Judgement (Korean 'Simpan' 심|판 hangul, 審|判 hanja) is a 1999 short film by South Korean director Park Chan-wook based on the 1995 collapse of the Sampoong Department store.

Judgement
Film poster
Hangul
심판
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSimpan
McCune–ReischauerSimp‘an
Directed byPark Chan-wook
Written byPark Chan-wook
Produced byPark Chan-wook
StarringGi Ju-bong
Koh In-bae
Kwon Nam-hee
Park Ji-il
Choi Hak-rak
Myeong Ji-yeon
CinematographyPark Hyun-Cheol
Edited byKim Sang-bum
Release date
  • 1999 (1999)
Running time
26 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Synopsis edit

In a morgue lies the lifeless body of a girl, waiting to be identified. The girl was killed in the collapse of the Sampoong Department store and a wrongful death settlement has been offered to her family. The girl's body is claimed both by a middle-aged couple, who say she is their runaway daughter, and by one of the morgue employees, whose daughter disappeared seven years ago. The story is interspersed with documentary footage from various disasters.

Cast edit

  • Gi Ju-bong as Funeral director
  • Koh In-bae as Husband
  • Kwon Nam-hee as Wife
  • Park Ji-il as Public servant
  • Choi Hak-rak as TV correspondent
  • Myeong Ji-yeon as Daughter
  • Lee Jong-yong as Cameraman
  • Kim Tae-ryong as Girl in the photo

Reception edit

Another Mag praised the camera work and use of color in a mostly black-and-white film, noting how it foreshadows the stylistic hallmarks Park developed in later projects.[1] The blog Film School Rejects described it as "a miniature triumph of genre blending", comparing it to both film noir and Korean soap opera.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "Five Park Chan-Wook Films That Chart South Korea's Filmmaking Revolution". 2 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Watch Park Chan-wook's 1999 Short Film 'Judgement'". 3 March 2013.

External links edit