If the Sun Rises in the West
| If the Sun Rises in the West | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Lee Eun |
| Written by | Kim Hyun-seok |
| Produced by | Hwang Jae-woo |
| Starring | Im Chang-jung Ko So-young |
| Cinematography | Byun Hee-sung |
| Edited by | Ko Im-pyo |
| Music by | Jo Yeong-wook Kim Gyu-yang |
Production company | Myeong Film Co. |
| Distributed by | Il-Sin Investment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
If the Sun Rises in the West (Korean: 해가 서쪽에서 뜬다면; RR: Haega seojjog-eseo tteundamyeon) is a 1998 South Korean film, and was the commercial directorial debut of Lee Eun.[1]
Plot
Beom-soo is a traffic control officer who aspires to become a baseball umpire. By chance he meets Hyun-joo, a theatre major who crashes her car into a tree while he is on duty. Instead of fining her, Beom-soo gives her driving lessons and they soon become friends, exchanging letters with each other when Hyun-joo returns to university. When they next meet in person Beom-soo declares his love for her, only for Hyun-joo to reject him as she plans to go overseas to study.
Three years later, Beom-soo is making his debut as a professional baseball umpire, and his feelings of love are reignited when he realises that up-and-coming actress Yoo Ha-rin is none other than Hyun-joo. The two are eventually reunited via the baseball field and resume their relationship, though Hyun-joo's affections are also pursued by Ji-min, the president of an advertising company for which she has appeared in a series of commercials. Hyun-joo eventually rejects Ji-min and shows up at the opening game of the Korean Series to throw the first ball, where she kisses Beom-soo in the middle of the field.
Cast
- Im Chang-jung ... Beom-soo
- Ko So-young ... Hyun-joo/Yoo Ha-rin
- Cha Seung-won ... Ji-min
- Nam Hyeon-ju
- Myung Gye-nam
- Kang Chung-sik
- Park Yong-soo
- Yu Hyeong-gwan
- Lee Du-il
- Choi Yong-min
- Lee Beom-soo
Release
If the Sun Rises in the West opened in South Korea on 19 December 1998, and received a total of 145,752 admission in Seoul.[2]
Critical response
Andrew Saroch of Far East Films compared the film favourably to Richard Curtis' Notting Hill, and said, "[If the Sun Rises in the West] accomplishes its modest directives and creates two characters we quickly warm to throughout their moments together. Lee Eun utilises tried-and-tested genre techniques, but it is hard to be too resistant to these when the story moves along so effortlessly." He also praised lead actress Ko So-young, saying that she "illuminates this popularist fable and lends her character some much needed humanity."[3]
References
- ^ "<The Night Before Strike (Paupjeonya)> (1990)". Korean Film Archive. Retrieved on 19 January 2009.
- ^ Paquet, Darcy. "Films Released in 1998". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on 19 January 2009.
- ^ Saroch, Andrew. "If The Sun Rose In The West". Far East Films. Retrieved on 19 January 2009.
External links
- If the Sun Rises in the West at IMDb
- If the Sun Rises in the West at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)