Happiness (Korean Movie)

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Movie: Happiness
Revised romanization: Haengbok
Hangul: 행복
Director: Hur Jin-Ho
Writer: Hur Jin-Ho, Lee Sook-Yun, Shin Joon-Ho, Seo Yoo-Min
Producer: Jo Sung-Woo
Cinematographer Kim Hyung-Ku
Release Date: October 3, 2007
Runtime: 124 min.
Genre: Romance / Melodrama / Illness / Best Film-Movie of the Year
Distributor: Showbox
Production Budget: US$ 3.5M
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot

Young-Soo (Hwang Jung-Min) lived his life as a playboy in Seoul, but after learning that he has liver cirrhosis his life quickly goes downhill. Sick of the fast city life, Young-Soo heads for a sanatorium in the countryside to recuperate.

The sanatorium is a strange place for him to adapt to, but he meets Eun-Hee (Lim Soo-Jung) there. Eun-Hee suffers from a severe lung disease, but lives cheerfully without showing any of her pain. She curiously approaches Young-Soo while he begins to conjure up feelings for her. They fall in love with each other and begin to live together in a small empty house. Although they're poor, they spend happy moments together. Will it last?

Cast



Hwang Jung-Min	Lim Soo-Jung	Kong Hyo-Jin
Young-Soo	Eun-Hee	Su-Yun



Ryu Seung-Soo	Shin Shin-Ae	Park In-Hwan
Dong-Jun	Director	Suk-Gu

Additional Cast Members:

Yoo Seung-Mok - Jae-Kon
Kim Ki-Cheon - Bu-Nam
Min Kyung-Jin - truck driver
Oh Seo-Won - pharmacist
Jo Yong-Joon - person at sanitarium
Kim Jin-Goo - Young-Soo's mother
Joo Boo-Jin - doctor
Lee Jae-Soon - nursing home people

Trailers

Image Gallery

Film Festivals

2008 (10th) Udine Far East Film - April 18th-26th
2008 (7th) New York Asian Film Festival - June 20th - July 6th - New York Premiere

Awards

2007 (27th) Critics Choice Awards - November
- Best Screenplay
2008 (31st) Golden Cinematography Awards - December 23, 2008
- Best Film
- Gold Medal Cinematography

Comments

Hiyu Jul 19 2009 8:20 pm That's an amazing review, I've got to say. I haven't watched it yet but I'm looking forward to it.

Ki May 14 2009 7:00 pm Jin-ho Hur’s name has become almost synonymous with bittersweet Korean romantic dramas. By now it’s hard to talk about that genre without mentioning his 1998 classic movie “Christmas in August.” Personally, its been over 5 years since I last watched that movie, but I can still vividly remember the angst I felt from waiting for an encounter that never came to fruition. Hur then went on to make two more films, “One Fine Spring Day” (2001) and “April Snow” (2005), that were similar in style, but lacked the freshness and punch of his debut film. Give the man credit at least for his resiliency, because his latest film “Happiness” covers similar ground.

Even though “Happiness” in its barest form is a romantic drama on the same level as Hur’s earlier films, the movie stands out for its captivating lensing, emotive soundtrack, and just plain darker theme. What you take out of “Happiness” I would guess depends largely on what you are looking for in “Happiness.”

After hitting rock bottom, night club manager Young-Su (Jeong-min Hwang) prepares to make an exit. He tells his friends and family that he’s traveling abroad and won’t be back for a couple of years. Where Young-Su actually goes is a small rural town, to check himself into “Hotel Hope” a sanitarium for alternative medicine. After years of heavy drinking Young-su now suffers from cirrhosis of the liver.

At the sanitarium he meets a bashful girl named Eun-Hee (Su-jeong Lim). Like Young-Su she also suffers from a debilitating disease (weakness of the lungs), but unlike Young-Su, she thinks of “Hotel Hope” as home. She doesn’t have family and has stayed at the sanitarium for over 8 years. Eventually the charming Young-Su sweeps Eun-Hee off her feet and they become a couple. At Eun-Hee’s insistence, they decide to leave the sanitarium and live together as a couple. Eun-Hee tells Young-Su that if he’s not happy he can leave.

Initially the couple lives like newlyweds but problems arise when Young-Su’s friends arrive for a surprise visit. One of his friends happens to be his ex-girlfriend and she still has strong feelings for him. Before they leave, they ask Young-Su when will he return to Seoul. After some time, Young-Su gets increasingly frustrated with small town life and is tempted to return to the fast life of Seoul. Where exactly can happiness be found?

The first half of the film recalls classic Korean dramas like Hur’s very own “Christmas in August.” While Young-Su and Eun-Hee encountered their initial courtship the backdrop had the simplistic look of those earlier Korean classics. Even though the visual style was almost reactionary in style, it did vividly express the feel of a small rural Korean community. You could literally feel the breeze from the mountainside while Young-Su and Eun-Hee walked along a path or smell the aroma of cheap ramen noodles cooked over a propane gas mini-stove. The warmth between Young-Su and Eun-Hee was tangible and it was a pleasure to watch Jeong-min Hwang and Su-jeong Lim perform together.

Once the couple moves out of “Hotel Hope” and into their own apartment, problems then arise. It’s easy at this point to think of Young-Su as just a despicable jerk and for the most part he is. But, what makes it fascinating to watch is the manner in which the movie drops small clues, not to justify his actions, but to give better understanding for his actions. Personally, one of the more impressive scenes occurred when Young-Su confronted Eun-Hee after drinking way too many bottles of Soju. Partially because of his weakness and partially because of his kindness, he just couldn’t muster the strength to just leave her. Yet he is conniving enough to use alcohol to muster up enough courage to demand Eun-Hee break up with him and if not…reveal enough secrets to push her into demanding for a breakup. Devious, clever, calculating and utterly fascinating to watch.

If you watch “Happiness” for a meaning or a message than you will be likely disappointed. The film offers a basic message that many other movies have, which is to cherish what you have. What drew me into the film was the character study on the flawed character of Young-Su, played by Jeong-min Hwang. He is a tortured soul and, quite frankly, an asshole, but there are enough redeeming qualities laid out to want to understand his mindset. Having Su-jeong Lim play alongside Jeong-min Hwang certainly does not hurt. Visually the film is fantastic, juxtaposing between simplistic shots of the countryside and edgier compositions of the city (perhaps a reflection of Young-su's own soul). The soundtrack is a throwback to classic Korean songs that sounds wonderful as well. As stated earlier, what you take out of “Happiness” largely depends on what you are looking for in “Happiness.” There’s enough ingredients stirring in the pot to make many different meals.

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Happiness (Korean Movie)

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