Secret Sunshine (2007)

A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.

Director:

Chang-dong Lee

Writers:

Chang-dong Lee, Chung-Joon Lee (novel) (as Chong-jun Yi)

Stars:

Jeon Do-yeon, Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang

25 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jeon Do-yeon	...	Shin-ae Lee
Kang-ho Song	...	Jong-chan Kim
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hye-jin Jang	...	Park Myung-suk (as Hyae Jin Chang)
Yeong-jin Jo	...	Doe-seop Park
Mi-hyang Kim	...	Deaconess Kim
Yeong-jae Kim	...	Min-ki Lee
Seo-hie Ko	...	Bank Employee
Dong-yong Lee	...	Taxi driver
Hee-joon Lee	...	Outdoor Prayer Meeting Volunteer
Sung-min Lee	...	Chef
Yoon-Hee Lee	...	Elder Kang
Kim Mi-Kyung
Myung-shin Park	...	Female Missionary
Jung-yeop Seon	...	Jun

Storyline

When her husband passes away in an automobile accident,Shin-ae relocates down south to her late husband's hometown of Miryang. Despite her efforts to settle down, in this unfamiliar and "much too normal place, she finds that she can't quite fit in. Helping her out is Kim Jong-chan, a good-intentioned but bothersome bachelor, who owns a car repair shop. Life plods on. However, fate takes a vicious turn when Shin-ae loses her son in the most horrific way a mother could imagine. She turns to Christianity to relieve the pain in her heart, but when even this is not permitted, she wages a war against God.

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Plot Keywords:

downward spiral | city name in title | reference to god | forgiveness | religious hypocrisy | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #576.

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Connections

References Tiny Toon Adventures (1990)

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Soundtracks

Criollo
Written by Christian Basso and Diego Chemes
Performed by Christian Basso
Published by Warner Chappell Latin

User Reviews

this movie may push one over the edge

If you've had drama in your life, either your own or by someone close to you, the stages of pain this woman (but, in my opinion, it could easily have been a man too)goes through are very very real. It is a movie about not being able to cope with your pain, about not knowing what to do to help yourself get through it. Obviously it then also is a movie about not knowing how to help someone close to you get through their pain. It is a movie that makes you realize that everyone is alone in their suffering. It is a movie that might push someone over the edge...which hardly sounds like a recommendation. I'm not sure I would recommend someone to go see this film, especially someone close, but for me...it is a movie that puts things into perspective, that shows real pain, and is therefore much relevant to being alive. It makes you realize that hey, you or the person close to you have lived through pain, that hey, all the things you worry about now are of so little importance

Details

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

22 December 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Secret Sunshine

Filming Locations:

Miryang, South Korea

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,581,469

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Cinema Service, Pine House Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1