Failan (2001)

After losing both her parents, Failan (Cecilia Cheung) emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to ... See full summary »

Director:

Hae-sung Song

Writer:

Jiro Asada (novel)

Stars:

Min-sik Choi, Cecilia Cheung, Dae-Hoon Jeong

6 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Min-sik Choi	...	Kang-jae (as Min-shik Choi)
Cecilia Cheung	...	Failan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dae-Hoon Jeong
Hyeong-jin Kong	...	Kyung-Su
Byung-ho Son

Storyline

After losing both her parents, Failan (Cecilia Cheung) emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to Canada well over a year ago. Desperate to stay and make a living in Korea, Failan is forced to have an arranged marriage through a match-making agency. Kang Jae (Choi Min Shik) is an old and outdated gangster who has no respect from his peers. Short on money, Kang Jae decides to take on the arranged marriage. Having nothing more than a picture of Kang Jae, Failan spends her days dreaming and wishing that Kang Jae would come to visit her. Failan often writes to Kang Jae in sorrow about how much she misses and thinks about him, but never has the nerve to give the letters to Kang Jae. Things take a turn when Kang Jae is asked by his boss to take the fall for a murder in exchange for some money. The only hope in his worthless life is the wife he never met.

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Plot Keywords:

korea | letter | money | marriage | murder | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean Cantonese Mandarin

Release Date:

28 April 2001 (South Korea)

Filming Locations:

Inchon, South Korea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tube Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Color:

Black and White (some sequences) Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Failan is outside the video shop, a poster of the movie Il Mare can be seen.

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Connections

Version of Love Letter (1998)

User Reviews

An Emotive Gem from Korea

Failan is the tale of a Chinese woman who comes to Korea seeking relatives after the death of her parents. Unfortunately, they have moved on to Canada and now she must try and make a new life for herself in a foreign country. Firstly, I must admit, what drew me to Failan was the presence of Choi Min-Shik in the cast. After seeing him in both Shiri and Oldboy I wanted to explore more of the career of this extraordinarily talented actor. I expected a lot from him, and I was not disappointed. Nor was I disappointed with the extremely talented supporting cast. Cecilia Cheung is both charming and eminently watchable as Failan. And the rather colourful mobsters are appalling and humorous in equal amounts. The story is a slow paced one and is built heavily around character and emotion and is not made in the style of Hollywood offerings. Following Failan's experiences and the way in which others react to her story is a captivating experience which quickly pulls you in. It is a keenly observed and intimate tale that will pull at the heart-strings of anyone, even the most cynical. Make sure you have a handkerchief to hand when watching this, there really is a good chance you'll cry.