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IMDb > Hwal (2005)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   3,549 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ki-duk Kim
Writer:
Ki-duk Kim (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Hwal on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 May 2005 (South Korea) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
A girl who thought the sea was the whole world became the whole world to one old man.
Plot:
On a fishing boat at sea, a 60-year old man has been raising a girl since she was a baby. It is agreed that they will get married on her 17th birthday, and she is 16 now. They live a quiet and secluded life, renting the boat to day fishermen and practicing strange divination rites. Their life changes when a teenage student comes aboard... | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
An arrow full of mysterious power. more

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Yeo-reum Han ... The young girl (as Han Yeo-reum)
Si-jeok Seo ... The student
Gook-hwan Jeon ... The student's father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Seong-hwang Jeon ... Old Man (no name)
Seok-hyeon Jo ... Third Man
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Bow (USA) (festival title)
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Runtime:
France:90 min | Canada:88 min (Montréal Film Festival) | Argentina:90 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)
Country:
South Korea | Japan
Language:
Korean
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital

FAQ

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5 out of 12 people found the following comment useful:-
An arrow full of mysterious power., 5 July 2007
6/10
Author: Lalit Rao (cpowerccc@yahoo.com) from Paris,France

Kim Ki Duk is the only filmmaker in the realm of world cinema who does not like to repeat himself. There is no story/idea/topic/theme worth human consideration which he has not directed. This is the reason why his films continue to hit us hard on our fragile brains. Hwal is one such film which captivates us for varied reasons. First of all most of the filmmakers have been rather circumspect while dealing with stories featuring an old person in love with a young person. This is not true of Kim Ki Duk. He has brought immense freshness to this theme as in Hwal there is an old man in a boat somewhere in the sea who loves his young girl friend with a view to marry her. His love is unique as it is more of a love based on dedication rather than lust. However in the course of time feelings change and a different reality emerges. This change of emotional events has been deftly handled by Kim Ki Duk as the film ends on a very abstruse note. The best lesson that can be learned from this film is to ruminate over the fact: why two people cannot love each other if they are not of the same age ?

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Hwal (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
why blood in the end? fake-addy1
Shamans! imdb78
sexism galore hpatel303
How did they film the scenes with flying arrows? risingsun96815
An allegory for...? natalia_bourbon
Loved every second of it... including the end! moneenerd
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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
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