Han Gong-ju

Han Gong-ju (Korean: 한공주) is a 2013 South Korean film written and directed by Lee Su-jin, starring Chun Woo-hee in the title role.[1][2][3][4][5][6] It was inspired by the infamous Miryang gang rape case of 2004.[7]

Han Gong-ju
Directed byLee Su-jin
Produced byLee Su-jin
Written byLee Su-jin
StarringChun Woo-hee
Music byKim Tae-seong
CinematographyHong Jae-sik
Edited byChoi Hyun-sook
Distributed byCGV Movie Collage
Release date
Running time
112 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

The film premiered at the 2013 Busan International Film Festival where it won the CGV Movie Collage Award and the Citizen Reviewers' Award.[8]

As it traveled the international film festival circuit, Han Gong-ju won several top prizes, including the Golden Star at the 2013 Marrakech International Film Festival,[9][10] the Tiger Award (given to films that "give young filmmakers a voice" and "push boundaries") at the 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam,[11] and the Jury Prize, the Critics' Prize, and the Audience Award at the 2014 Deauville Asian Film Festival.[12][13][14]

The Rotterdam jury praised it as "a skillfully crafted and highly accomplished debut. Deviating from a typical chronological narrative structure, the film lures the spectator to participate in the pleasures of storytelling through an extraordinary and intricate narrative puzzle."[15][16]

Han Gong-ju was released in theaters on April 17, 2014.

Plot

The movie starts with Gong Ju (Chun Woo hee) facing a crowd of disparaging adults as she tells them she did nothing wrong. The scene shifts to her teacher from her current school, Lee Nan do (Jo Dae Hee), helping her pack her luggage as she is about to be transferred to another school in a different town. As they eat lunch he tells her that it was not her fault but to wait for the results of the trial before deciding what to do next and meanwhile not to answer any phone calls. Lee manages to make her school transition as smooth as possible despite it being mid semester. He then brings Gong Ju to the convenience store owned by his mother, Mrs. Cho, for possible boarding in her house. Initially the mother refuses but eventually allows her to stay.

One day at school, Gong Ju is walking down the hall and peers through a classroom window where a small group of girls are rehearsing an a cappella song. When the leader of the group, Eun Hee (Jung In Sung), sees her she quickly walks away and recalls her friend Hwa Ok (Kim So Young). Another flashback scene occurs where Gong Ju is working as a cashier at a convenience store when a friend/classmate and son of the store owner, Dong yoon (Choi Yong Jun), walks in visibly beaten as he grabs some food and heads back out to see his friends.

In the present, Gong Ju attends swimming lessons and meets Eun Hee who tries to befriend her after hearing her sing in the changing room. Eun Hee asks Gong Ju to join the a cappella group. Although Gong Ju is not interested, she asks Eun Hee for the loan of her phone to help with directions so she can find her mother. They take a bus and Gong Ju goes to her mother's work but ultimately, she is rejected and dismissed. Angry, Gong Ju forcefully kisses and bites her mother's boyfriend before running away.

Gong Ju stops by the empty music room at school and starts to sing where she is heard by Eun Hee and her friends. Slowly, she begins to open up to the girls and shares with them that her goal is to learn to swim at least 25 metres. Gong Ju's friends decide to post a video of her singing and details about her on the Internet so she can start a fan club, but upon hearing this Gong Ju becomes angry and demands that they remove the video immediately. Her friends are puzzled by her reaction and an argument ensues. Shortly afterwards, a cluster of angry parents barge in and interrupt the class to harass Gong Ju for having put their sons in jail. Gong Ju runs away and hides in an empty room.

Another flashback is shown where Hwa Ok is being gang raped in Gong-Ju's house. Before that, Gong Ju arrives at her house where Dong Yoon, Hwa Ok and at least 15 guys are hanging out and drinking. Dong Yoon is shown being bullied by his friends. Although Gong Ju does not drink, Dong Yoon insists she drink a beer that, unbeknownst to her, has been drugged. Gong Ju takes the drink as Dong Yoon reassures her that the guys will leave if she does so. Under the influence of the drug, she is gang raped as well. The “party” ends when Dong Yoon's father arrives and takes Dong Yoon, who was just in the midst of his turn of raping one of the girls, home; his father notices but ignores that the other girls is currently raped to.

Soon afterwards, Hwa Ok commits suicide by jumping off a bridge. The scene returns to the present where Gong Ju is sitting with the principal as he advises her he will discuss the situation with the board, not having known about her past. Mrs. Cho's boyfriend doubts her innocence and urges her to kick Gong Ju out of the house but Gong Ju leaves willingly, after telling them Hwa Ok was pregnant but she did not do anything to help her.

Gong Ju's friends at school find out about the rape, they text her to ask where she is and to say that it is not her fault. Meanwhile, Gong Ju is seen walking towards a bridge where she jumps into the water and drowns; an underwater shadow is then shown swimming away, swimming much more adroitly than she ever managed. A background voice is heard asking Gong Ju why she wants to swim so badly. Gong Ju's response is “In case I want to start over because my mind could change.” as her friends chant and cheer her name.

Cast
  • Chun Woo-hee as Han Gong-ju
  • Jung In-sun as Eun-hee
  • Kim So-young as Hwa-ok
  • Lee Young-lan as Ms. Cho
  • Kwon Beom-taek as Police substation chief
  • Jo Dae-hee as Lee Nan-do
  • Choi Yong-jun as Dong-yoon
  • Kim Hyun-joon as Min-ho
  • Yoo Seung-mok as Gong-ju's father
  • Sung Yeo-jin as Gong-ju's mother
  • Kim Jung-suk as New husband of Gong-ju's mother
  • Son Seul-gi as Min-suh
  • Lee Chung-hee (actor) as Chung-hee
  • Kim Ye-won as Ye-won
  • Lee Ja-yeon as Ja-yeon
  • Ha Jeong-hee as Homeroom teacher
  • Im Dong-seok as Dong-yoon's father
  • Min Kyung-jin as Principal

Box office

Han Gong-ju was released on just over 200 screens (a sizeable exposure for a Korean independent film), and through strong word of mouth, it was a hit with critics and audiences. On its opening day on April 17, 2014, approximately 10,000 people watched the film, but this increased at an unprecedented pace, crossing the 100,000 admissions mark (an enormous benchmark for a Korean independent production) in just nine days, which was quicker than the pace of recent indie favorites, such as Breathless (2009) in 19 days and Bedevilled (2010) in ten. As of April 29, it reached the 150,000 audience mark, breaking the record of Jiseul (2013), which sold 140,490 tickets in 12 days.[17]

By May 9, Han Gong-ju exceeded 200,000 viewers, making it one of the most successful Korean independent films of all time. Amid the opening of such large scale commercial films as The Fatal Encounter, The Target and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it continued to attract average audiences of 2,000 a day.[18] At the end of its run, the film had a total of 223,297 admissions.

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipient Result
2013
18th Busan International Film Festival
CGV Movie Collage Award
Han Gong-ju
 Won
Citizen Reviewers' Award Won
13th Marrakech International Film Festival
 Golden Star Won
2014
43rd International Film Festival Rotterdam
 Tiger Award Won
16th Deauville Asian Film Festival
 Jury Prize Won
Critics' Prize Won
Audience Award Won
18th Fantasia International Film Festival
 Audience Award, Best Asian Film - Silver Won
14th Director's Cut Awards
 Best New Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Best Independent Film Director Lee Su-jin Won
23rd Buil Film Awards[19]
 Best Film Han Gong-ju Nominated
Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Director Lee Su-jin Nominated
Best New Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best Screenplay Lee Su-jin Nominated
34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards[20]
 Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Best Screenplay Lee Su-jin Won
Critics' Top 10 Han Gong-ju Won
51st Grand Bell Awards[21]
 Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Director Lee Su-jin Nominated
Best Screenplay Lee Su-jin Nominated
15th Women in Film Korea Awards
 Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards[22]
 Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Best New Director Lee Su-jin Won
Best Screenplay Lee Su-jin Nominated
Best Editing Choi Hyun-sook Nominated
2015
6th KOFRA Film Awards[23][24]
 Best Film Han Gong-ju Won
Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Discovery Award Chun Woo-hee Won
10th Max Movie Awards
 Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Best Independent Film Han Gong-ju Won
20th Chunsa Film Art Awards[25]
 Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Nominated
Best New Director Lee Su-jin Nominated
2nd Wildflower Film Awards[26][27]
 Grand Prize Han Gong-ju Won
Best Director (Narrative Film) Lee Su-jin Nominated
Best Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Best Screenplay Lee Su-jin Nominated
Best Cinematography Hong Jae-sik Nominated
Best New Director Lee Su-jin Nominated
51st Baeksang Arts Awards[28]
 Best Film Han Gong-ju Nominated
Best New Director Lee Su-jin Nominated
Best New Actress Chun Woo-hee Won
Best Screenplay Lee Su-jin Nominated
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References
  1. Stedman, Alex (1 December 2013). "Lee Su-Jin: 'The Challenge Is to Create a New, Entertaining, Bankable Story'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  2. Song, Soon-jin (23 December 2013). "LEE Su-jin, Director of HAN GONG-JU: "Not Even a Single Cut Was Wasted"". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  3. Macnab, Geoffrey (29 January 2014). "Tiger directors: Lee Su-Jin, Han Gong-Ju". Screen International. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  4. Lee, Su-jin (10 March 2014). "Director of HAN GONG-JU Shares Behind-the-Scenes Look at Film Festival Scene". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  5. Lee, Eun-sun; Kim, Na-hyun (24 April 2014). "Chun Woo-hee, forgettable no more". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  6. "Starlet Delivers Nuanced Performance as Rape Victim". The Chosun Ilbo. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  7. Sunwoo, Carla (28 March 2014). "Anger grabs center stage in acclaimed film Han Gong-ju". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  8. Conran, Pierce (13 October 2013). "All Eyes on Asia's Largest Film Festival". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  9. Jackson, Julie (8 December 2013). "Han Gong-ju wins Golden Star at Marrakech film festival". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  10. Conran, Pierce (9 December 2013). "HAN GONG-JU Wins Top Prize in Marrakech". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  11. "Korean film wins top award at Rotterdam fest". The Korea Herald. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  12. Conran, Pierce (10 March 2014). "Triple Honors for HAN GONG-JU in Deauville". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  13. Jin, Eun-soo (10 March 2014). "Han Gong-ju grabs 3 awards". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  14. "Korean Indie Flick Sweeps Awards at French Film Festival". The Chosun Ilbo. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  15. Conran, Pierce (4 February 2014). "HAN GONG-JU Wins Tiger Award in Rotterdam". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  16. Kim, Hee-eun (4 February 2014). "Han Gong-ju wins at festival". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  17. Conran, Pierce (1 May 2014). "HAN GONG-JU Crosses JISEUL Box Office Total: Hard-Hitting Indie on Impressive Run". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
  18. Park, Jin-hai (11 May 2014). "Han Gong-ju draws 200,000 viewers". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  19. Kim, June (6 October 2014). "SHIM Eun-kyung, SONG Kang-ho, HONG Sangsoo and ROARING CURRENTS Win at 23rd Buil Film Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  20. Conran, Pierce (4 November 2014). "Top Honors for HILL OF FREEDOM at 34th Korean Film Critics Association Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
  21. Kim, June (12 November 2014). "The 51st Daejong Film Awards Nominations Announced". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  22. Jin, Eun-soo (19 December 2014). "Chun Woo-hee wins best actress at film awards". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
  23. "Han Gong-ju picked as best film of 2014 by Korean film reporters". The Korea Herald. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  24. Sung, So-young (27 January 2015). "Press pick Han Gong-ju as best film". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  25. Ma, Kevin (9 March 2015). "Hard Day leads Chunsa Film Art nominations". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  26. Ma, Kevin (1 April 2015). "Girl at My Door leads Wildflower nominations". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  27. Frater, Patrick (9 April 2015). "Han Gong-ju Wins Korea's Wildflower Film Award". Variety. Retrieved 2015-04-11.
  28. Conran, Pierce (27 May 2015). "CHOI Min-sik and REVIVRE Triumph at 51st Paeksang Arts Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
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