The Good, the Bad, the Weird ( 놈놈놈 ) in 35mm Fri, Dec 15 | 7:30pm | TMT A ray of Sergio Leone shines through Kim Jee-woon’s spaghetti Western , The Good, the Bad, the Weird , but with a twist of irresistible “weirdness,” witty sensation, and stunning visual and sound elements. Song Kang-ho is The Weird, a bandit who stumbles upon a treasure map, which prompts a spiral chase game between him, The Good, and The Bad in the vast land of Manchuria of the late 1930s . Song, once again, proves his multifaceted expertise which enables him to become any “weird” character he’d like to, while maintaining his authentic core presence in the depiction. The Good, the Bad, the Weird , a spectacular blockbuster, is a declaration for a new genre—Kimchi Western. DIRECTED BY: Kim Jee-woon. WRITTEN BY: Kim Jee-woon, Kim Min-suk. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung. 2008. 130 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. Rated R. 35mm.
MEMORIES OF MURDER ( 살인의 추억 )
Memories of Murder ( 살인의 추억 ) in 4K Sat, Dec 9 | 7:30pm | DGT Bong Joon-ho’s phenomenal breakthrough feature, Memories of Murder , is a timely film that gifted Bong with the very first collaboration opportunity with Song Kang-ho, who later becomes his beloved muse. Inspired by a true story, the film centers around the gruesome serial killings of women in Korea in the 1980s, investigated by Doo-man (Song Kang-ho), a detective who relies on instincts rather than factual objectives. Song’s brilliance contributes to the successful orchestration of Bong’s vision which challenges conventional components of storytelling and blurs the boundaries between genre categories. DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon-ho. WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon-ho, Shim Sung-bo. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il. 2003. 131 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. 4K DCP.
LIMITED SERIES
송강호:
SONG KANG-HO DEC 7, 2023–JAN 13, 2024
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance ( 복수는 나의 것 ) Fri, Dec 8 | 7:30pm | DGT
“ Moving the world really means moving one person’s heart, not the world itself. ”—Song Kang-ho No words can do justice to the incomparable legacy of Song Kang-ho, one of the most prominent figures in the history of Korean cinema. In the span of three decades, Song Kang-ho has cultivated unprecedented trajectories in his practice, illuminating new possibilities of cinema as an art form and beyond, while contributing to the expansion of Korean cinema since his debut in the mid-1990s. Born in 1967, Song aspired to become an actor as young as age 15, realizing his dream by joining a theatre company in his early 20s. Song made his film debut in 1996 at the dawn of the renaissance of Korean cinema, and has remained incredibly prolific, crafting a remarkable array of work. A master of versatility, Song employs negative space in his artistry, resisting the urge to convey his characters in linear, conventional ways. His insight transcends the boundaries of acting, resembling that of a director, with extensive knowledge of filmmaking elements and the importance of their harmony as the collective force to create good cinema. The Academy Museum is honored to present the first retrospective series of Song Kang-ho, celebrating his dynamic career and his genuine love for cinema. Programmed and notes by Hyesung ii.
Secret Sunshine ( 밀양 ) in 35mm Sun, Dec 10 | 2pm | DGT
THE FOUL KING ( 반칙왕 )
Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine takes a deep dive into the realm of grief and poetically explores intense human emotions embedded in the atmosphere. For Shin-ae, a widow with a young son, forgiveness is an unfathomable path to peace as her comfort only exists within the agony of contempt and destruction caused by her son’s murder. While nothing seems to redeem her tormented existence, Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho), a local mechanic, accompanies Shin-ae through her journey of despair with grace and compassion, hinting at a beam of hope and self- redemption penetrating through the dark clouds. DIRECTED BY: Lee Chang-dong. WRITTEN BY: Lee Chang-dong. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Jeon Do-yeon. 2007. 142 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. 35mm. Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.
The Foul King ( 반칙왕 ) with Broker ( 브로커 ) Sat, Dec 16 | 2pm | TMT The Foul King Sick and tired of the mundane, exhausting life of being a white-collar bank clerk, Dae-ho (Song Kang-ho), emboldened by the new inspiration of becoming a pro wrestler, decides to follow his heart and revolt against daily norms. After starring in Kim Jee-woon’s debut film, Song Kang-ho joins him again in Kim’s second feature, The Foul King , and shines in his portrayal of an ordinary office man who goes through a revolutionary transformation of self- liberation, transitioning into the man he used to only dream of becoming. DIRECTED BY: Kim Jee-woon. WRITTEN BY: Kim Jee-woon, Kim Dae-woo. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Jang Jin-young, Park Sang-myun. 2000. 112 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. 35mm. Print courtesy of KOFA. Broker ( 브로커 ) In Broker , Hirokazu Koreeda’s authentic perception of humanity and human emotions is contemplated through an investigation of relationships in connection to one’s surrounding conditions. Song Kang-ho portrays Sang-hyun, owner of an old dry cleaning shop, who struggles through a dilemma involving criminal activity—selling orphaned infants. Song’s articulation of Sang-hyun’s inner journey is filtered through a rather minimal artistic language, and simultaneously carries appropriate weight of the complicated mental and physical traits of the character. DIRECTED BY: Hirokazu Koreeda. WRITTEN BY: Hirokazu Koreeda. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona, Gang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun. 2022. 129 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. Rated R. 4K DCP.
This series is made possible by a grant from the Korea Foundation.
Parasite ( 기생충 ) in 4K Thu, Dec 7 | 7:30pm | DGT
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance ( 복수는 나의 것 ) Fri, Dec 8 | 7:30pm | DGT
Parasite is a 132-minute masterpiece that won Oscars for Best Picture, International Feature Film, Directing, and Original Screenplay. The ironic anxiety driven by the ongoing unpredictability throughout the film is a crucial component that shapes the eccentric undertone meticulously crafted by director Bong Joon-ho’s vision and achieved by his brilliant muse, Song Kang-ho, who portrays the father of a struggling family that infiltrates the household of a wealthy one. Parasite is one of the most significant films in the history of cinema, and Song’s finesse looms large in the film’s magnificent foundation. DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon-ho. WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin Won. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik. 2019. 132 min. South Korea. Color. Scope. Korean. Rated R. 4K DCP.
The first of Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy is Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance , a thriller that examines the darker side of the human interior instigated by revenge. Park employs a raw yet simultaneously stylish and refined structural language of cinema to reveal the abyss of unstable emotional territories created by destructive terror. Dong-jin’s life is shattered when his daughter gets kidnapped by Ryu, a young factory worker who is deaf-mute, and is left with no other choice than revenge. In his portrayal of Dong-jin, Song profoundly surveys the character’s emotional journey and the extreme internal shift generated by vengeance, as well as the altering definitions of good and evil. DIRECTED BY: Park Chan-wook. WRITTEN BY: Park Chan-wook, Lee Jae-soon, Lee Moo-young, Lee Yong-jong. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doona. 2002. 129 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. Rated R. DCP.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD ( 놈놈놈 )
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