Epitaph (Korean: 기담; Hanja: 奇談; RR: Gidam) is a 2007 South Korean film directed by brothers Jung Sik and Jung Bum-shik. The film is a horror film set primarily in 1942, while Korea was under the colonial rule of Japan. It is framed by scenes set in 1979.
| Epitaph | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 기담 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gidam |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kidam |
| Directed by | Jung Sik Jung Bum-shik |
| Written by | Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik |
| Produced by | Jang So-jeong |
| Starring | Jin Goo Kim Tae-woo Kim Bo-kyung Ko Joo-yeon |
| Cinematography | Yoon Nam-joo |
| Edited by | Kim Sang-bum Kim Jae-bum |
| Music by | Park Yeong-ran |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean、Japanese |
| Budget | US$2.8 million |
| Box office | US$4,443,849[1] |
Plot edit
Dr. Park Jung-nam finds a photo album dating back to his days as an intern at the Ansaeng Hospital. This triggers memories of his life. In 1942, as a young medical intern, Jung-nam's arranged marriage ended when his fiancée, whom he had never met, committed suicide. Later he was assigned to monitor the morgue late at night. There he fell in love with a corpse, which is later revealed as the body of his deceased fiancée. Soon other mysterious events take place in the hospital, involving a young girl haunted by ghosts and a serial killer targeting Japanese soldiers.
Cast edit
- Kim Bo-kyung as Kim In-yeong
- Jin Goo as Park Jeong-nam
- Lee Dong-kyu as Lee Su-In
- Kim Tae-woo as Kim Dong-won
- Ko Joo-yeon as Asako
- Park Ji-a as mother
- David McInnis as father
- Kim Ju-hyeon as Aoi
- Kim Eung-soo as Akiyama
- Choi Jae-hwan as Jae-hwan
- Jeon Moo-song as Professor Park Jung-nam
- Choi Dae-woong as Professor Jung
- Jung Ji-ahn as Nurse Choi
- Ye Soo-jung as Director of Ansang Hospital
- Kong Ho-suk as Japanese General
- Son Young-soon as old woman
- Kim Ja-young as head nurse
- Uhm Tae-goo as Japanese soldier 1
- Son In-yong as Japanese soldier 2
Critical reception edit
The cinematography, directing and acting by horror film mainstays Kim Eung-soo and Ye Soo-jeong have earned the film praise as "visually as well as intellectually impressive, with some gorgeous cinematography and wonderfully composed shots,"[2] and "a significant contribution to rehabilitating K-horror's international reputation."[3]
Awards and nominations edit
2007 Blue Dragon Film Awards[4][5]
- Best Cinematography: Yoon Nam-joo
- Best Art Direction: Kim Yu-jeong, Lee Min-bok
- Nomination - Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik
- Nomination - Best Lighting: Kim Ji-hoon
- Nomination - Technical Award: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum (Editing)
2007 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards
- Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik
2007 Korean Film Awards
- Nomination - Best Art Direction: Kim Yu-jeong, Lee Min-bok
- Nomination - Best Sound: Jang Gwang-su, Seo Yeong-jun
- Nomination - Best New Actress: Ko Joo-yeon
- Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik
- Nomination - Best Art Direction: Kim Yu-jeong, Lee Min-bok
- Nomination - Best New Director: Jung Sik, Jung Bum-shik
- Nomination - Best Music: Park Yeong-ran
- Nomination - Best Visual Effects: Kim Gwang-su
2008 Golden Cinematography Awards
- Best New Actor: Jin Goo
References edit
- ^ "Gidam (Epitaph) (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- ^ Mudge, James (January 6, 2008). "Epitaph (2007) Movie Review" Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine. Beyond Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- ^ Kim, Kyu Hyun. "Epitaph". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- ^ Noh, Jean (November 26, 2007). "The Show Must Go On takes best film award at Korea's Blue Dragons". Screen International. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ "Epitaph - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
External links edit
- Official website (in Korean)
- Epitaph at the Korean Movie Database
- Epitaph at IMDb
- Epitaph at HanCinema
