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 Kang Jae (Choi Min Shik) is an old and outdated gangster who has no respect from his peers.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

References The Sixth Sense (1999)

User Reviews

Arguably, the best movie of the 21st century so far

If you are a fan of world cinema, don't miss this film, arguably the best film of the 21st century so far.

After the first watching this film, I was left dumb-founded. How can I understand this movie? Is this really a melodrama? How can a movie where main male and female characters really never meet be a melodrama? Though, this movie is still an absolutely heart-breaking and tear-jerking love story. This movie is a quantum leap in the melodrama genre. We will probably never see a melodrama like this one again. This movie not only completely rewrites the rules of melodramas but shows that a melodrama can deliver powerful social commentary. Can a melodrama be subversive? Check it yourself. This movie is as subversive as Fight Club.

Though this movie is based on 'Love Letter', a Japanese short fiction by Jiro Asada, the movie is much richer in social context. Failan is the saddest movie in my living memory. I don't know how many times I have seen this film. I cry at the same parts during each viewing. The ending where Failan sang for her 'husband' is simply heart-wrenching. The saddest of all is that even Failan could not save us, poor souls like her husband, from this cruel world. Then, who can? Only death?