Secret Sunshine
In this somber Korean drama, a young mother and widow, Shin-ae, moves with her young son, Jun, from Seoul to a small town called Miryang following her husband's death. Having given up on her career as a concert pianist when she married her husband, she starts up a piano school, but soon it begins to feel like the polite people who inhabit her new home aren't as friendly as they seem on the surface. Judgmental whispers and disapproving gossip begin to reach Shin-ae's ears, and pressure to join the Christian cult that thrives in the town begins to mount. She's hesitant until an unimaginable tragedy alters her life forever, setting Shin-ae on a dark path of withdrawal from society as a whole.
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Starring: Jeon Do-Yeon, Song Kang-ho, Kim Yeong-jae, Seon Jeong-Yeob, Jo Yeong-jin
It is a great movie, by a major figure in world cinema.
One of the year's best films.
Secret Sunshine is a frequently beautiful film with a cold, dark heart.
Director Lee Chang-dong could well have cut 30 minutes out of the story, but Jeon's performance is powerful enough to keep Secret Sunshine from drowning in an ocean of tears.
Jeon received the Best Actress at Cannes for her wrenching performance. She's the first Korean to receive an acting award at this Festival.
Best Film
Asia Pacific Screen Awards (2007)
Best Actress
Asian Film Awards (2008)
Best Director
Baek Sang Art Awards (2008)
Best Actress
Blue Dragon Awards (2007)
Do-yeon Jeon
Cannes Film Festival (2007)