Beonjijeompeureul hada (2001)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Dae-seung Kim

Writer:

Eun-nim Ko (writer)

Release Date:

3 February 2001 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Two soulmates find eachother only to be torn apart by tragedy. However, not even death can keep them apart...but can destiny?

Plot Keywords:

Student Fancies Teacher | Gay Asian | Reincarnation | Suicide | Gay Interest

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Byung-hun Lee	...	Seo In-woo
Eun-ju Lee	...	In Tae-hee
Hyeon-Soo Yeo	...	Lim Hyeon-bin
Su-hyeon Hong	...	Yeo Hye-su
Mi-seon Jeon	...	In-woo's wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Suk-Won Chang	...	Cho Jae-Il
Ju-bong Gi	...	Director of students affairs
Kap-su Kim	...	Sculpture professor
Beom-su Lee	...	Lee Dae-Guen
Gung-Min Nam	...	Kim Chul-Sung
Ji-hye Oh	...	Supply teacher of Korean

Also Known As:

Bungee Jumping of Their Own (International: English title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:M

Company:

Eye Entertainment

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Standing at the edge of a cliff in 1983, Tae-hee talks about her wish to bungee jump in New Zealand. Commercial bungee jumping was introduced in New Zealand only in 1986.

Quotes:

In-woo's wife: Are you really gay?
Seo, In-woo: No.
In-woo's wife: Then what?
Seo, In-woo: I only love one person.
In-woo's wife: If you're going to love that one person, does it have to be a 17 year-old boy?

Love. I agree, is a many-spendoured thing

Being a hopeless romantic, how can I not like this film? Many a young lady has shared my umbrella in a sudden downpour. But that's where the analogy ends. Bungee jumping is not for me.

A Korean student offers the shelter of his umbrella to a young Korean girl and yes! it's love at first sight. Urged on by his school mates he takes the matter further and books into a hotel room. It's hilarious to watch but a calamity for the couple when he gets a bout of nervous hiccoughs!

They promise to love each other forever. Even in death, he says he will find her again. He casts a spell on her. Whenever she thinks of him, her "little pinky" (little finger) will rise.

The rest of the film takes a strange and original twist. What happens next many will not believe possible. I suppose we believe what we want to believe.

Time passes and the student becomes a school teacher, a charming fellow but hiding his sorrow at the loss of his loved one. Never forgetting his promise of eternal love, he begins to imagine her spirit has entered the body of one of his students. He watches him incessantly, lovingly and one day he sees a definite clue. His "little pinky" stands up.

The homosexual element of this film is delicately handled as the handsome teacher and student become lovers.

The ending is beautiful as the lovers hand-in-hand fulfil the wishes of the young Korean girl whose goal in life was to go to New Zealand for a very special purpose.

Yes, this is a film for romantic lovers. I am very sure of that.