Secret Zoo

Secret Zoo (Korean: 해치지않아, lit. I Don't Bully You) is a 2020 South Korean comedy film directed by Son Jae-gon, starring Ahn Jae-hong, Kang So-ra, Park Yeong-gyu, Kim Sung-oh and Jeon Yeo-been.[3] Based on the webtoon I Don't Bully You by Hun,[4] it was released on January 15, 2020 in South Korea and on January 24 in the United States.[5]

Secret Zoo
Theatrical poster
Directed bySon Jae-gon
Produced by
  • Kim Sung-hwan
  • Park Hyun-tae
Screenplay by
  • Son Jae-gon
  • Lee Yong-jae
  • Kim Dae-woo
Based onI Don't Bully You
by Hun
Starring
Music byLee Jean-hui
CinematographyLee Seung-hoon
Edited byLee Kang-hui
Production
company
  • AboutFilm
  • DCG Plus
Distributed byAcemaker Movieworks
Release date
  • January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15)
Running time
117 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget₩10 billion[1]
(~US$8.1 million)
Box office$8,357,581[2]

Plot

Kang Tae-soo is a probationary employee of a law firm. One day, he saved the President Hwang from a protest of the company's trade union. After that, President Hwang appointed Kang as the new Director of Dongsan Park Zoo, as well as promising to make him as a permanent employee. Kang, however, faced a problem when he realised there were no animals at the zoo. In fact, the zoo had been facing a financial matter. Although Kang and the zoo workers was willing to buy new animals, they did not have enough time and money.

One day, both Kang and the ex-Director Seo went to a restaurant and drank alcohol until being inebriated. While they were returning to their home, suddenly, Kang was shocked when he saw a tiger. Park then approached to the tiger and soon realised that it was actually a stuffed. This motivated Kang to locate fake animals as he believed people would not really care about the animals' "realnesses". Soon, the zoo requested a production company to produce realistic creature suits of a polar bear, giraffe, gorilla, lion and sloth.

Cast

Main

Supporting
  • Park Hyuk-kwon as President Hwang
  • Seo Hyeon-woo as Secretary Oh
  • Jang Seung-jo as Sungmin
  • Park Hyoung-soo as Barrister Song
  • Kim Heung-rae as Black Nose

Special appearances
  • Han Ye-ri as Min Chae-ryung
  • Kim Gi-cheon as Representative Go
  • Jang Won-hyung as overseas Korean man

Production

Principal photography began on October 8, 2018 and filming was completed on January 19, 2019.[7]

Reception

Box office

The film debuted in first place during its opening weekend.[8] However, ticket sales decreased by 77% in its second week.[9]

Critical response

Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times said that "resistance might not be futile, but to deny oneself the amiably goofy charms of South Korea's Secret Zoo, an inspired family comedy that gives fresh meaning to faux fur, would be a real shame."[10] For Panos Kotzathanasis of HanCinema, "Secret Zoo is a film that aims at providing fun for its audience, and in that regard, it succeeds to the fullest.[11]

See also

References
  1. Park, Jung-sun (January 17, 2020). "100억원은 우습다..한국영화 제작비 대폭 상승". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. "Secret Zoo (2020)". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. "'해치지않아', 주말 흥행 1위…"안재홍X강소라, 코믹 케미"". Dispatch (in Korean). January 20, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  4. "안재홍 이색 공약, '해치지 않아' 어떤 영화?". Herald Corp (in Korean). January 3, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  5. "[USA] "Secret Zoo" - South Korean Comedy Premieres 1.24". HanCinema. January 17, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. "Actress Kang So-ra Learns How to Take Things Easy". The Chosun Ilbo. January 11, 2020.
  7. Kim, Bo-ra (December 30, 2019). "'이층의 악당' 손재곤 감독, '해치지않아'로 10년 만에 컴백(종합)[현장의 재구성]". Osen (in Korean). News Chosun. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. Conran, Pierce (January 21, 2020). "Secret Zoo Opening Confines Bad Boys For Life". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. Conran, Pierce (January 29, 2020). "The Man Standing Next dges Out Hitman in Busy Lunar New Year Weekend". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. Rechtshaffen, Michael (January 23, 2020). "Review: Cuddly South Korean comedy 'Secret Zoo' delivers laughs and heart". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. Kotzathanasis, Panos (January 25, 2020). "[HanCinema's Film Review] "Secret Zoo"". HanCinema. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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