Secret Sunshine

Secret Sunshine (Korean: 밀양; Hanja: 密陽; RR: Miryang) is a 2007 South Korean drama film directed by acclaimed South Korean director, novelist and former Minister of Culture Lee Chang-dong.[2] The screenplay based on the short fiction "The Story of a Bug" by Lee Cheong-jun that focuses on a woman as she wrestles with the questions of grief, madness and faith. The Korean title Miryang (or Milyang) is named after the city that served as the film's setting and filming location, of which "Secret Sunshine" is the literal translation.[3] For her performance in the film, Jeon Do-yeon won the Prix d'interprétation féminine (Best Actress) at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.[4][5][6] The film also won the award for Best Film at the Asian Film Awards and at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.[7] The film sold 1,710,364 tickets nationwide in South Korea alone.[8]

Secret Sunshine
Theatrical poster
Hangul밀양
Hanja密陽
Revised RomanizationMiryang
McCune–ReischauerMiryang
Directed byLee Chang-dong
Produced byLee Han-na
Lee Chang-dong
Written byLee Chang-dong
Based on"The Story of a Bug"
by Lee Cheong-jun
StarringJeon Do-yeon
Song Kang-ho
Music byChristian Basso
CinematographyJo Yong-gyu
Edited byKim Hyeon
Production
company
Pine House Films
Distributed byCinema Service
CJ Entertainment
Release date
  • May 17, 2007 (2007-05-17)
Running time
142 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$3.5 million
Box officeUS$11.6 million[1]

Plot

Lee Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon) and her only child move to the small town of Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. Her husband has recently died and she has decided to start life anew back in the hometown of her deceased husband. While entering Miryang, Shin-ae's car breaks down along a rural highway. She is able to get the local mechanic in Miryang named Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho) to come out to her car and start it once again. Although they come from different social backgrounds, the pair hits it off and seems to find comfort in each other's presence.[9]

Tragedy soon strikes Shin-ae once again when her only son is abducted. As Shin-ae must deal with another devastating tragedy in her life, she attempts to find answers and a light that can shine upon her dark life.

Cast

Critical response

The film was widely acclaimed on the festival circuit, with particular and universal praise for Do-yeon's performance. It received multiple awards, including several Best Film wins and numerous Best Actress awards for Do-yeon.[10][11] It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, but did not win.

The film was similarly acclaimed in its American release in 2010. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7.68/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Plumbing the depths of tragedy without succumbing to melodrama, Chang-dong Lee's Secret Sunshine is a grueling, albeit moving, piece of beautifully acted cinema."[12] With 6 reviews, it scored 84 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim."[13] A.O. Scott of the New York Times called the film "clear, elegant and lyrical. The experience of watching [Chang-dong's] films is not always pleasant... yet his quiet and exacting humaneness infuses even the most dreadful moments with an intimation of grace."[14] Noel Murray, writing for the A.V. Club, called it "a frequently beautiful film with a cold, dark heart" and praised Do-yeon's "powerful performance."[15] Michael Atkinson of the Village Voice wrote that "the red-eyed Jeon, landing a Best Actress at Cannes in 2007 and unforgettable as well in The Housemaid, goes to hell and back."[16] In 2019, director Hirokazu Kore-eda named it as the best film of the 21st century, praising Lee's "deep insight into human nature".[17] In 2020, The Guardian ranked it number 7 among the classics of modern South Korean Cinema.[18]

Home video release

On August 23, 2011, The Criterion Collection released the film on DVD and Blu-ray, both of which includes a new video interview with Lee Chang-dong, a behind-the-scenes featurette, the US theatrical trailer, and a booklet featuring a new film essay by film critic Dennis Lim.[19][20][21]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient Result
2007 60th Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Lee Chang-dong Nominated
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
44th Grand Bell Awards Special Prize Won
1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Feature Film Secret Sunshine Won
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
Best Screenplay Lee Chang-dong Nominated
27th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
28th Blue Dragon Film Awards Won
6th Korean Film Awards Best Film Secret Sunshine Won
Best Director Lee Chang-dong Won
Best Actor Song Kang-ho Won
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
Best Screenplay Lee Chang-dong Nominated
Best Cinematography Jo Yong-gyu Nominated
Women in Film Korea Awards Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
10th Director's Cut Awards Best Director Lee Chang-dong Won
Best Actor Song Kang-ho Won
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
3rd University Film Festival of Korea Won
Cine 21 Awards Won
2008 2nd Asian Film Awards Best Film Secret Sunshine Won
Best Director Lee Chang-dong Won
Best Actor Song Kang-ho Nominated
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Won
44th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Secret Sunshine Nominated
Best Director Lee Chang-dong Won
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Nominated
Best Screenplay Lee Chang-dong Nominated
45th Grand Bell Awards[11] Best Film Secret Sunshine Nominated
Best Director Lee Chang-dong Nominated
Best Actor Song Kang-ho Nominated
Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon Nominated
2010 Village Voice Film Poll 5th place
IndieWire Critics Poll 7th place
International Cinephile Society Awards Nominated

See also

References
  1. "Box office by Country: Secret Sunshine". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  2. Lim, Dennis (24 August 2011). "Secret Sunshine: A Cinema of Lucidity". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  3. Paquet, Darcy. "Secret Sunshine". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  4. Scott, A. O. (26 May 2007). "Festival Distinguished by Its Strong Actresses". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  5. "Cannes top prize goes to Korean film actress". Korea JoongAng Daily. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  6. Rao, Anjali (24 October 2007). "Interview with Jeon Do-yeon". CNN TalkAsia. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  7. "APSA Nominees & Winners". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  8. "Theatrical Releases in 2007: Box-Office Admission Results". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-06-04.
  9. Yang, Sung-hee (16 May 2007). "Actress without ambition gets it all". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  10. Jeon, Do-yeon; Song, Kang-ho; Jo, Yeong-jin; Kim, Mi-kyung (2010-12-22), Secret Sunshine, retrieved 2017-05-11
  11. "Secret Sunshine - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  12. "Secret Sunshine", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 2020-01-30
  13. "Secret Sunshine", Metacritic, retrieved 2017-05-11
  14. Scott, A. O. (2010-12-21). "'Secret Sunshine' Makes U.S. Debut - Film Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  15. "Secret Sunshine". 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  16. Atkinson, Michael (2010-12-22). "Grief Gone Mad in Secret Sunshine". Village Voice. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  17. "The directors' cut: film-makers choose the best movies of the century so far". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  18. Bradshaw, Peter. "Classics of modern South Korean cinema – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  19. "Secret Sunshine (2007)". The Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  20. "Secret Sunshine Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  21. Katz, Josh (17 May 2011). "Criterion Blu-ray in August: Pontecorvo, Polanski, Kubrick, Chang-dong, Cocteau, Anderson, Vigo (Updated)". Blu-ray.com. Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
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