Sunny (2008 film)
| Sunny | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lee Joon-ik |
| Written by | Choi Seok-hwan |
| Produced by | Jung Seung-hye Cho Chul-hyun |
| Starring | Soo Ae Jung Jin-young |
| Cinematography | Na Seung-yong |
| Edited by | Kim Sang-bum Kim Jae-bum |
| Music by | Lee Byung-hoon Bang Jun-seok |
| Distributed by | Showbox/Mediaplex |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$11,093,277[1] |
Sunny (Korean: 님은 먼곳에; RR: Nimeun meongose; lit. "My Dear is Far Away") is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Lee Joon-ik. Soo Ae plays the titular Soon-yi, whose husband enlists to fight in the Vietnam War, and she decides to join a singing group that will travel to Vietnam to perform for the soldiers there.[2][3]
Plot
Soon-yi is a young woman stuck in an arranged marriage to a man who still loves his college girlfriend. Her husband, Sang-gil, is a soldier in the Republic of Korea Army, and though she visits him regularly, he doesn't return her affections. After Sang-gil is sent to fight in the Vietnam War, Soon-yi resolves to follow him. She joins a band which is heading there, where she sings for the soldiers as "Sunny", with the hope of being reunited with her husband.
Cast
- Soo Ae ... Soon-yi/Sunny
- Jung Jin-young ... Kim Jeong-man, band leader
- Jung Kyung-ho ... Yong-deuk, bassist
- Joo Jin-mo ... Seong-chan, guitarist
- Shin Hyeon-tak ... Cheol-sik, drummer
- Uhm Tae-woong ... Sang-gil, Sunny's husband
- Park Yoon-ho ... Private Kim
- Lee Joo-sil ... Mother-in-law
- Jo Mi-ryung ... Jeni
- Shin Jung-geun ... Battalion commander
- Fredrik Skalin ... Soldier
Production
Sunny was produced on a budget of ₩7.1 billion (US$7 million). Director Lee Joon-ik made the protagonist female in response to criticism that his films were largely male-oriented. Lee cast Soo Ae in the lead role, saying, "No other actress in Korea has the distinctively pure image that [she] has". Soo Ae did two months of training to refine her singing and dancing skills, and admitted to being concerned over whether or not she could pull off the character.[4]
Release
Sunny was released in South Korea on July 23, 2008. On its opening weekend it was ranked second at the box office with 480,144 admissions,[5] and exceeded the one million mark on July 19.[6] As of August 31, Sunny had received a total of 1,804,223 admissions nationwide, and as of September 14 had grossed a total of US$11,093,277.[1]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4th Premiere Rising Star Awards Summit (PIFF) | Best Actress | Soo Ae | Won | [7] |
| Best New Actor | Jung Kyung-ho | Won | |||
| 17th Buil Film Awards | Best Film | Sunny | Nominated | [8] | |
| Best Actress | Soo Ae | Won | |||
| Best Lighting | Park Se-mun | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Lee Byung-hoon, Bang Jun-seok |
Won | |||
| Technical Award | Hong Jang-pyo (Special Effects) |
Nominated | |||
| Buil Readers' Jury Award | Sunny | Nominated | |||
| 28th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Soo Ae | Won | ||
| 28th Arts Council Korea | Artist of the Year, Film category | Soo Ae | Won | ||
| 31st Golden Cinematography Awards | Popularity Award | Soo Ae | Won | ||
| Jung Jin-young | Won | ||||
| 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actress | Soo Ae | Nominated | [9] | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jung Kyung-ho | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Kang Seung-yong | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Lee Byung-hoon, Bang Jun-seok |
Won | |||
| 2009 | 45th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director | Lee Joon-ik | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Soo Ae | Nominated | |||
| 46th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | Soo Ae | Won | [9] | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jung Kyung-ho | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Shim Hyun-sub | Nominated | |||
| 17th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Best Actress, Film category | Soo Ae | Won |
References
- ^ a b "South Korea Box Office September 12–14, 2008". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (17 July 2008). "Watch Sooni Become Sunny". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "K-FILM REVIEWS: 님은 먼 곳에 (Sunny)". Twitch Film. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
- ^ Yang, Sung-jin (2 July 2008). "Sunny offers a woman's Vietnam War". The Korea Herald via Hancinema. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "Korean Box Office" (Week-end 2008.07.25 ~ 2008.07.27). Hancinema. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "My Love is Far Away Attracts 1 Mil. Movie-Goers in A Week". KBS World. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ Yi, Ch'ang-ho (10 October 2008). "HA Jung-woo and SU Ae are tomorrow’s stars". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ Yi, Ch'ang-ho (24 October 2008). "The Chaser extends awards lead". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ a b "Sunny - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
