Jump to content

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ddkarana (talk | contribs) at 05:02, 20 July 2020 (→Awards & Nominations). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion
Theatrical poster
Directed byPark Hoon-jung
Written byPark Hoon-jung
Produced byPark Hoon-jung
Yeon Young-sik
StarringKim Da-mi
Jo Min-su
Choi Woo-shik
Park Hee-soon
CinematographyKim Young-ho
Lee Teo
Edited byKim Chang-ju
Music byMowg
Production
company
Gold Moon Film Production
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • June 27, 2018 (2018-06-27)
Running time
125 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$5.5 million
Box officeUS$24.4 million[1]

The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (Korean: 마녀; RR: Manyeo) is a 2018 South Korean mystery action film[2][3] written and directed by Park Hoon-jung.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Plot

A young girl escapes from a mysterious laboratory after a violent incident that leaves many dead. Two members of the group that run the lab, Dr. Baek and Mr. Choi, discuss her escape and decide that she is too young to survive on her own and consider her dead. The girl makes her way to a farm where she is discovered unconscious by its owner, Mr Goo. Mr. Goo and his wife nurse the girl back to health and adopt her as their own.

10 years later the young girl, now named Ja-yoon, is living a normal life on her parents farm without any memory of her past life. Her family are struggling financially, her mother is showing early signs of dementia, and Ja-yoon herself is suffering from periodic bouts of intense migraines. In an effort to earn some money, Ja-yoon decides to attend a local audition for a national singing contest that promises a large reward for its winner. Ja-yoon impresses the judges with her singing and her special talent - the ability to make the microphone levitate. This display draws the attention of Dr. Baek and Mr Choi, who realize that Ja-yoon is the girl that escaped, and send men to recapture her.

On her way to Seoul for the second round of the audition, Ja-yoon is approached on the train by a young man named Nobleman. Nobleman claims to know Ja-yoon and is surprised to learn that she does not recognize him. Later, Nobleman kills a man on the train for bumping into him, and throws his body off the train with superhuman strength.

After the audition Ja-yoon narrowly avoids an abduction by Dr. Baek's men, and later runs into Nobleman in her home town who makes vague threats regarding her parents. A few days later a group of armed men enter Ja-yoon's home and hold her and her family at gunpoint. Entering into a trance, Ja-yoon dispatches the men with superhuman strength and speed. Ja-yoon is left shaken, not understanding what she was able to do. Nobelman appears in her home and demands that Ja-yoon accompany him or he will kill her parents, and promises to explain her past. Ja-yoon agrees and she is taken back to the laboratory to speak to Dr. Baek.

Ja-yoon is restrained and Dr. Baek explains that she created Ja-yoon, genetically modifying her to have her powers. She reveals that Ja-yoon's headaches are a symptom of a disease that will eventually kill her without the proper treatment. She has Ja-yoon injected with a blue serum that will stop the disease for a month, leaving Ja-yoon dependent on new doses and stopping her from escaping again. After the injection Ja-yoon's demeanor changes and she reveals the truth - she never lost her memory and has always known who and what she is. After heading to a doctor by herself, and being told that without a bone marrow transplant by a blood relative she only has a few months left to live, she decided to track down Dr. Baek to look for the cure. With no way to know who and what she was looking for, she purposefully revealed her abilities during the audition to draw the attention of those who created her.

With the serum restoring her to full power, Ja-yoon easily escapes her bonds and kills her guards. Holding Dr. Baek at gunpoint she demands to know the location where the serum is produced. Nobelman interrupts and does battle with Ja-yoon. Nobleman is defeated but Dr. Baek is killed during the skirmish. Gathering the remaining serum left in the laboratory, Ja-yoon leaves and burns the building down.

Ja-yoon visits her parents in the hospital, and provides her father with some of the serum to give to her mother to help slow the spread of her dementia. Her father alludes to having always known what Ja-yoon could do, and wishes her luck in whatever she needs to do next.

3 months later Ja-yoon appears in the home of Dr. Baeks twin sister, who is reviewing documents related to the children developed in the lab. She gives Ja-yoon further vials of the serum. A mysterious young woman, whose face is covered in scars, approaches Ja-yoon. Ja-yoon threatens to kill her if she touches her before the screen goes to black.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 87% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10.[13]

Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review and wrote, "An ever-so-delicate twist on the Korean revenge thriller. By Korean action standards The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion is least at two hours, but in cramming so much into the narrative it stumbles over itself on more than one occasion; it very often forgets its own internal logic and drags the final showdown out to the breaking point."[14]

Rafael Motamayor of Flickering Myth rated the film 4 out of 5 and wrote, "Despite trying to cram too much plot, the film's atmospheric score, action sequences and visuals keep you invested in the story and what comes next."[15]

Box office

The film opened in South Korea on June 27, 2018. During its debut weekend, the film finished in first place, ending The Accidental Detective: In Action 2-week box office reign. It sold more than 735,000 tickets from 1,117 screens from Friday to Sunday, with US$6 million gross during its opening weekend.[16] In its second weekend, the film finished at second behind Ant-Man and the Wasp, dropping 40% from the last weekend with US$3.5 million gross from 451,113 tickets sold.[17] Grossing US$3.1 million on its third weekend, the film finished third behind Ant-Man and the Wasp and newcomer Skyscraper.[18] As of August 23, the film attracted 3,189,092 moviegoers, and earned US$24,377,666.[1]

Awards & Nominations

Awards Category Recipient Result Ref.
22nd Fantasia International Film Festival Best Actress Kim Da-mi Won [19]
27th Buil Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Jo Min-su Nominated [20][21]
Best New Actress Kim Da-mi Won
55th Grand Bell Awards Won [22]
Best Actress Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Go Min-si Nominated
Technical Award The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion Nominated
3rd London Asian Film Festival Rising Star Award Kim Da-mi Won [23]
2nd The Seoul Awards Best New Actress Kim Da-mi Won [24]
39th Blue Dragon Film Awards Won [25]
Technical Award (Stunts) Park Jeong-ryool & Kim Jeong-min (Stunts) Nominated
18th Director's Cut Awards Best New Actress Kim Da-mi Won [26]
10th KOFRA Film Awards Won [27]
55th Baeksang Arts Awards Best New Actress Nominated [28]
Best Supporting Actress Jo Min-su Nominated
24th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best New Actress Kim Da-mi Nominated [29]
Best Supporting Actress Jo Min-su Nominated
39th Fantasporto Film Festival Best Film Orient Express The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion Won [30]
26th Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival Syfy Jury Prize Won [31]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion (2018)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  2. ^ ‘The Witch’ ends the reign of ‘Accidental Detective'
  3. ^ The Witch: The Subversion (2018)
  4. ^ "Fantasia Festival | The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion". Fantasia Festival | The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion.
  5. ^ "Fantasia 2018 Review: THE WITCH: PART 1. THE SUBVERSION, Kickass Korean Science Fiction Action". ScreenAnarchy. 24 July 2018.
  6. ^ https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/korea-box-office-witch-accidental-detective-1202863173/
  7. ^ "PARK Hoon-jung's Upcoming WITCH Cranks Up". Korean Film Biz Zone. December 29, 2017.
  8. ^ "THE WITCH Receives Overseas Praise ahead of Domestic Launch". Korean Film Biz Zone. June 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Yon Min-sik (20 June 2018). "[Herald Review] 'The Witch' an interesting attempt, but clunky delivery". Korean Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  10. ^ "영화 "박훈정 감독, 반전 결말의 미스터리작품! 김다미·최우식·조민수 주연" - 한국강사신문". www.lecturernews.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  11. ^ a b "영화 "김다미·최우식·조민수·박희순 주연, 미스터리한 전개와 독특한 결말의 액션작품" - 한국강사신문". www.lecturernews.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  12. ^ "Choi Woo-shik is ready to show his dark side : The popular 'Okja' truck driver plays a villain in 'The Witch: Part 1'". Korea JoongAng Daily. June 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (Manyeo) (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  14. ^ "'The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion' ('Manyeo'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. August 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "Fantasia Film Festival 2018 Review – The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion". Flickering Myth. August 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "'The Witch' ends the reign of 'Accidental Detective'". Korea JoongAng Daily. August 24, 2018.
  17. ^ "'Ant-man' sequel dominates theaters worldwide". Korea JoongAng Daily. August 24, 2018.
  18. ^ "'Ant-Man' continues its dominance at the multiplex". Korea JoongAng Daily. August 24, 2018.
  19. ^ "THE WITCH and MICROHABITAT Awarded at Fantasia". Korean Film Biz Zone. August 7, 2018.
  20. ^ [23회 부산국제영화제] 부일영화상. Busan Daily (in Korean). 20 September 2018.
  21. ^ 5관왕 ‘공작’, ‘허스토리’와 함께 부산 품었다(종합) [27회 부일영화상]. MK Sports (in Korean). 5 October 2018.
  22. ^ 제55회 대종상, 각 부문 후보 공개…'공작' 12개 최다부문 노미네이트. Seoul Sports (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  23. ^ "KIM Da-mi Picks Up Rising Star Award at LEAFF". Korean Film Biz Zone. 14 November 2018.
  24. ^ ‘제2회 더 서울어워즈’ 10월27일 개최, 드라마-영화 각 부문별 후보공개. iMBC (in Korean). September 28, 2018.
  25. ^ 청룡영화상 후보 발표, ‘1987’ 최다·‘공작’도 9개부문 후보. Newsen (in Korean). November 1, 2018.
  26. ^ "EXO's D.O., Kim Tae Ri, and more win awards at the '18th Director's Cut Awards!". Allkpop. 14 December 2018.
  27. ^ "'올해의 영화상' 이성민X한지민, 남녀주연상..작품상 '공작'[종합]". Osen (in Korean). 30 January 2019.
  28. ^ Cho, Yeon-gyeong (April 5, 2019). 55회 백상예술대상 영화부문 최종 후보 공개. Is Plus (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  29. ^ Cho, Yeon-gyeong (July 9, 2019). "Chunsa Film Art Awards 2019 Nominees". HanCinema. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  30. ^ "AWARDS AND INFO 39TH FANTASPORTO 2019". Fantasporto. March 2, 2019.
  31. ^ "Gérardmer 2019: Puppet Master Grand Winner, The Undenkbar, Aniara and The Witch Awards – News Ciné". Newsbeezer. February 4, 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Witch:_Part_1._The_Subversion&oldid=968567007"