Ssunday Seoul (2005)

Director:

Sung-hun Park

Writers:

Eun-jin Baek (writer)
Hee-yeon Kim (writer)

Release Date:

9 February 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Comedy

Cast

Tae-gyu Bong
Sang-mi Choo	...	Cameo
So-nyeo Jeong
Jae-hyeong Jeon
So-yeon Kim
Su-mi Kim	...	Cameo
Eun-ah Ko
Cheong-a Lee
Hyeon-woo Lee	...	Cameo
Ye-jin Lim	...	Cameo
Seong-bin Park
Yi Yong
Sang-hyun Yun	...	Cameo
Seol-ah Yu

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Company:

Gorilla Creative

Lighthearted Tales of Weird Horror

Ssunday Seoul is an omnibus consisting of three short stories and hilariously bizarre opening and closing sequences, taking the stale genre of comedy momentarily away from 'funny' gangsters and feisty lovers. Bizarre is the operative word when describing the film and the characters running through it, and most of the movie takes on the atmosphere of a light-hearted Twilight Zone. The first chapter of the omnibus is a familiar coming of age story with a twist. Mercilessly teased and bullied, Do-yeon (Bong Tae-gyu) knows that he is the low man on the totem pole at his high school where he daydreams about the drop-dead gorgeous Ji-yeon (Ko Eun-ah) who sits in front of him in class. However, the living hell he faces daily changes dramatically when he discovers himself sprouting tufts of hair in unusual places and developing fangs. When his parents inform him that he is actually from a long line of werewolves, Do-yeon greets the fact with a mixture of despair and terror. The resulting story of learning to accept oneself is an interesting metaphor for the difficulties of adolescence. Another episode affectionately parodies the kung-fu movies of old where we find a man named Typhoon (Kim Su-hyeon) seeking to train with a mystic master of martial arts in order to take revenge on the man who killed his father. The acting in this story is exaggerated for humor, but the most entertaining aspect of this sequence is its predictability. It follows the plot line of similar movies made decades before and even pays homage to actor Hwang Jeong-ri, a Korean-born star of many Hong Kong action films of the 70s and 80s. Clever additions and numerous cameos add interest and keep the proceedings fresh. However, what works so well in the martial arts story proves to be disastrous for the story of a serial killer (Park Seong-bin) whose car has broken down. He finds himself forced to search for a phone and winds up at a house occupied by a very unusual family. The predictability of this episode, which is actually the second chapter of the omnibus, is not played for humor. In fact, it takes itself far too seriously. Anyone who knows the conventions of the horror/thriller genres will be able to guess what is about to happen the moment the killer steps in the door. The serious and sometimes disturbing events that ensue seem mismatched with the rest of the film. The three tales are connected by a pair of hapless comic figures who seem to have frequent accidental brushes with the supernatural but are just a little too dense to fully grasp what they have encountered.