Joint Security Area a.k.a. J.S.A. ( 공동경비구역 JSA) Thu, Dec 21 | 7:30pm | TMT Song Kang-ho and Park Chan-wook’s first collaboration, Joint Security Area was the highest-grossing film in the history of Korean cinema upon its release in 2000. Set in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), it begins with an investigation around a puzzling incident that left two North Korean soldiers dead, forecasting an ominous revelation. There is an undeniably poignant and sorrowful sentiment throughout the narrative, reflecting the collective grief of the Korean Peninsula on its division. Song Kang-ho, in his portrayal of a North Korean soldier in dilemma, searches through the dark forest of tangled emotions with graceful subtlety and vulnerability. DIRECTED BY: Park Chan-wook. WRITTEN BY: Park Chan-wook, Seong-san Jeong, Kim Hyeon-seok, Lee Mu-yeong. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Yeong-ae. 2000. 110 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. DCP.
The Host ( 괴물 ) in 35mm Thu, Jan 11 | 7:30pm | TMT
Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s third feature film, The Host , is a monster blockbuster starring Song Kang-ho as Park Gang-du. The film begins with a US military doctor (the late Scott Wilson) ordering his assistant to illegally dump toxic chemicals down a drain that leads to the Han River. Several years later, a mutated monster emerges from the river to wreak havoc on Seoul. When the monster abducts his daughter, Gang-du and his squabbling family band together to rescue her. Equal parts creature feature, dysfunctional family comedy, and political satire, The Host is a monumental work. DIRECTED BY: Bong Joon-ho. WRITTEN BY: Bong Joon-ho, Ha Won-jun, Baek Chul-hyun. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona. 2006. 120 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. Rated R. 35mm.
Thirst ( 박쥐 ) in 35mm Sat, Dec 23 | 7:30pm | TMT
A TAXI DRIVER ( 택시운전사 )
A Taxi Driver ( 택시운전사 ) Mon, Jan 8 | 7:30pm | TMT
Thirst is the vampire genre redefined with a quirky sense of humor and keen insight on the dark territories surrounding the human condition. Song Kang-ho plays a moral priest who accidentally turns into a vampire after volunteering for a medical experiment and is faced with the dilemmas of his new existence. In Thirst , Song showcases his exceptional mastery over satire, contributing exceptional and ironic tonality throughout the film. DIRECTED BY: Park Chan-wook. WRITTEN BY: Park Chan-wook, Chung Seo-kyeong. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-vin, Kim Hae-sook, Shin Ha-kyun. 2009. 133 min. South Korea. Color. Scope. Korean. Rated R. 35mm.
Man-seob (Song Kang-ho), a taxi driver and widowed father from Seoul, needs extra money to pay off his overdue rent. When Hinzpeter, a German journalist, offers him a large sum of cash, he agrees to take a long drive from Seoul to Gwangju, the besieged city where military brutality is rampant against civilian protesters and bystanders. Set in 1980s Gwangju, A Taxi Driver is based on tragic true events of the Gwangju Uprising. Song’s performance boldly and empathetically articulates the urgency and devastation rooted in the narrative. DIRECTED BY: Jang Hoon. WRITTEN BY: Eom Yu-na. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Jun-yeol. 2017. 137 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. DCP.
THE THRONE ( 사도 )
The Throne ( 사도 ) Mon, Dec 18 | 7:30pm | TMT
In The Throne , Song Kang-ho is Yeongjo, a king of the Joseon dynasty from the 1700s, whose relationship to his son, Prince Sado, is rather tragic. Based on true historical events, the film delves into the series of incidents that drive Yeongjo further away from his son, leading him to the extreme decision to execute Sado by locking him in a wooden rice barrel and starving him for eight days. The great Song Kang-ho insightfully and carefully examines the anguish, confusion, despair, and anger of Yeongjo without judgment, and through Song’s fair interpretation, we, the audience, are offered a space to gaze at the ruthless father/king, with better context and possible sympathy. DIRECTED BY: Lee Joon-ik. WRITTEN BY: Jo Chul-hyun, Lee Song-won, Oh Sung-hyeon. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hae-sook, Moon Geun-young. 2015. 125 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. DCP.
THE AGE OF SHADOWS ( 밀정 )
The Age of Shadows ( 밀정 ) Sat, Jan 13 | 7:30pm | TMT
THE ATTORNEY ( 변호인 )
The Attorney ( 변호인 ) Sat, Jan 6 | 2pm | TMT
Inspired by a true event in Korea during the Japanese occupation in the 1920s, The Age of Shadows explores the complicated emotions of its characters whose moral and political beliefs are manifested through the domains of uncertainty while the concept of justice is constantly redefined. Lee Jung-chool (Song Kang-ho), a Korean officer in the Japanese police force, is tasked with a mission to capture Korean resistance fighters and agonizes over the dilemma and collision between his dual identities. Song’s approach to his character is done with elegance, deep empathy, and subtlety as he surveys the residues of the war and colonial trauma promoting fear in individuals and the threat of losing his true self. DIRECTED BY: Kim Jee-woon. WRITTEN BY: Lee Ji-min, Park Jong-dae. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-min. 2016. 140 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. DCP.
Woo-seok is a tax attorney whose practice drastically shifts when he encounters a shocking incident—the abduction of his friend’s son who gets tortured by the government in the name of national security, falsely accused of being a sympathizer of North Korea. Inspired by a true story, The Attorney examines the period in which the government’s injustice and brutality were justified and many innocent individuals were victims of merciless violence. Song Kang- ho, who portrays Woo-seok, conscientiously weaves the elements of the character into a radicalized entity motivated by empathy and infuriated by injustice. DIRECTED BY: Yang Woo-seok. WRITTEN BY: Yang Woo-seok, Yoon Hyun-ho. WITH: Song Kang-ho, Kwan Do-won, Kim Young-ae, Oh Dal-soo. 2013. 127 min. South Korea. Color. Korean. DCP.
JOINT SECURITY AREA A.K.A. J.S.A. ( 공동경비구역 JSA )
THE HOST ( 괴물 )
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