Jiseul (2013)
January 19, 2013Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Oh Young-soon
Moo-dong's Mother
Moon Suk-bum
Won-sik
Kim Dong-ho
Soon-duk's Father
Kim Soon-duk
Soon-duk's Mother
Son Wook
Byung-ho
Yang Jung-won
Yong-pil
Lee Kyung-joon
Kyung-joon
Park Soon-dong
Mu-dong
Sung Min-chul
Man-chul
Choi Eun-mi
Moo-dong's Wife
Hong Sang-pyo
Sang-pyo
Jo Eun
Choon-ja
Kang Hee
Soon-duk
Son Yoo-kyung
Choon-sub
Cho Yi-jun
Moo-dong's Daughter
Jang Kyung-sub
Master Sergeant Kim
Lee Kyung-sik
Sergeant First Class Ko
Joo Jung-ae
Joo Jung-gil
Baek Jong-hwan
Corporal Baek
Uh Sung-wook
Sang-duk
Kim Hyung-jin
Dong-soo
Yang Jeong-hun
Director of Photography
Choo Kyoung-yeob
Lighting Director
O Muel
Director / Screenplay
Media.
Details.
Release DateJanuary 19, 2013
Original Name지슬: 끝나지 않은 세월 2
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 48m
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Jiseul (Korean: 지슬) is a 2012 South Korean war drama film written and directed by Jeju Island native O Muel. The film is shot in black and white with the entire cast composed of local actors speaking their natural dialect. "Jiseul" means "potato" in Jeju dialect. O said he picked it as the title of his film because "potatoes are considered a staple food in many countries, often symbolizing survival and hope." Set during the Jeju Uprising on the island in 1948, O said the film does not focus on the large-scale struggle, but on a forgotten true story about a group of villagers who hid in a cave for 60 days to escape from a military attack. They hid underground for months, cold and numb, far too close for comfort—just like the potatoes to which the title refers.
The film had a small budget of ₩210 million (US$190,000), part of which was raised through crowdfunding. It premiered at the 2012 Busan International Film Festival where it received 3 awards—the CGV Movie Collage Award, the Director's Guild of Korea Award for Best Director, and the NETPAC Jury Award.Jiseul later won the prestigious World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It became the first Korean film ever to win the top prize in this category. Festival organizers said that the jury's decision was unanimous, and their deliberation lasted less than one minute. It also won the Cyclo d'Or, the top prize at the 2013 Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, and Best Film at the inaugural Wildflower Film Awards in 2014. The broader response from critics and international audiences was more mixed, with some viewers feeling frustration at not being given more background information in the film.