Films & Events

Breathless

Breathless marks the impressive directorial debut of Yang Ik-june, who also served as the film’s screenwriter, producer, and star. Song-hoon is a foul-mouthed extortionist and enforcer for local gangster 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. 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 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. Director Yang Ik-june and actress Kim Kkobbi are expected to attend both screenings

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Cast & Crew

Director: Yang Ik-june
Producer: Yang Ik-june, Jang Sun-jin
Editor: Lee Yuen Jung, Yang Ik-june
Screenwriter: Yang Ik-june
Cinematographer: Yun Jeong-ho
Awards: Rotterdam International Film Festival 2009 (Tiger Award)

Music: The Invisible Fish
Principal Cast: Yang Ik-june, Kim Kkobbi, Jeong Man-shik
World Sales: Showbox Inc.

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(2 reviews)

user reviews

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    Violence, Profanity abound, Jun 13, 2009

    By deb kim

    “No wonder this film won the Dutch Tiger audience award at the Rotterdam Film Festival, because it's fierce! Film auteur Yang Ik-june and actress Kim Kkobbi were there to present the film, which was a real treat; Ik-june is quick-witted and street-smart, and Kkobbi is very charming. Unlike many, I” … full review

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    one of the best of the fest, Jun 14, 2009

    By Ronald Woan

    “Proof that small independent movies can look big. Engrossing treatment of the circles of violence in two Korean families. Just fascinating from the perspective of both the abusers and their victims.”

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Screenings

SIFF Cinema
June 11, 2009 9:15 PM
9:15 PM (Date has passed.)
June 13, 2009 9:30 PM
9:30 PM (Date has passed.)