Sunny (2011 film): Difference between revisions
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
| accessdate = 2012-09-20 |
| accessdate = 2012-09-20 |
||
| last = Collemine | first = Cedric |
| last = Collemine | first = Cedric |
||
}}</ref> |
}}</ref> Seo Geum-ok is a bright student who wants to become a writer; she will hit anyone who messes with her friends. Ryu Bok-hee has dreams of becoming Miss Korea; she carries a small hand mirror and makes faces to herself.<ref name="yam">{{cite web |
||
| title = Sunny (Korean Film) |
| title = Sunny (Korean Film) |
||
| url = http://www.yam-mag.com/reviews/film-reviews/sunny-korean-film/ |
| url = http://www.yam-mag.com/reviews/film-reviews/sunny-korean-film/ |
||
Revision as of 10:36, 24 November 2012
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2012) |
| Sunny | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Kang Hyeong-cheol |
| Written by | Kang Hyeong-cheol |
| Produced by | Ahn Byeong-ki |
| Edited by | Nam Na-yeong |
| Music by | Kim Joon-seok |
| Distributed by | CJ E&M |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 min |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | 54,034,324,100 KRW (US$47,068,227) (2011 year)[1] |
Sunny (Korean: 써니; RR: Sseoni; MR: SSŏni) is a South Korean film about a middle-aged woman who tries to fulfill her friend's dying wish of reuniting their group of high school friends. The film alternates between two timelines: the present day where the women are middle-aged, and the 1980s when they were in high school. It is the second film by director-screenwriter Kang Hyeong-cheol, who directed Speedy Scandal.[2] Released on 4 May 2011, the film was the first of that year to sell five million tickets in South Korea,[citation needed] and became the second highest grossing Korean film by year's end.[1] As of 20 September 2012[update], it is the 13th highest grossing Korean film by admissions sold in South Korean history. The movie won Best Director and Best Editing at the Daejong Film Awards. Actress Kang Sora won several awards for her role as the teenage Ha Chun-hwa.
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (March 2012) |
Im Na-mi (Yoo Ho-jeong), a wealthy housewife and mother, does her daily routine. While things look perfect on the outside (wonderful home, generous husband, beautiful daughter), she is depressed about her life. When she washes her face, she sees wrinkles on her skin, and her hands shake from housework. When she asks her husband to visit her mother at the hospital, he replies by giving her money to buy luxury bags, and her daughter expresses similar indifference and annoyance. In the mornings, Na-mi eats breakfast alone while father and daughter head to work and school, respectively. She looks outside and notices a group of high school girls who are walking and laughing.
After visiting her mother, Na-mi passes a patient's room with a placard "Ha Chun-hwa", and thinks about her high school life. She asks her chauffeur to take her to the all-girls high school she attended in Seoul. As she walks toward the school, a high school girl bumps into her and apologizes respectfully. Shortly after, a second girl bumps into her, but she is not as courteous. She wears a bright, yellow sweater, in fact, all of the girls are now wearing colorful sweaters and bright pants, as the setting is now the 1980s with Na-mi (Shim Eun-kyung) as a teenager.
At class, the girls are dusting records and admiring posters of American actors. Many of the girls are wearing American athletic shoe brands. The teacher enters and introduces Na-mi. The students make fun of her country accent, and she becomes embarrassed of her shoes and clothing. After the teacher leaves, two girls sit around timid Na-mi, and bully her. As their remarks turn vicious, a large Adidas bag hits one of them on the head. The girl turns around, ready to lash out, but when she sees who it is, she immediately apologizes, and returns to her seat.
The girl who threw the bag is Ha Chun-hwa (Kang Sora), who introduces Na-mi to her group of friends: Kim Jang-mi is a portly girl who is obsessed with her looks, and desires comestic surgery for her eyes. Hwang Jin-hee, the daughter of a Korean literature professor, swears profusely.[3] Seo Geum-ok is a bright student who wants to become a writer; she will hit anyone who messes with her friends. Ryu Bok-hee has dreams of becoming Miss Korea; she carries a small hand mirror and makes faces to herself.[4] Jung Su-ji is a quiet, mysterious beauty; whenever she speaks to Na-mi, it is always with disdain.[5] Na-mi is accepted into their group as their seventh member, after she unexpectedly proves herself against a rival group from a different school. Chun-hwa suggests naming their group; they settle on "Sunny", after a nighttime radio DJ responds to their letter on air.
Back at the present time, Na-mi returns to Chun-hwa's room and confirms it is indeed her high school friend. She learns that Chun-hwa (Jin Hee-kyung) became a successful businesswoman, but has terminal cancer with two months to live. Na-mi’s husband calls, and informs her that he is on a two-month business trip. As Na-mi leaves, she promises she will visit often; Chun-hwa then tells her she would like to see Sunny reunited one more time before she dies.[4]
Na-mi hires a private detective to find the members of Sunny. Jang-mi is struggling as a life insurance sales agent. The foul-mouthed Jin-hee married rich, but her husband cheats, and she pretends to be ladylike. Geum-ok is unemployed and living in a cramped apartment with her overbearing mother-in-law, her sister-in-law’s husband, and a newborn. After her mother's salon went bankrupt, Bok-hee had resorted to prostitution; her daughter lives at a shelter. The detective notes that Su-ji has been exceptionally difficult to find; he recommends posting a newspaper ad.
Chun-hwa passes away before the group manages to get together, but by finding each other, the women rekindle their passion for life and enjoy each other's company.[when?] At Chun-hwa's funeral, Sunny (minus Su-ji), is reunited, but not every woman knows about each other's present struggles. As they are about to leave, Chun-hwa's lawyer walks in and asks them if they are Sunny. He reads Chun-hwa's will, which bequeathes that Na-mi will be the leader of Sunny. Jin-hee is given the position of vice-president; she looks disappointed because she expected something monetary. To that, the lawyer explains, "You are already rich" from Chun-hwa. He then reads that, for Jang-mi, Chun-hwa had bought life insurance from her, and had made all the members of Sunny beneficiaries. Jang-mi is elated that she will finally be number one in her sales for that month. To Geum-ok, Chun-hwa offers her a position at her publishing company, with a chance to become company president if she doubles her sales. Chun-hwa leaves Bok-hee a paid for apartment, so that she may live with her daughter. She also leaves her the ground floor of a building, with a large sum of money, so she can open a business.
After the conclusion of the reading, the women reprise their high school choreography to "Sunny" by Boney M in front of Chun-hwa's funeral picture. As they celebrate, Su-ji makes a surprise appearance.
Cast
| Character | Actor (adult) | Actor (teen) |
|---|---|---|
| Im Na-mi | Yoo Ho-jeong | Shim Eun-kyung |
| Ha Chun-hwa | Jin Hee-kyung | Kang Sora |
| Kim Jang-mi | Go Soo-hee | Kim Min-yeong |
| Hwang Jin-hee | Hong Jin-hee | Park Jin-joo |
| Seo Geum-ok | Lee Yun-kyung | Nam Bo-ra |
| Ryu Bok-hee | Kim Sun-kyung | Kim Bo-mi |
| Jung Su-ji | -- | Min Hyo-rin |
Allusions
The flashback scenes juxtaposed the fun and silly drama filled lives of high school students with the Gwangju Democratization Movement that took place in May 1980. In the film, Na-mi's brother is a university student who participates in the protests. The scenes where Sunny fights the rival gang are backgrounded with the violent clash between the protestors and the military. The director seems to make a blatant commentary on political violence within a country.[citation needed]
The movie's release was timely with the entertainment industry's focus on 1980s musicals, films, and pop music.[6] American brands and products were abundantly present in the flashback portions of the film. The trendy high school students all wore Nike and Adidas. A billboard for Rocky was visible in the background of the fight between Sunny and their rivals. The music also referenced songs from the 1980s including "Touch by touch" by Joy, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper,[7][4] "Reality" by Richard Sanderson, and the 1966 song "Sunny" by Boney M.
Release
The film was released on 4 May 2011 in South Korea.
Film Festivals
The film has been shown in film festivals worldwide:
| Event | Location | Event Dates | Category/Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16th Busan International Film Festival | Busan, South Korea | 6-14 October 2011 | Korean Cinema Today: Panorama *Director's Cut |
| 6th Korean Film Festival in Paris | Paris, France | 11-18 October 2011 | Opening *European Premiere |
| 13th Mumbai Film Festival | Mumbai, India | 13-30 October 2011 | World Cinema |
| The London Korean Film Festival 2011 | London, England | 4-10 November 2011 | Contemporary Korean Cinema |
| 10th New York Korean Film Festival | New York City, United States | 24-26 February 2012 | -- |
| Osaka Asian Film Festival 2012 | Osaka, Japan | 9-18 March 2012 | Special Screenings |
| 2nd Annual San Diego Film Foundation Spring Showcase | San Diego, California, United States | 19-26 April 2012 | Opening Night Film |
| The 3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA 2012) | Sydney, Australia | 22-28 September 2012 | Closing Night Film[8] |
Reception
Box office
In 2011, the movie sold 7,375,110 tickets, and grossed 54,034,324,100 KRW (US$47,068,227), making it the second highest grossing Korean film and third highest grossing overall film in South Korea.[9][1] At the end of the movie's run, it had sold 7.38 million admissions, with an additional 90,555 from a director's cut.[1]
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Film of the Year Awards (Korea Film Reporters Association)[10] |
2011 | Best Director | Kang Hyeong-cheol | Won |
| 48th Grand Bell Awards[11] | 2011 | Best Director | Kang Hyeong-cheol | Won |
| Best Editing | Nam Na-yeong | Won | ||
| 5th Mnet 20's Choice Awards | 2011 | Hot Movie Star of the Year | Kang Sora | Won |
| 20th Buil Film Awards | 2011 | Best New Actress | Kang Sora | Won |
| 4th Style Icon Awards | 2011 | Content of the Year | Kang Sora, Kim Min-yeong, Park Jin-joo | Won |
| 48th Baeksang Arts Awards | 2012 | Female Popularity Award | Kang Sora | Won |
References
- ^ a b c d Paquet, Darcy (2012-01-08). "South Korean Box Office in 2011". KOFIC. also PDF with the detail returns.
- ^ ""Speedy Scandal" 8 million, continue with "Sunny - 2010"".
- ^ Collemine, Cedric. "Sunny - 2010". HanCinema. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ a b c Wong, Amy (2011-10-23). "Sunny (Korean Film)". YAM Magazine (Yet Another Magazine). Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ Towards the end of the film, Na-mi confronts Su-ji and learns that Su-ji’s stepmother is from Jeollado, the same city Na-mi is from, making Su-ji automatically biased against Na-mi. The two make up after drinking soju, and crying out their frustrations together.
- ^ "South Korean Retro Craze". SBS.[dead link]
- ^ Although the movie displays events from the democratization movement in 1980, it also features the Cyndi Lauper song that was released in 1983.
- ^ "3rd Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA 2012) – Sydney (Media Coverage / Reviews)".
- ^ Kim, Hong-chun. "KOFIC reports record box office in 2011". KOFIC. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ The 3rd Film of the Year Awards took place on 31 January 2012. "3rd Film of the Year Awards".
- ^ The 48th Daejong Film Awards took place on 17 October 2011. Won, Ho-Sung. "2011 Daejong Awards Results". Union Press News (KR) (in Korean).