Movies - Friend

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Friend is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Kwak Kyung-taek. At one time, it was the highest-grossing Korean movie of all time, but has since been surpassed by Silmido
and Taegukgi
.

This film is the director's experience about his friends, a semi-autobiography set in his hometown, Busan, and the actors speak with a strongly accented Busan dialect. The film changed the public images Jang Dong-gun and Yu Oh-sung; previously, Jang had been famous for romantic comedies and Yu had appeared in movies with mostly cult interest.

Plot

The film follows the lives of four childhood friends: Jung-sook, whose father is a powerful gangster; Dong-su, whose father is a funeral director; class clown Jung-ho; and Sag-taek, who was an exemplary student. As children they play together, watch stolen pornography on an early VCR, and wonder if a Korean Olympic swimmer could outrace a sea turtle.

In high school, they become smitten with the lead singer of a band of girls their age. Jung-sook invites the band to a party at his house, where each boy pairs off with one girl (though not after some tension over how to do so). Sag-taek receives his first kiss from the lead singer.

Back in school, Jung-sook and Dong-su get in trouble after a confrontation with a teacher; Dong-su returns with a baseball bat and smashes some glass cases. Both drop out of school but are coaxed back in by their friends. After graduation, Sag-taek and Jung-ho go to college but the others do not.

A few years later Sag-taek and Jung-ho return to find Jung-sook married to the singer from the band. He is seriously ill and abusive towards his wife as a result of being addicted to philopon; he also appears depressed that his father is dying. Later he recovers from his illness, divorces his wife, and mourns his father. He assumes his father's role as a crime lord. Dong-su also becomes a gangster with a rival organization, and becomes similarly powerful.

The men stay friends, drinking, singing karaoke, and eating galbi together. An assassination attempt on Dong-su, however, sours relations and leads to a gang war. Dong-su and Jung-sook kill each other in the street. The film closes with the boys as children again, wondering who would win, the Korean Olympic hero or the sea turtle.

Awards

46th The Asia-Pacific Film Festival : Best actor and best supporting actor award

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Movies - Friend

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