BREATHLESS (Korean)
The Story:
Song-hoon (Yang Ik-june) is a foul-mouthed extortionist and enforcer for local gangster Man-shik (Jeong Man-shik), Having grown up with a violent father who was responsible for the deaths of his mother and sister, Song-hoon now directs his own seemingly limitless store of violence toward enemies and subordinates alike. Things begin to change when he meets a similarly foulmouthed schoolgirl, Han Yeon-heui (Kim Gol-bi), Regularly victimized by her mentally ill father and thuggish brother, she’s not scared by Song-hoon's hard exterior. Slowly but surely, an unlikely bond develops between the two. But when Yeon-heui's brother Yeong-jae (Lee Hwan), joins Man-shik’s gang without his sister’s knowledge, it becomes clear that the crushing brutality of their environment may not allow the fragile emotional connection between them to survive. This often-brutal look at cyclical violence and how love might just redeem a lost soul is a semi-autobiographical story inspired by the director’s family and friends.
Starring:
Yang Ik-june, Kim Kkobbi, Jeong Man-shik, Lee Hwan
Directed By:
Yang Ik-june
Release:
2009
Watch the Trailer:
