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IMDbPro

The Bow

Original title: Hwal
  • 20052005
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
11K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
64,883
16,024
The Bow (2005)
DramaRomance
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 a... Read allOn 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 rite... Read allOn 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...
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
11K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
64,883
16,024
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Writer
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Stars
      • Yeo-reum Han
      • Ji-Seok Seo
      • Jeon Gook-hwan
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Writer
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Stars
      • Yeo-reum Han
      • Ji-Seok Seo
      • Jeon Gook-hwan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 39User reviews
    • 69Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations

    Photos

    The Bow (2005)
    Yeo-reum Han in The Bow (2005)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Yeo-reum Han
    • The young girl
    • (as Han Yeo-reum)
    Ji-Seok Seo
    Ji-Seok Seo
    • The student
    Jeon Gook-hwan
    Jeon Gook-hwan
    • The student's father
    Seong-hwan Jeon
    • Old Man (no name)
    • (as Seong-hwang Jeon)
    Seok-hyeon Jo
    • Third Man
    • Director
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • Writer
      • Kim Ki-duk
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Crazy credits
      Title card before end credits: "Strength and a beautiful sound like in the tautness of a bow. I want to live like this until the day I die."

    User reviews39

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Beautiful, symbolic and emotional...
    With this epic movie, Ki-duk Kim really puts out another great story in "The Bow", and I was really surprised at the beauty of this movie.

    Taking place on an old, rundown fishing boat, "The Bow" tells the story of an old man (played by Seong-hwang Jeon) who have raised a young girl (played by Yeo-reum Han) for 10 years on the boat, isolated from the outside world, with the only contact with other people is by the ones coming to the boat for fishing and having their fortune read. The old man plans to marry the girl when she becomes of age, but an unexpected spark between the girl and a visiting young man (played by Si-jeok Seo) to the boat sets things spiraling out the old man's control.

    Something amazing about "The Bow" was the way that the story takes you through a myriad of emotions, ranging from admiration, curiosity and then on to spite and contempt. And the story was told (and shot) in a way that the emotions of both the old man and young girl were strong and ever-present.

    Shot almost without any dialogue, the story was relying heavily on the acting performances of the cast and the ability to tell a story by the director. And wow, it just came together like pieces in a puzzle. Everything was so amazing and worked out quite nicely. The actors did great jobs with their roles, both the speaking and non-speaking roles. But most impressively was Seong-hwang Jeon (the old man) and Yeo-reum Han (the young girl) in their roles. Wow, the chemistry between them on the screen was amazing, and the way they portrayed their characters made it like you were right there on the boat with them.

    "The Bow" was really a treat for the eyes to sit down and watch, because the cinematography was so beautiful. The movie is really nicely shot, with lots of great shots, and that was really a necessary ingredient for the movie, being able to portray and tell a story when there wasn't all that much dialogue going on.

    I found the movie to be a really great surprise, and I loved how it swept me up and put me right there in the story. It was so compelling and beautiful. And if you are a fan of Asian cinema, then surely you are familiar with Ki-duk Kim's work already. But if not, then "The Bow" is well worth putting into your DVD player and sit down to watch. It is the type of story that will stay with you for a long time.
    helpful•6
    3
    • paul_haakonsen
    • May 19, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 12, 2005 (South Korea)
    • Countries of origin
      • South Korea
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • TFM (France)
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • El arco
    • Production companies
      • Happinet(I).
      • Kim Ki-Duk Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $950,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,032,404
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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