The Priests (Korean: 검은 사제들; RR: Geomeun Sajedeul; lit. "Black Priests") is a 2015 South Korean supernatural mystery thriller film written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, based on his award-winning short film 12th Assistant Deacon.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
| The Priests | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpeg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | 검은 司祭들 |
| Revised Romanization | Geomeun sajaedeul |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kŏmŭn sache*ltŭl |
| Directed by | Jang Jae-hyun |
| Written by | Jang Jae-hyun |
| Based on | 12th Assistant Deacon by Jang Jae-hyun |
| Produced by | Baek Ji-sun Song Dae-chan Oh Hyo-jin Lee Yoo-jin |
| Starring | Kim Yoon-seok Gang Dong-won |
| Cinematography | Go Nak-sun |
| Edited by | Shin Min-kyung |
| Music by | Kim Tae-seong |
Production company | Zip Cinema |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$36.9 million[1][2] |
Plot edit
A young girl who belongs to Father Kim's parish becomes comatose after a hit-and-run accident caused by two priests. Father Kim suspects she is possessed by an evil spirit. Father Kim along with a rebellious young seminarian named Choi try to exorcise the demon and confine it in a piglet. Members of a Rosicrucian sect inform Father Kim that two of their priests were killed by this demon. During the exorcism, the demon manifests, inflicting unnatural bodily rashes. Choi initially runs out halfway through the exorcism attempt, but eventually decides to return, determined to finish what they started. Father Kim tells him to believe this ministry isn't in vain and the reward is in the Lord's hand (Isaiah 49:4). Choi replies by quoting Ezekiel 2:6, and affirms he is prepared now. When they try to free the girl from the demon's powerful hold, they realize that the demon they are facing is an ancient one named Malphas and is far more dangerous than they ever thought. However, they manage to confine it in the piglet, but the police arrive and try to arrest them for killing Young-shin, acting on a complaint by her extremely traumatized parents. Choi runs out with the pig, faces many obstructions but successfully drowns it in the river as instructed by Kim (Luke 8:33). Young-shin who was considered dead shows signs of life, and Father Kim's and Brother Choi's rashes disappear.
Cast edit
- Kim Yoon-seok as Father Kim
- Gang Dong-won as Deacon Choi
- Park So-dam as Young-shin
- Kim Eui-sung as Dean of clergy
- Son Jong-hak as Monsignor
- Lee Ho-jae as Father Jeong
- Nam Il-woo as Abbot
- Kim Byeong-ok as Professor Park
- Cho Soo-hyang as Agnes
- Park Woong as Bishop
- Lee Jeong-yeol as Young-shin's father
- Kim So-sook as Young-shin's mother
- Jeong Ha-dam as Shaman Young-joo
- Kim Soo-jin as Father Kim's younger sister
- Don-Don the pig as the Pig
Reception edit
The film was number-one on its opening weekend, with ₩13 billion.[12] By its third weekend, the film had grossed ₩35 billion at the South Korean box office.[10]
Awards and nominations edit
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Park So-dam | Won |
| Best New Actress | Nominated | ||
| 16th Women in Film Korea Awards | Won | ||
| 7th KOFRA Film Awards | Won | ||
| 11th Max Movie Awards | Won | ||
| 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards | Won | ||
| 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress | Won | |
| 10th Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
| 3rd Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
| 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Won | ||
| Best New Director | Jang Jae-hyun | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Sin Min-kyeong | Nominated | |
| Best Music | Kim Tae-seong | Nominated | |
| Technical Awards | Baek Sang-hoon-I (Visual effects) | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ Sonia Kil (December 6, 2015). "Korea Box Office: 'Inside Men' Holds Off Newcomers For Third Week". variety.com. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
- ^ "The Priests (2015)". Archived from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
- ^ Kim, June (9 December 2015). "Rendezvous for KIM Yun-seok and GANG Dong-won". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (10 March 2015). "BLACK PRIESTS Goes Into Production". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Kil, Sonia (15 June 2015). "THE PRIESTS Wraps Up in Paju". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Ahn, Sung-mi (5 October 2015). "Kang Dong-won and Kim Yun-seok become priests". K-pop Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Lim, Jeong-yeo (6 November 2015). "Kang Dong-won's The Priests releases to heated response". K-pop Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "The Priests collars top box office success". The Korea Times. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Korean fans choose 'The Priests' over James Bond". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com.
- ^ a b Kevin Ma (November 23, 2015). "Inside Men wins South Korea box office". Film Business Asia. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "'동주' 박정민 '검은 사제들' 박소담, 백상 신인연기상". 3 June 2016.
- ^ Kevin Ma (November 10, 2015). "The Priests possesses South Korean cinemas". Film Business Asia. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
External links edit
- Official website (in Korean)
- The Priests at the Korean Movie Database
- The Priests at IMDb
- The Priests at HanCinema
