Breathless (2008)

A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.

Director:

Ik-joon Yang

Writer:

Ik-joon Yang

Stars:

Kkobbi Kim, Hwan Lee, Ik-joon Yang

31 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kkobbi Kim	...	Yeon-hee
Hwan Lee	...	Young-jae
Ik-joon Yang	...	Sang-hoon
Jeong-soon Park	...	Seung-chul
Seung-Yun Lee	...	Hyeon-seo
Hee-soo Kim	...	Hyung-in
Jin-sook Lee	...	Sang-hoon's Mother
Yong-min Choi	...	Hyeong-seok
Hae-yeon Kil	...	Yeon-hee's Mother
Sang-won Kim	...	Young Sang-hoon
Seon-ae Ji	...	Sang-hoon's Younger Sister / Jun-hee
Man-sik Jeong	...	Man-sik
Seung-Hoon Yoon	...	Hwan-gyu
Jee-hye Oh	...	Yeon-hee's Homeroom Teacher
Seung-il Hong	...	Beating Man

Storyline

A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.

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Plot Keywords:

south korea | written and directed by cast member | stabbed in the stomach | flashback | father son relationship | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sang-hoon: [after beating up an abusive husband/father] Fathers in this country's all fucked up. They're pathetic fucks but when it comes to family, they're Kim Il-sung. Isn't that right, fucker? Think you're Kim Il-sung?

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Connections

Features Sonic & Knuckles (1994)

User Reviews

For anyone who enjoyed Once Were Warriors,Nil By Mouth and Bad Guy.

Out of the ten or so films I have seen so far at this years Sydney Film Festival this one effected me the most. I shed a few tears by the films end and was thinking about it for days afterward.

It's a heck of a debut from Yang Ik Joon who wrote, directed, produced and takes the lead role as well.

Joon plays a small time hood/debt collector who doesn't mess about with customers who owe money. No one is safe it seems from his fists or his foul mouth, not even his nephew. A chance meeting with a high school student results in an unlikely friendship. We learn more about both characters as the film builds momentum. Suffice to say that their main link is both being exposed to domestic violence.

Joon fleshes out the story and gives all characters a chance to shine. The acting is first rate as is the screenplay which apparently is autobiographical.

Anyone easily upset by violence or profanity would be well advised to give this one a miss.

I hope it finds an audience and gets a wide release. I certainly look forward to more films in the future from this exciting young director/writer/actor.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

16 April 2009 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Breathless

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$686,703

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1