Beasts Clawing at Straws
Beasts Clawing at Straws (Korean: 지푸라기라도 잡고 싶은 짐승들; RR: Jipuragirado Jabgo Sipeun Jibseungdeul) is a 2020 South Korean crime thriller film written and directed by Kim Yong-hoon as his debut feature film.[2] Based on the 2011 Japanese novel of the same name by Keisuke Sone,[3] it stars Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Youn Yuh-jung, Bae Seong-woo, Shin Hyun-bin, Jung Man-sik, Jin Kyung and Jung Ga-ram.[4] It was released on February 19, 2020.[5]
Beasts Clawing at Straws | |
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Hangul | 지푸라기라도 잡고 싶은 짐승들 |
Revised Romanization | Jipuragirado Jabgo Sipeun Jibseungdeul |
Directed by | Kim Yong-hoon |
Produced by | Kim Jin-sun |
Written by | Kim Yong-hoon |
Based on | Beasts Clawing at Straws by Keisuke Sone |
Starring | |
Music by | Nene Kang |
Cinematography | Kim Tae-sung |
Edited by | Han Mi-yeon |
Production company | B.A. Entertainment |
Distributed by | Megabox Plus M |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Box office | $4,401,968[1] |
The film had its world premiere at the 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 25, 2020 in the Tiger Competition.[6][7]
Plot
Eight strangers who are financially struggling become involved with each other after a bag of money is found in a sauna.
Cast
Main
- Jeon Do-yeon as Yeon-hee[8]
- Jung Woo-sung as Tae-young[9]
- Youn Yuh-jung as Soon-ja
- Bae Seong-woo as Joong-man
- Shin Hyun-bin as Mi-ran
- Jung Man-sik as Park Doo-man
- Jin Kyung as Young-sun
- Jung Ga-ram as Jin-tae
Supporting
- Bae Jin-woong as Catfish
- Heo Dong-won as Manager
- Kim Jun-han as Jae-hoon
- Park Ji-hwan as Carp
Special appearance
- Yoon Je-moon as Myung-goo
Production
Development
Japanese author Keisuke Sone, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, "is a fan of Korean films" and "was very welcoming" to the idea of a film adaptation according to director Kim Yong-hoon.[10]
Casting
Director Kim Yong-hoon first showed his script to actress Jeon Do-yeon who accepted the offer and convinced Youn Yuh-jung to join the cast.[10]
Filming
Principal photography began on August 30, 2018 and filming ended on November 30.[11]
Release
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was postponed by a week (being released on February 19, 2020 instead of February 12) but it did not have any impact as the situation did not improve by then.[12]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews.[13]
Jay Weissberg of Variety said that "Beasts Clawing at Straws could just as well be called "Beasts Toying with Clichés" if it weren't such an amusing, echt Korean romp."[14] For Neil Young of The Hollywood Reporter, "Beasts Clawing at Straws demands attention and patience, but thus happily ends up amply rewarding both."[15] Wendy Ide of Screen International describes the film as an "almost Coen-sian tale of ordinary folks undone by greed [which] is a lot smarter than its occasionally crude execution would have you believe."[16]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Competition – Special Jury Award | Beasts Clawing at Straws | Won | [17][18] |
References
- "Beasts Clawing at Straws (2020)". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Kwak, Yeon-soo (January 13, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws' is nail-biting crime film". The Korea Times. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Choi, Ji-won (January 13, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws,' awakens characters' animal spirits". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Lee, Jae-lim (January 13, 2020). "When money turns regular people into savages: 'Beasts Clawing at Straws' stars a veteran cast doing whatever it takes to win". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Choi, Ji-won (February 21, 2020). "[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Conran, Pierce (December 27, 2019). "Beasts Clawing at Straws Invited to IFFR Tiger Competition". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Park, Yuna (December 19, 2019). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws' to get premiere at Film Festival Rotterdam". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Lee, Jae-lim; Yoon, So-yeon (February 14, 2020). "Finding delight in playing evil: In 'Beasts Clawing at Straws,' Jeon Do-yeon's character can't be stopped". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Kim, Boram (February 7, 2020). "Jung Woo-sung creates fresh character in latest crime thriller". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Choi, Ji-won (February 20, 2020). "[Herald Interview] Salaryman-turned-director Kim Yong-hoon debuts big". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Han, Hyun-jung (December 6, 2018). "전도연X정우성X배성우 '지푸라기' 크랭크업…초호화 스릴러". MK (in Korean). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Lee, Jae-lim (February 24, 2020). "[Korean Box Office] 'Beasts Clawing at Straws' tops a suffering weekend box office". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- "Beasts Clawing at Straws (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Weissberg, Jay (February 19, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Young, Neil (January 27, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws': Film Review / Rotterdam 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Ide, Wendy (February 3, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing At Straws': Rotterdam Review". Screen International. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Rosser, Michael (January 31, 2020). "Rotterdam Film Festival 2020 winners revealed". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- Choi, Ji-won (February 3, 2020). ""Beasts Clawing at Straws" wins jury award at Rotterdam". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.