Lee Dae-Yun Movies
Ring Virus director Kim Dong-bin returns to the director's chair for this terrifying tale concerning a newly hired railroad attendant who becomes convinced that the train she's working on is haunted. Mi-sun's first assignment as a railroad attendant is an overnight trip across Korea, and as the passengers begin to board the train she can't seem to shake a deep-rooted feeling of uneasiness. Sixteen years previously, the same train Mi-sun is working on was involved in a horrific accident in which 100 lives were claimed, and now the souls of the dead have grown restless. As Mi-sun's dark visions become increasingly vivid, the railroad cars seems to take on a will of its own and the truth about her father - the conductor who was guiding the train on that fateful day - gradually begins to emerge. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jang Shin-yeong, Song Il-Guk, (more)
- 2004
A conservative South Korean girl who thinks she's got her life fully under control slowly begins to unravel in director Lee Yoon-ki's melancholic drama. Jeong-hae (Kim Ji-su) is a rock. Pretty, neat, and punctual, she takes regular lunches with her colleagues at a Seoul post office and returns to her quiet but well-equipped apartment. Then, a stray cat wanders into Jeong-hae's life, throwing her completely off balance. Later, after catching a glimpse of her dead mother out of the corner of her eye, Jeong-hae crosses paths with her ex-husband, who's about to remarry. A visit to the hospital only reminds Jeong-hae more about losing her mother, and an awkward encounter with an over-enthusiastic show salesman leaves her wondering if she can ever form another human connection. Desperate for companionship, she reaches out to an author who frequents the post office, though her social awkwardness only leads to more disappointment when he stands her up for dinner. Later, Jeong-hae is attempting to steer a drunk away from suicide when she swipes his knife. Sitting on a park bench alone, she ponders the possibility of using it on herself. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Ji-su, Hwang Jeong-min, (more)
- 2001
A two-character drama shot in black-and-white on digital video, Camel(s) stars Myung-Shin Park and Dae-Yeon Lee as a businessman and a pharmacy clerk from Seoul who drive to a seaside resort for a weekend affair. Through conversations over meals, in bed, and while driving or walking around the resort, a few details emerge about their lives and families back home, how they met, and why they have embarked on their a relationship which never seems to come across as very satisfying. By isolating his characters, and limiting the audience's knowledge of their lives and backgrounds, director Ki-Yong Park makes Camel(s) a subtle drama that emphasizes the dissatisfaction that seems to grip both protagonists. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Dae-Yun, Park Myeong-shin, (more)
Set in 1963, Nae Maeumeui Pungguem/The Harmonium in My Memory tells the tale of Kang Su-ha (Lee Byung-heon), a 21-year-old novice schoolteacher who lands a job in the very small town of Sanri, mostly populated by illiterate families stuck in poverty, and with little interest in education. Add to this the fact that Kang is very nervous and clumsy in the extreme, and it's no wonder he has a hard time keeping his class in order. Kang makes the acquaintance of Yang Eun-hee (Lee Mi-yeon), a lovely young woman who is also on the school's faculty, and, though it takes a while, Kang eventually works up the courage to actually talk to her. However, Kang has an unexpected obstacle in this potential romance. One of his students, 17-year-old Yun Hong-yeon (Jeon Do-yeon), has a furious crush on Kang, and she isn't about to make it easy for him to him to pursue the woman of his dreams. The film was cited in the press for the fine performances of the three leads and the accurate recreation of Korea on the cusp of modernization. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, (more)
- 1995
- R
This epic Korean drama chronicles four generations of a large family and in so doing comments upon the numerous changes in social and sexual politics over the past few years. The story is divided into distinct sections and centers on the youngest son of a very traditional father who has four wives. The first segment, "Father," introduces the family, seen first in the mid 1950s. There the family compound abounds with a jumble of wives and children. The next section, "Hope" opens in the late 1960s as the father begins having difficulty with the strange rebellious ways of his son, who loves to play air-guitar to British rock and ends up sent to fight in Vietnam. The final segment "Family," centers on Jung Min, the storyteller. He grew up to become a television and film director. As a grown man, he is forced to accept his homosexuality and so begins an encounter with a much older man. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
