Overview of Christmas in August

‘Christmas in August’ is a South Korean romantic movie directed by Hur Jin-ho. The movie appealingly portrays a photographer’s fading life and the vignette of people around him. It was the debut project of the director, Hur Jin-ho and was released on January 24, 1998. Heartily accepted by viewers worldwide, the movie’s Japanese adaptation was released in 2007.

Profile

• Movie: ‘Christmas in August’
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Director: Hur Jin-ho
• Writers: Hur Jin-ho, Oh Seung-uk, Shin Dong-hwan
• Producer: Yoon Sang-ho
• Cinematographer: Yu Yeong-gil
• Edited by: Hahm Sung-won
• Art Director: Kim Jin-han
• Music by: Jo Seong-woo
• Release Date: 24 January 1998 (South Korea)
• Duration: 97 minutes
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

Main

• Han Suk-kyu as Jung-won
  Jung-won leads an ordinary life and owns a photo studio. He is combating a deadly disease. Throughout the movie, he is depicted as a delicate and straightforward being who smiles a lot.

• Shim Eun-ha as Da-rim
  Da-rim is a traffic officer. She is cheerful and sometimes is burnt out by the workload. After visiting Jung-won’s office frequently, she gets closer to him.

Supporting

• Shin Goo as Jung-won’s father
• Oh Ji-hye as Jung-sook (Jung-won’s sister)
• Lee Han-wi as Chul-goo (one of Jung-won’s friends)
• Jeon Mi-seon as Ji-won, Jung-won’s ex-girlfriend

Synopsis

A gentleman in his mid-thirties, Jung-won, is sitting at a hospital. He suffers from a terminal disease. There, he sees a young girl seated opposite him. Watching her made Jung-won feel youthful. He sets out to the garden in front of the hospital and rejoices, and then later contemplates life.

After a while, he heads back to his shop. Jung-won owns a studio nearby and is an adept photographer. He receives a call from his friend, Chul-goo. The latter’s father died because of some deadly disease and Jung-won gets ahead to pay his condolences. Back at the shop, Jung-won took notice of a young lady waiting outside. Her name is Da-rim and she works as a traffic police officer. She is in urgent need of getting a picture enlarged and asks Jung-won to get it done for her.

Deplored by Chul-goo’s father’s death, he brushes aside Da-rim’s request and urges her to return after a while. Da-rim unwaveringly asked him to do it for her, kept the photo on his table and left the studio. After some time, Jung-won got back to his working table and took notice of the photo placed there by Da-rim. He also took sight of her standing across the street. Seeing the error in his behaviour, Jung-won did what she had asked and approached her with an ice cream, and sought an apology for his waywardness.

The next scene shows the background of Jung-won’s life. He lives with his father and has a married sister, who lives with her family. One day, Jung-won met his ex-girlfriend, Ji-won, on his way back from the studio. They share a brief awkward conversation and cast off. Jung-won’s sister, Jung-sook, paid a visit that very night. They had a little chit-chat and Jung-won tells her about his accidental meet-up with Ji-won. She tells him about Ji-won’s abusive partner and her dreadful life. She also inquires about his health condition.

Da-rim stops by the studio the next day. She is frustrated with work and people’s heedlessness. Jung-won makes her feel comfortable and asks her to take some rest. Meanwhile, she asks Jung-won about his personal life and gets to know him. They become close and meet almost every day at his shop. One fine day, Ji-won surfaces at Jung-won’s studio. They reminisce about their old memories and enjoy a good laugh. He has a picture of Ji-won and his sister, pasted on his wall. He admires it a lot but Ji-won implores him to take it off. Jung-won then realises the fickleness of life and accepts his reality.

One day, Jung-won calls Chul-goo and plans a meet-up. They both party at night, gab about life and share memories of their old days. However, both end up at a police station, because of their foul drunken behaviour. Da-rim, as usual, arrived at the studio the next day and spent time with Jung-won. He clicks a picture of her. Jung-won’s father has a rotten memory. So, he plans on preparing cards with instructions to help his father to run things in his absence. He also prepares a booklet with all the necessary details for operating the studio. It is because he wants his father to be at ease once Jung-won is gone.

Da-rim and Jung-won hang around an amusement park and spend time together. They get on rides and subsequently, Jung-won starts showing physical infirmities. The very next day after their trip, Da-rim visits the studio but can not find Jung-won. In a parallel scene, Jung-won is seen taken to the hospital due to his illness. Da-rim, without knowing this, came by the studio every day.

One day, she left a letter for him through the door but saw no sign of Jung-won for several days. Infuriated, she even breaks one of the glass panels of the studio. Jung-won recovers but is still terminally ill. He came across Da-rim’s letter and wrote her a reply but refused to post it due to his condition. He revived the photo he took of hers and pasted it on his photo wall. As a final deed, he clicked a picture of himself. The following scene opens with the same photo, framed and kept beside Jung-won’s coffin.

Da-rim, once and again, reaches the studio and notices her picture on the wall. This makes her feel delighted. Jung-won’s father takes charge of the studio and the winter sets in.

The Subtle Art of Loving and Death

‘Christmas in August’ is a film that silhouettes love in the backdrop of departing life. The movie might seem like a typical boy-meets-girl love story, but it is more than that. It unfolds the emotional attraction of two souls who share a little chit-chat every day. There is no grandeur romantic appeal, no overblown intimacy or mushy dialogues. The sublimeness of Da-rim’s and Jung-won’s love story lies in its concentrated subtlety. It could be a motor ride, sharing an umbrella or as simple as enjoying an ice cream.

The ending of the movie might look incomplete. However, Jung-won did justice by not disclosing his illness to Da-rim. He was protecting her from the cruelty of life. He subtly yet resolutely cancelled all her advancements towards him. Although Da-rim is seen throbbing towards the end of the movie at Jung-won’s disappearance, she still hopes that he is alive somewhere.

In the same way, Da-rim was a ray of hope for Jung-won. His failed relationship and receding life gave him a grim perspective on people and emotions. Da-rim erased this and helped him in times of his helplessness.

The subtlety portrayed in the movie makes it a smooth watch. It touches the common grounds of human life and gives us a sense of satisfaction.

Awards

• Baeksang Arts Awards 1998
  Best Film
  Best Actress – Shim Eun-ha
  Best New Director – Hur Jin-ho
• Blue Dragon Film Awards 1998
  Best Film
  Best Actress – Shim Eun-ha
  Best Cinematography – Yoo Young-gil (posthumously)
  Best New Director – Hur Jin-ho
• Director’s Cut Awards 1998
  Best Director – Hur Jin-ho
  Best Actor – Han Suk-kyu
  Best Actress – Shim Eun-ha
• Grand Bell Awards 1999
  Best Screenplay – Oh Seung-uk, Shin Dong-hwan, and Hur Jin-ho
  Best New Director – Hur Jin-ho
  Jury Prize

Interesting Facts about Christmas in August

1. The female lead is a teacher in the 2007 Japanese remake of the movie ‘Christmas in August’.
2. In China and South Korea, the movie ‘Christmas in August’ is used in syllabi for teaching screenwriting and cinematography.
3. The movie ‘Christmas in August’ was selected to screen in the International Critics’ Week section of the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

FAQs

1. What is the genre of the movie ‘Christmas in August’?
   Drama/Romance
2. Who is the director of the movie ‘Christmas in August’?
   Hur Jin-ho is the director of the movie ‘Christmas in August’.
3. When was the movie ‘Christmas in August’ released in South Korea?
   The movie was released on 24 January 1998.
4. Does Han Suk-kyu has an official Instagram account?
   No information is available about the official Instagram account of Han Suk-kyu. One of the most followed fan pages of Han Suk-kyu on Instagram is @hansukkyu0311.