< 32nd Korean Film Night >

- Title : 주홍글씨 (The Scarlet Letter, 2004)

- Director : 변혁 Byeon Hyeok (Daniel H. Byun)

- Casting : 한석규 HAN Seok-kyu, 이은주 LEE Eun-ju

- Runtime : 119 mins

- Venue : Multi-purpose Hall, KCC

- Time :  Thu 24th September, 19:00pm

Synopsis

Strong and confident detective Gi-hun is married to a refined and submissive woman, Su-hyeon. He also has a provocative and alluring lover, Ga-hee. On the brink of being promoted, he is given a murder case to solve. A man is found dead, and his wife is suspected. He interrogates her: "Was there a problem in the marriage? Do you have a lover? You must have a lover. Do you love him?" He aggressively attempts to solve the murder, but falls deeper into the mystery. At the same time, upon learning that his wife is pregnant, he tries to end things with Ga-hee. However, he learns how deeply he is addicted to Ga-hee, for Ga-hee, with her solitary nature and urbane, gorgeous exterior, lives only for him. When she suffers after his attempt to break up, she begins to feel detached from him. Su-hyeon, whether she knows about her husband's infidelity or not, leads a quiet lifelike the calm before a storm. In the midst of this quiet intensity, the secrets of the film's three women are revealed, as the story comes to an unexpected close.

The source of the information   KMDB

Director Biography  Byeon Hyeok (Daniel H. Byun)

He graduated from the French Department at Korea University and majored in film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He was launched into the international spotlight as a major young talent when Homo Videocus, which he directed collaboratively with Lee Jae-yong, won the grand prize at the 1991 Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival. Afterward, he went abroad to study in France and graduated from the master’s program at the Universite Paris 8 and studied film production at the National Film Institute. After his return to Korea, he made his commercial debut with Interview (2000) and directed The Scarlet Letter in 2004.

The source of the information   KMDB

Actress Lee Eun-ju

Born in Gunsan, North Jeolla, Lee made her debut in 1997. Lee later starred in popular and well-received films like A Bungee Jumping of Their Own, A Virgin Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Lover’s Concerto and Taegukgi. Her performances were equally well-received, and she was one of the most popular and respected actresses working in Korea. However, many of her more recent films had been critical and box office disappointments, even as she reached new heights of popularity on the television drama Firebird. On the night of February 22, 2005, only a few days after her graduation from Dankook University, Lee suddenly committed suicide at her apartment room, aged only twenty-five years old. According to experts, Lee had suffered severe depression and anger from her family after performing nude scenes for her role as a sultry jazz singer in the Korean crime movie The Scarlet Letter. The suicide was blamed on severe bouts of depression and mental illness, possibly caused by family problems.

Filmography

The Scarlet Letter (2004)  

Taegukgi (2004)  

Au Revoir, UFO (2003)  

The Garden of Heaven (2003)

Lovers’ Concerto (2002)  

Unborn but Forgotten (2002)  

Bungee jumping of their own (2001)  

Bloody Beach (2000)  

Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (2000)  

Rainbow Trout (1999)  

The source of the information   KMDB, IMDB, Asian Media Wiki