The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well

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Movie: The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well
Revised romanization: Daijiga umule pajinnal
Hangul: 돼지가 우물에 빠진 날
Director: Hong Sang-Soo
Writer: Hyo-seo Koo
Producer:
Cinematographer
Release Date: May 15, 1996
Runtime: 113 Min.
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot

Can you imagine how people react when they see a pig falling into the well? Naturally, they will gather around to witness this peculiar accident. After a while, the pig disappears into the water, and all that is left is just the reflection of people's faces on the surface of the water. Feeling embarrassed and awkward, they quickly return to the routine of their daily lives. The movie is the very portrait of people gathering around the well.

The well in which the pig drowns is a metaphor for the city of Seoul in 1996, says director Hong Sang-soo. The characters of the film represent a sampling of several types of individuals seeking fulfillment in the mid-1990s after undergoing the tumultuous period of the 1980s.

He asked four screenplay writers to write a day in the life of the four major characters in the film. Acting as detective, each writer imagined following a character through Seoul. Hong them brought together the separate stories and wove them into a cohesive narrative structure.

The movie intermingles the episodes revolving around the four major characters: novelist Hyo-sup, housewife Bo-kyung, salesman Dong-woo and box office girl Min-jae.

--Cine 21 Pusan International Film Festival Daily, September 18, 1996.