caught up in a murder case. The tight narrative between the characters and the enthusiastic performances of Kim Sangkyung, Heo Sungtae, Park Sunyoung, Kim Dongyoung, and the other actors prevent the film from falling into a monotony that could potentially be caused by a limited space like a teahouse. Through symbolic spaces such as the Korean War, Myeong-dong, and Namsan, the film attempts to take a look at the dark foundation of the modern history of Korea which has been carried forth through liberation, the Korean War, and division.

Program Note

The year is 1953, and although the Korean War has ended, the aftereffects of war can still be seen in Seoul. A man walks into the Oriental Teahouse in Myeong-dong. A writer and an artist are having a conversation in the cigarette smoke-filled teahouse. Someone suddenly brings up the murder that occurred around Namsan, and a man who identifies himself as a master sergeant from the special operations unit of the military starts questioning the people at the teahouse. Each person shares a story related to the victim, along with testimonies and truths that have slight discrepancies. The group starts to get increasingly suspicious of one another, and the teahouse starts to become filled with an explosive tension instead of cigarette smoke. The 12th Suspect is a full-length feature film directed by Ko Myoungsung, who also directed a documentary titled Good Bye (2009) about Korean immigrants living in Japan who went to North Korea. Set in a teahouse in Myeongdong, Seoul right after the end of the Korean War, The 12th Suspect follows the suffocating psychological showdown that takes place between a detective and the 11 suspects who find themselves caught up in a murder case. The tight narrative between the characters and the enthusiastic performances of Kim Sangkyung, Heo Sungtae, Park Sunyoung, Kim Dongyoung, and the other actors prevent the film from falling into a monotony that could potentially be caused by a limited space like a teahouse. Through symbolic spaces such as the Korean War, Myeong-dong, and Namsan, the film attempts to take a look at the dark foundation of the modern history of Korea which has been carried forth through liberation, the Korean War and Division. (Mo Eun-young)

Director

°í¸í¼º

KO Myoungsung

He was born in Busan. He studied film directing at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image in Tokyo. His debut feature documentary Good Bye (2010) was shown in the 2nd DMZ International Documentary Film Festival. The 12th SUSPECT is a new film after his last work As the Sun Sets (2014) which was introduced at the 19th Busan International Film Festival.

As the Sun Sets (2014)
Good Bye (2009)

Credit

Producer YUN Minyoung
Screenplay KO Myoungsung
Cinematographer PARK Jongchol
Editor KIM Soobeom (BIG Pictures)
Music Koo Jawan (ON THE TRACK)
Production Design SONG Teasun
Cast KIM Sangkyung, HEO Sungtae, PARK Sunyoung, KIM Dongyoung