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Beasts Clawing at Straws

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Beasts Clawing at Straws
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKim Yong-hoon
Written byKim Yong-hoon
Based onBeasts Clawing at Straws
by Keisuke Sone
Produced byKim Jin-sun
Starring
CinematographyKim Tae-sung
Edited byHan Mi-yeon
Music byNene Kang
Production
company
B.A. Entertainment
Distributed byMegabox Plus M
Release dates
  • January 25, 2020 (2020-01-25) (IFFR)
  • February 19, 2020 (2020-02-19) (South Korea)
Running time
108 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box office$4,401,968[1]

Beasts Clawing at Straws (Korean: 지푸라기라도 잡고 싶은 짐승들; RR: Jipuragirado Jabgo Sipeun Jibseungdeul, Japanese: 藁にもすがる獣たち Wara ni mo sugaru kemonotachi) is a 2020 South Korean crime thriller film written and directed by Kim Yong-hoon as his debut feature film.[2] Based on the 2011 Japanese novel of the same name by Keisuke Sone,[3] it stars Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Youn Yuh-jung, Bae Seong-woo, Shin Hyun-bin, Jung Man-sik, Jin Kyung and Jung Ga-ram.[4] It was released on February 19, 2020.[5]

The film had its world premiere at the 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 25, 2020 in the Tiger Competition.[6][7]

Plot

Eight strangers who are financially struggling become involved with each other after a bag of money is found in a sauna. The film is separated into six chapters: Debt, Sucker, Food Chain, Shark, Lucky Strike and Money Bag.

Cast

Main

Supporting

  • Bae Jin-woong as Catfish
  • Heo Dong-won as Manager
  • Kim Jun-han as Jae-hoon
  • Park Ji-hwan as Carp

Special appearance

Production

Development

Japanese author Keisuke Sone, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, "is a fan of Korean films" and "was very welcoming" to the idea of a film adaptation according to director Kim Yong-hoon.[10]

Casting

Director Kim Yong-hoon first showed his script to actress Jeon Do-yeon who accepted the offer and convinced Youn Yuh-jung to join the cast.[10]

Filming

Principal photography began on August 30, 2018 and filming ended on November 30.[11]

Release

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was postponed by a week (being released on February 19, 2020 instead of February 12) but it did not have any impact as the situation did not improve by then.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews.[13]

Jay Weissberg of Variety said that "Beasts Clawing at Straws could just as well be called "Beasts Toying with Clichés" if it weren't such an amusing, echt Korean romp."[14] For Neil Young of The Hollywood Reporter, "Beasts Clawing at Straws demands attention and patience, but thus happily ends up amply rewarding both."[15] Wendy Ide of Screen International describes the film as an "almost Coen-sian tale of ordinary folks undone by greed [which] is a lot smarter than its occasionally crude execution would have you believe."[16]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2020 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam Tiger Competition – Special Jury Award Beasts Clawing at Straws Won [17][18]
22nd Far East Film Festival Special Mention Won [19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Beasts Clawing at Straws (2020)". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Kwak, Yeon-soo (January 13, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws' is nail-biting crime film". The Korea Times. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Choi, Ji-won (January 13, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws,' awakens characters' animal spirits". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (January 13, 2020). "When money turns regular people into savages: 'Beasts Clawing at Straws' stars a veteran cast doing whatever it takes to win". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Choi, Ji-won (February 21, 2020). "[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Conran, Pierce (December 27, 2019). "Beasts Clawing at Straws Invited to IFFR Tiger Competition". Korean Film Council. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Park, Yuna (December 19, 2019). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws' to get premiere at Film Festival Rotterdam". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Lee, Jae-lim; Yoon, So-yeon (February 14, 2020). "Finding delight in playing evil: In 'Beasts Clawing at Straws,' Jeon Do-yeon's character can't be stopped". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Kim, Boram (February 7, 2020). "Jung Woo-sung creates fresh character in latest crime thriller". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Choi, Ji-won (February 20, 2020). "[Herald Interview] Salaryman-turned-director Kim Yong-hoon debuts big". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. ^ Han, Hyun-jung (December 6, 2018). "전도연X정우성X배성우 '지푸라기' 크랭크업…초호화 스릴러". MK (in Korean). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (February 24, 2020). "[Korean Box Office] 'Beasts Clawing at Straws' tops a suffering weekend box office". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Beasts Clawing at Straws (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Weissberg, Jay (February 19, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Young, Neil (January 27, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws': Film Review / Rotterdam 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  16. ^ Ide, Wendy (February 3, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing At Straws': Rotterdam Review". Screen International. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Rosser, Michael (January 31, 2020). "Rotterdam Film Festival 2020 winners revealed". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  18. ^ Choi, Ji-won (February 3, 2020). ""Beasts Clawing at Straws" wins jury award at Rotterdam". The Korea Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Choi, Ji-won (July 26, 2020). "'Beasts Clawing at Straws' grabs Special Mention at Far East Film Festival". The Korea Herald. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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